Actor Michael Madsen, a stoic actor who worked with Quentin Tarantino among other directors in various acclaimed films from the 1980s onward, has died, according to his publicist Liz Rodriguez. He , Michael Madsen, a sledgehammer of an actor who became one of Hollywood’s reigning bare-knuckled heavies thanks to indelible performances in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill , Michael Madsen, a frequent Quentin Tarantino collaborator on films like "Reservoir Dogs" and a veteran actor in "Free Willy" and more, has died at 67., Michael Madsen, the 'Reservoir Dogs' actor who worked often with Quentin Tarantino, died at his Malibu home of cardiac arrest, a representative says. He was 67., Michael Madsen apparently went into cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday morning, according to his manager., Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has died..