Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''
Class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
'' (1983), which was filmed in her native
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
. After she moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, director
David Lynch cast her as
Princess Irulan in the science fiction film ''
Dune'' (1984). Madsen then starred in a series of successful teen movies, including ''
Electric Dreams'' (1984), ''
Modern Girls'' (1986), and ''
Fire with Fire'' (1986).
Madsen received further recognition for her starring role as
Helen Lyle in the horror film ''
Candyman'' (1992). For her performance in
Alexander Payne's comedy-drama ''
Sideways'' (2004), Madsen was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
On television, Madsen has appeared in the comedy-drama series ''
Moonlighting
Moonlighting may refer to:
* Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment
Entertainment
* ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski
* ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...
'' (1989), the comedy series ''
Frasier'' (1998), the period drama series ''
American Dreams'' (2002–2003), the murder mystery series ''
Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
'' (2002–2009), the science fiction series ''
The Event'' (2011), the supernatural drama series ''
Witches of East End
''Witches of East End'' is a 2011 novel by author Melissa de la Cruz and the first entry in her ''Beauchamp Family'' series. It was published on June 21, 2011, by Hyperion Books and follows a family of Long Island witches struggling against dar ...
'' (2013–2014), the political thriller series ''
Designated Survivor'' (2016–2017), and the
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green L ...
superhero horror series ''
Swamp Thing'' (2019).
Early life
Virginia Gayle Madsen was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of
Elaine (née Melson), who became an
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and author, and Calvin Christian Madsen, a
firefighter. After Madsen's parents divorced in the late 1960s, when the children were young, her mother left a career in finance to pursue a career in arts, encouraged by film critic
Roger Ebert. Madsen's siblings are
Michael Madsen, an actor, and Cheryl Madsen, an entrepreneur. Her paternal grandparents were Danish, and her mother has English, Irish, Scottish, German and distant Native American ancestry. Madsen is a graduate of
New Trier High School in
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the secon ...
.
Madsen 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
Film
Madsen made her acting debut at age 22, in a
bit part where she landed her role as Lisa in the comedy film ''
Class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
'' (1983). She next appeared in
Kenny Loggins' music video for "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)" from the ''
Footloose'' soundtrack.
She portrayed a cellist named Madeline in ''
Electric Dreams'' (1984). She was cast as
Princess Irulan in
David Lynch's science fiction epic ''
Dune'' (1984). In 1986, she starred as Boris (
Vincent Spano)'s romantic interest Barbara in the film ''
Creator'', which also starred
Peter O'Toole.
Madsen first became popular with audiences in 1986 with her portrayal of a Catholic school girl who fell in love with a boy from a prison camp in Duncan Gibbons' ''
Fire with Fire''. As beauty queen Dixie Lee Boxx, she was the love interest of minor league baseball manager Cecil "Stud" Cantrell (
William Petersen) in the
HBO original film ''
Long Gone'' (1987). That same year she also appeared in the music video for "
I Found Someone" by
Cher. She played a secretary named Allison Rowe in the comedy film ''
Hot to Trot'' (1988). She also starred as
Helen Lyle in the horror film ''
Candyman'' (1992).
She appeared in a small role in the
Francis Ford Coppola drama ''
The Rainmaker'' (1997) alongside
Matt Damon and
Claire Danes
Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, '' Time'' named her one of the 100 most influenti ...
. 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 delivered a critically acclaimed performance in ''
Sideways'' (2004), directed by
Alexander Payne. Her role catapulted her onto the Hollywood
A-list.
Her first major role after ''Sideways'' was opposite
Harrison Ford in ''
Firewall
Firewall may refer to:
* Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts
* Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...
''. She later appeared in
Robert Altman's ''
A Prairie Home Companion'', in a key role as the angel. She co-starred alongside
Jim Carrey in ''
The Number 23'' and
Billy Bob Thornton in ''
The Astronaut Farmer
''The Astronaut Farmer'' is a 2006 American drama film directed by Michael Polish, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Mark. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Bruce Dern and Max Thieriot. The plot is about a Texas ranch ...
''; both films were released in North America on February 23, 2007. She voiced
Queen Hippolyta, mother of
Wonder Woman, in the animated film ''
Wonder Woman'' (2009).
Television
In 1988, Madsen appeared as Maddie Hayes' cousin in the fifth and final season of the
ABC drama series ''
Moonlighting
Moonlighting may refer to:
* Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment
Entertainment
* ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski
* ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...
''. She has since made various television appearances, including ''
Star Trek: Voyager'', ''
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Detec ...
'', ''
Dawson's Creek'', ''
The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...
'', ''
Frasier'', and other television series. She was also co-host of the long-running television series ''
Unsolved Mysteries'' in 1999, during the show's eleventh season (which was also the second and final season on
CBS). She starred alongside
Ray Liotta in the short-lived CBS crime drama series ''
Smith''. She also had a recurring role in the
eighth and final season in the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...
comedy-drama series ''
Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
''.
In 2010, she landed the starring role of Cheryl West in the ABC comedy-drama series ''
Scoundrels''. In December 2010, it was announced that she would be joining the cast in the
NBC science fiction series ''
The Event''. In 2012, she joined the cast of the
AMC western drama series ''
Hell on Wheels'' as Mrs. Hannah Durant, first appearing in episode eight of season 2, "The Lord's Day". In 2013, Madsen began appearing on
Lifetime's ''
Witches of East End
''Witches of East End'' is a 2011 novel by author Melissa de la Cruz and the first entry in her ''Beauchamp Family'' series. It was published on June 21, 2011, by Hyperion Books and follows a family of Long Island witches struggling against dar ...
'' as Penelope Gardiner, the main villainess of the first season.
She starred as Speaker Kimble Hookstraten in the
first season of the
ABC political drama series ''
Designated Survivor''.
Producer
In 2008, she formed her own film production company called Title IX Productions. Her first project was a film made with her mother titled ''I Know a Woman Like That''. The film is a documentary about the lives of older women. On the creation of the film, she said her mother's active lifestyle was an inspiration to start filming.
My mother's level of activity, of productivity, was exactly why I thought a project like this would work. Originally, when we put the idea together, she had said, "I'm far too busy. I'm going to Holland, and then I'm going here and there and I'm writing my book." But that's really what it's about.
Personal life
Madsen was married to actor and director
Danny Huston
Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston.
He is known for h ...
after meeting on the set of ''
Mr. North'' (1988). They married in 1989 and divorced in 1992. Madsen was in a long-term relationship with
Antonio Sabàto Jr. from 1993 to 1998, with whom she has one son.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madsen, Virginia
1961 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Chicago
American film actresses
American people of Danish descent
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Scottish descent
American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Huston family
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners
New Trier High School alumni
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners