Michael Madsen: The nicest bad guy in Hollywood

He’d been wishing to come back to Manila since the last day he was here two years ago to shoot for the low-budget movie, “Road Raiders” produced by Roger Corman and directed by the late Cirio Santiago. They were in Tagaytay when he tried Gourmet’s Coffee, and the taste lingered. “I think it was one of the best I’ve tasted,” he murmured. “I want a cup again. Or maybe more.”

He also liked lambanog, the local coconut wine.

But aside from coffee and local wine, he said he likes the Filipinos. Madsen, known for his bad guy roles, impressed us as one of the nicest Hollywood actors. And we later learned it wasn’t just an impression.

The high school dropout is a poet whose works have been published in several books, The Complete Poetic Works of Michael Madsen series from 1995 to 2005 which were international bestsellers. He has been involved in a number of charitable endeavors in Hollywood, especially for children. Madsen has five boys, and he has mentioned repeatedly how he wished they were with him in his trip to the Philippines.

Here are the other facts we gathered about Madsen:

He was born Michael Soren to Elaine Melson, a TV executive and an Emmy award winning poet, and Calvin Madsen, a firefighter.

Madsen’s acting career began at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he served as an apprentice under John Malkovich.

In 1982, Madsen was cast by Edward McDougal for the lead in a small independent film, “Against All Hope,” his first movie. He then played a small role in the studio picture “WarGames” in 1983. He moved to Los Angeles and appeared in other films, including as arrogant baseball player Bump Bailey in “The Natural” (1984), a deranged killer in “Kill Me Again” (1989) and as the tough but touching boyfriend of Susan Sarandon in “Thelma & Louise” (1991).

Then came a memorable role as the razor-wielding, sadistic ex-con and jewel thief “Mr. Blonde” in the bloody Quentin Tarantino crime story “Reservoir Dogs.” The film brought Madsen attention among critics and fans. During a scene in which Madsen’s psychopathic character Mr. Blonde tortures a police officer, he was so upset that he found it very difficult to finish the scene due to his real-life aversion to violence. Subsequently, Madsen was cast in a variety of major studio films, including “Free Willy,” “Mulholland Falls,” “Wyatt Earp,” “Species” and with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in the critically acclaimed “Donnie Brasco.”

Other notable characterizations include his featured role in Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” in the James Bond adventure “Die Another Day” and in the film version of the Frank Miller graphic novel “Sin City.“ He appeared in “Scary Movie 4” in 2006 parodying Tim Robbins’s character from “War of the Worlds.” He was also in the film “44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out” in 2003.

He provided voice work for the movie version of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” as Maugrim the wolf, captain of the White Witch’s secret police.

Madsen is also expected to reprise his role as Bob in “Sin City 2,” to be released this year. Fellow cast members include Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Clive Owen.

Unlike the villainous characters he often plays, Madsen is well known for his generosity and kindness. In 2002 he was presented an award for his work with the Shriners Hospital For Children, and he gave his casting director friend Bruno Rosato a Porsche 928. In September 2009, Madsen announced his participation in the Love Ride 26[12"> to help raise money for local charities and the less fortunate.

Madsen’s friend and fellow actor Dennis Hopper described his poetry as a throwback to the Beat Generation: “I like him better than Kerouac: raunchier, more poignant, he’s got street language, images I can relate to, blows my mind with his drifts of gut-wrenching riffs; this actor is a poet and he is cool, of course, he is Michael Madsen.” Madsen notes his influences for his style of poetry as being Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski. His latest book of poetry, entitled American Badass, was released on Michael’s birthday, September 25 last year, 2009. Madsen dedicated the book to the memory of his friend and “Kill Bill” co-star David Carradine.

Madsen is also an accomplished photographer. In 2006, he released his first book of photography entitled: Signs of Life, published by 13 Hands Publications, which also contains some new selections of his poetry. He dedicated this book to the memory of his good friend and fellow actor Chris Penn, who starred with Madsen in “Reservoir Dogs.”

Michael has a sister, Virginia, who’s also an actor.

Meanwhile, if he had his way, he wants to stay longer in the Philippines, and has even hinted on liking to work here, perhaps, do a commercial, or maybe, another Filipino movie.