Hollywood Loses Two Icons: Michael Madsen and Julian McMahon

It’s been a sad couple days for Hollywood. First, on July 3rd, we learned of the passing of actor Michael Madsen. He was popular for a litany of iconic characters such as Bud in the “Kill Bill” series, Mr. Blonde in “Reservoir Dogs,” and even a struggling boy’s adoptive father in “Free Willy.” Following on July 4th, we learned of the passing of Australian actor Julian McMahon, loved for his roles on “Charmed,” “Nip/Tuck,” and more. Both actors’ passing seemed sudden. Madsen regrettably passing from cardiac arrest, and McMahon’s secret, courageous battle with cancer reported by his wife. Madsen was 67 and McMahon was 11 years younger. Both taken much too young.

In the following tribute, we break down some of the actors’ most iconic turns and how they will leave a lasting impact. 

Michael Madsen

Michael Madsen was a character actor extraordinaire. He appeared in over 300 roles throughout his career, which started in 1982 with the biography/drama “Against All Hope.” He appeared in “St. Elsewhere” a year later, then “The Natural,” “Miami Vice,” and “The Hitchhiker” all within a few years. A role on “Quantum Leap” would help Madsen work his way up, reaching cult status in the role of Mr. Blonde for Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” 

That film—about a group of bank robbers who meet after a heist gone bad in a warehouse—was the height of indie cinema. It put Tarantino on the map, featuring iconic actors like Steve Buschemi and Harvey Keitel. Everyone plays their part and is serviceable. The film took place mostly in a warehouse and was written with snappy dialogue that made sense for the scenes. But Madsen sticks out the most: he has a keystone role where he begins to torture a police officer the group has kidnapped. Anyone who’s seen the film remembers Mr. Blonde’s sociopathic detachment and glee in torture. “Listen kid, I’m not gonna bullshit you, all right? I don’t give a good fuck what you know, or don’t know, but I’m gonna torture you anyway, regardless. Not to get information. It’s amusing, to me, to torture a cop,” he taunts.

It’s a hard scene to forget. And many of us will never hear “Stuck in the Middle with You” again without thinking of that scene. Madsen owned it and made it his own. 

‘Free Willy’ to ‘Kill Bill’

Yet a year later, Madsen would appear in the 1993 family film “Free Willy” as an adoptive father willing to give a trouble kid a break. It reminded me of another recent passing, Ray Liotta, and how amongst a legion of gangster and tough guy roles, one of his best was playing a caring father aside Johnny Depp in “Blow.” Madsen was the same, excelling in his “Free Willy” role even though it was a minor part. He would be back to form years later in “Donnie Brasco,” not a mobster relishing in torture, but portraying a real member of the mafia, Sonny Black. He voiced in “Grand Theft Auto III” and had a part in Pierce Brosnan’s last run as Bond in “Die Another Day.” And just when you almost forgot about him, he came back in Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” playing the vicious assassin Bud. 

Bud’s first appearance—talking to David Carradine outside his trailer in the middle of the desert—made him seem kind of feckless. He further gets emasculated at work when his boss chews him out for being late. However, a later scene as he captures and buries The Bride (Uma Thruman) alive is some of the most sinister work he’d done in ages. Madsen devoted himself full to his roles and was a consummate professional. Films like “The Hateful Eight” and “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” would further cement his career.

Said actress Jennifer Tilly on X, who worked with Madsen on “The Getaway: “Michael was one of my favorite actors I ever worked with. “The Getaway” was very early in my career and he made me feel safe and supported. He was wildly audacious and rambunctious with his character choices, and had a wicked sense of humor. I don’t recall ever laughing so much on a film set in my life.”

Julian McMahon

Another beloved actor who got his start in character acting, Julian McMahon was a delight to watch on-screen. Starting with minor parts in films and TV series like “Wet and Wild Summer” and “Another World,” McMahon commanded presence with his appearances. He’d work his way through roles on soap operas like “Another World” and sitcoms like “Will & Grace” before landing the role of Cole on “Charmed,” which cemented him in the hearts of fans. He played the role for five years—stretching 47 episodes—bringing extreme likability to the demonic heartthrob. 

Cole was a byproduct of what McMahon did best: he could take on-paper unlikable characters and make them immortal. While I was not heavily into “Charmed,” I noted his appearance in several episodes when I did watch it. Yet many viewers considered the storyline/romance between Cole and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) to be one of their favorite storylines of all time. It’s likely the result of Milano’s likability—as well—but McMahon’s charming endearment. He had the good looks and personality to make viewers want to believe whatever he said on-screen, even when his intentions might be devilish. 

Charming on ‘Charmed’

Said Milano on Instagram after learning of McMahon’s untimely death, “ I’m heartbroken. Julian McMahon was magic. That smile. That laugh. That talent. That presence. He walked into a room and lit it up—not just with charisma, but with kindness. With mischief. With soulful understanding.”

McMahon would carry that devilish irresistibility to his other roles, and soon after “Charmed” he landed the role of Victor Von Doom for “Fantastic Four” and its sequel “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” Here McMahon wasn’t conflictedly evil, but actually evil, playing a megalomaniac gifted with super powers after a space accident. “Fantastic Four”—a Marvel film before Marvel films were omnipresent—was always a favorite of mine. Alongside actors such as a burgeoning Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, and Jessica Alba, McMahon held his own and appeared every step of the super-villain “Dr. Doom” from the comics. To this day, McMahon, a metallic scar running down his face, electricity licking from his fingers while stating, “this is what a man looks like who embraces his destiny” is one of the creepier lines uttered in a superhero film. 

The Complexity of ‘Nip/Tuck’s’ Dr. Troy

However, the most memorable McMahon experience—for me—will always be his role as Dr. Christian Troy on FX’s “Nip/Tuck.” That series about two plastic surgeons in Miami Beach—one a family man (Dylan Walsh) and one a lothario (McMahon)—could have fallen apart with weaker actors or weaker writing. In fact, Dr. Troy’s imagery (Gucci suits, fast cars, and his penchant for discarding women) was even mused on by the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy during a behind the scenes take on Season 1’s DVD, who claimed he was afraid Troy would appear to monstrous or just wouldn’t work in real life. But once he saw McMahon in costume, he knew the complex character was going to work. 

What was most interesting about “Nip/Tuck” was how McMahon took a character that had the chance to be thoroughly unlikable and gave him heart. In one scene he’s tricking a woman into plastic surgery she doesn’t need, yet in another is putting his license on the line to send a child molester to jail. He could pontificate on the foolishness of commitment and love after using one woman for sex and then later come to her aid, offering a kind of love she’s never felt before. 

Two Actors Gone too Soon

It was always interesting to me how the writers penned Troy’s character against Walsh’s Dr. McNamara. McNamara was the family man. Wife and kids. He was always lecturing Christian on the immortality of his ways… yet when push came to shove, Christian was the moral one, not Sean McNamara. Troy was complex, flawed, jaded, a victim of trauma, and yet, somehow, integral. I can’t imagine an actor besides McMahon able to bring out his nuance. 

I’m a Season 1 purist. I feel the writers took the show down a slope to tragic sameness in seasons 2-6. What was great about that first season was abandoned in lieu of more intense surgeries and more predictable drama. Season one had only 13 episodes, and all were perfection. And so much of that is owed to Julian McMahon. He embodied the central character so much he became him. No other character could make you cringe and then feel painful emotion so effortlessly. His entreaty to Sean’s wife, Julia (Joley Richardson) to forgive her husband’s follies (“he’s not going to make it through this without you”), it’s one of TV’s great speeches. Dr. Troy is a perfectly complex character and McMahon played him perfectly. Alongside Michael Madsen, the world lost another great entertainer in Julian McMahon. May they both rest in peace.