In our latest tribute, Janet, John, (and Pen) celebrate the life and career extremely talented and iconic actor... Michael Madsen! Born in Chicago to a filmmaking and author mother and a veteran/firefighting father, this actor went against the grain during his rather chaotic upbringing and got his start in theater. Specifically with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company as John Malkovich's apprentice. His first noteworthy role being that of a small role in the science fiction film, WarGames. After that he continued acting in small roles for films and television shows until he eventually launched his career by playing Bump Bailey in The Natural (1984). He then went onto to starring in Quentin Taratino's directoral debut film, Reservoir Dogs, as Mr. Blonde. A role that quickly changed his status from actor to cultural icon. He later starred and worked in many films such as, Species (1995), The Getaway (1994), and Donnie Brasco (1997), Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and 2 (2004), Sin City (2005), and many more. He also went onto winning a couple of awards, one being the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival for Best Actor for his role in Strength and Honor (2007) in 2008.

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