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.

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

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.