Virginia Madsen (born
September 11,
1961) is an
American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, having appeared in several films aimed at a teenage audience. During the 2000s, she once again became known after an
Academy Award- and
Golden Globe-nominated role in the film
Sideways.
Biography
Early life
Madsen was born in
Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Elaine (
née Melson), an
Emmy-winning
poet,
producer and
playwright who often works for
PBS, and Calvin Madsen, a
fireman.
Madsen's mother left a career in corporate business to pursue a writing career.
Madsen's brother is actor
Michael Madsen. Her paternal grandparents were
Danish and her mother has
Irish and
Native American ancestry.
Madsen is a graduate of
New Trier High School in
Winnetka, Illinois.
Her first stab as a thespian was as her brother’s assistant in magic shows the two would concoct for their family. She later attended the Ted Liss Acting Studio in Chicago and Harand Camp Adult Theater Seminar in
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Of her experience with Liss she said:
"I had wanted to join his class since I was 12. It was well worth the wait because I don't think I could have got that sort of training anywhere else especially in the United States...I always wanted to make a real career out of acting."
Career
Audiences first caught a glimpse of Madsen in a bit part she landed as Lisa in the teen sex comedy
Class. She was cast as
Princess Irulan -- a key role in one version, greatly diminished in another -- in
David Lynch's
science fiction epic
Dune (1984).
[Madsen's opening monologue from Dune ("In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness.") was later sampled by Israel-based group Astral Projection in their tracks "Dancing Galaxy" and "Ambient Galaxy" on their album Dancing Galaxy, and by drum'n'bass artist Aphrodite in his song "Spice (Even Spicier)."]
Madsen first became popular with audiences in 1986 with her portrayal of a Catholic schoolgirl who fell in love with a boy from a prison camp in Duncan Gibbons's
Fire with Fire. As beauty queen Dixie Lee Boxx, she was the sexy romantic interest of minor-league baseball manager Cecil "Stud" Cantrell (
William Petersen) in the made-for-cable
Long Gone (1987). She also appeared as Maddie Hayes' cousin in the final season of
Moonlighting. She also starred in the 1992 slasher film
Candyman.
A couple of provocative film appearances followed: 1990's
The Hot Spot with
Don Johnson, directed by
Dennis Hopper, and the equally steamy
Third Degree Burn with
Treat Williams.
She was also co-host of the TV series
Unsolved Mysteries in 1999, the show's final season on
CBS.
Madsen turned in a solid performance in a small but key role in the
Francis Ford Coppola drama
The Rainmaker (1997) starring
Matt Damon. Film critic
Roger Ebert said that Madsen had a "strong scene",
while reviewer James Berardinelli noted that "the supporting cast is solid, with turns from... Virginia Madsen as a witness for the plaintiff".
Madsen had spent more than twenty years in minor films before her breakout critically acclaimed performance in
Sideways (2004). The role catapulted her onto the fabled Hollywood
A-list.
Her first major role after
Sideways was opposite
Harrison Ford in
Firewall. She later appeared in
Robert Altman's
A Prairie Home Companion, in a key role as the angel. She co-starred with
Jim Carrey in
The Number 23 and
Billy Bob Thornton in
The Astronaut Farmer; both films opened in North America on
February 23,
2007.
Madsen has made numerous television appearances including:
Star Trek: Voyager, CSI: Miami, Dawson's Creek, The Practice, Frasier, and other series. She starred opposite
Ray Liotta in
CBS's short-lived crime drama
Smith.
She will voice
Queen Hippolyte, mother of
Wonder Woman, in the upcoming animated
Wonder Woman film.
Personal life
When Madsen arrived in Hollywood, she was engaged to actor
Billy Campbell. She married actor
Danny Huston in 1989 and they divorced in 1992. Madsen also had a relationship with actor
Antonio Sabato Jr., with whom she had a son, Jack, in 1994.
Madsen has
heterochromia, a
genetic trait resulting in different pigmentation of the eyes. Madsen has one green eye, and one half-green, half-brown eye. Her brother, actor Michael Madsen, does not share this trait, however.
Awards
Nominations: Academy Awards
- Sideways (2004) - Best Supporting Actress
Nominations: Golden Globes
- Sideways (2004) - Best Supporting Actress
Other awards
Wins:
Filmography
Upcoming:
