‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ‘Kill Bill’ actor, Michael Madsen, dies

An actor frequently cast in Quentin Tarantino films has died.

Michael Madsen was found unresponsive at his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday and was declared dead, his manager confirmed. Ron Smith said it appears that his client suffered from cardiac arrest, The Associated Press reported.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to The Los Angeles Times that they responded to Madsen’s home Thursday morning and he was pronounced dead at 8:25 a.m. local time.

The department said they did not provide a cause of death, other than to say he seems to have died from natural causes.

Madsen was a prolific actor with more than 300 credits to his name. He was best known for his role as Mr. Blonde in 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs” and for appearing in such Tarantino films as the “Kill Bill” series and “The Hateful Eight.”

He was also publishing a book, “Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems,” which is being edited, his representatives said, according to USA Today.

Madsen’s father was a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department, and his mother was an author and won an Emmy.

Madsen, born in the Windy City in 1957, started acting at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in his hometown, with John Malkovich as his mentor, according to The Hollywood Reporter.