Michael Madsen remembered: All his Oscar-nominated films, from ‘WarGames’ to ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’

One of the all-time great cinematic tough guys, Michael Madsen died July 3 at the age of 67. He was best known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, beginning in 1992 with the writer-director’s first film, Reservoir Dogs, in which Madsen played the psychotic Mr. Yellow.

Madsen had a robust career with nearly 350 acting credits listed on IMDb, ranging from modern classics to straight-to-video potboilers. And he played key roles in the tapestry of several Academy Award-nominated and -winning films.

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As we remember the work of Michael Madsen, here’s a rundown of the Oscar nominated films in which he appeared.

WarGames (1983)

As a missile control specialist unwilling to compromise during a surprise drill, Madsen found himself at the center of one of the ’80s most iconic suspense sequences. WarGames earned three Oscar nominations — for Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography, and Sound.

The Natural (1984)

Madsen embodied the dirtier side of baseball as the doomed Bump Bailey opposite Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs. The Natural snagged four nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Glenn Close), Cinematography, Art Direction-Set Design, and Score

Thelma & Louise (1991)

In a softer turn that audiences would usually get from Madsen, Jimmy represented an alluring alternative for Louise (Susan Sarandon). The film was one of the year’s bigger Oscars players, nominated for Actress twice (Geena Davis and Sarandon), Director (Ridley Scott), Cinematography, Editing, and winning Original Screenplay for Callie Khouri‘s script.

Wyatt Earp (1994)

Madsen wore a marshal’s badge as Virgil Earp, the older brother of Wyatt (Kevin Costner) and participant in the blood Gunfight at the OK Corral. Somewhat overshadowed by the release of Tombstone the year before, Lawrence Kasdan‘s western still earned an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Real-life Miami-based mafioso Sonny Black was brought to life by Madsen in the undercover cop thriller, which earned writer Paul Attanasio a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Madsen’s signature gravel lent itself well to voice-over work as evidenced by his role as the wolf Maugrim in the adaptation of C.S. Lewis‘ fantasy classic. The film itself got three technical nominations: Best Makeup, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Tarantino recruited Madsen to be one of his numbered gunslingers for the locked-room western, in which he played Joe Gage, a cowboy with a secret or two or eight. The Hateful Eight earned three nominations — for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Cinematography, and the long-overdue win for Ennio Morricone‘s score.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

For their final collaboration, Tarantino cast Madsen as the kind of old-school working actor that he was one of modern film and TV’s closest approximations. The film earned 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning two.

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