LOS ANGELES — Michael Madsen, the actor best known for his coolly menacing, steely-eyed, often sadistic characters in the films of Quentin Tarantino including Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, has died.

Actor Michael Madsen, a stoic actor who worked with Quentin Tarantino among other directors in various acclaimed films from the 1980s onward, has died, according to his publicist Liz Rodriguez. He was 67.

Michael Madsen's cause of death has been revealed by his management after his shock passing aged 67 on Thursday.