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Virginia Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress. She is the recipient of two Critics' Choice Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.
Madsen made her film debut in 1983 with a small part in Class. Her breakout role came the following year when she played Princess Irulan in David Lynch's Dune. After a string of parts in teen film, comedies and thrillers of varying commercial success, Madsen received critical acclaim and a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of grad student Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992). Other notable film appearances during this period included The Prophecy (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), and The Rainmaker (1997). For her portrayal of waitress Maya Randall in Sideways (2004), Madsen was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Subsequent credits include A Prairie Home Companion (2006), The Number 23 (2007), The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), Joy (2015), and Lola (2024).
Outside film, Madsen has played recurring roles on Moonlighting (1989), Frasier (1998), American Dreams (2002–2003), Monk (2009), The Event (2011), Hell on Wheels (2012), Witches of East End (2013–2014), and Designated Survivor (2016–2017). Other television credits include American Gothic (2016), The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (2018), and Swamp Thing (2019). She is married and has one child.
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."
She portrayed a cellist named Madeline in the science fiction comedy Electric Dreams with Lenny Von Dohlen (1984). She was cast as Princess Irulan 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 and bass artist Aphrodite in his song "Spice (Even Spicier)". In 1985, she starred as Boris (Vincent Spano)'s romantic interest Barbara in the film Creator, which also starred Peter O'Toole.
Madsen first became known to 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, though the film drew scathing reviews. 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).
Madsen also played in films such as Slam Dance (1987), Gotham (1988), The Hot Spot (1990), which co-starred Don Johnson and Jennifer Connelly, and Linda (1993).
She also starred as Helen Lyle, an anthropology student, in the horror film Candyman (1992), which drew good reviews and was a box office success.
She appeared in a small role in the Francis Ford Coppola drama The Rainmaker (1997) alongside Matt Damon and Claire Danes. 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 and Paul Bettany in Firewall (2006). 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; both films were released in North America on February 23, 2007. She voiced Queen Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman, in the animated film Wonder Woman (2009).
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 of 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 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.
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.
| 1983 | Class | Lisa | |
| 1984 | Electric Dreams | Madeline Robistat | |
| Dune | Princess Irulan | ||
| 1985 | The Hearst and Davies Affair | Marion Davies | Television film |
| Creator | Barbara Spencer | ||
| 1986 | Fire with Fire | Lisa Taylor | |
| Modern Girls | Kelly | ||
| 1987 | Long Gone | Dixie Lee Boxx | Television film |
| Slam Dance | Yolanda Caldwell | ||
| Zombie High | Andrea Miller | ||
| 1988 | Mr. North | Sally Boffin | |
| Gotham | Rachel Carlyle | Television film | |
| Hot to Trot | Allison Rowe | ||
| 1989 | Third Degree Burn | Anne Scholes | Television film |
| Heart of Dixie | Delia June Curry | ||
| 1990 | The Hot Spot | Dolly Harshaw | |
| 1991 | Louise Marcus | ||
| Ironclads | Betty Stuart | Television film | |
| Victim of Love | Carla Simons | Television film | |
| Becoming Colette | Polaire Sorel | ||
| Love Kills | Rebecca Bishop | Television film | |
| 1992 | Candyman | Helen Lyle | |
| A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story | Carolyn Warmus | Television film | |
| 1993 | Linda | Linda Cowley | Television film |
| 1994 | Caroline at Midnight | Susan Prince | |
| Blue Tiger | Gina Hayes | ||
| Bitter Vengeance | Annie Westford | Television film | |
| 1995 | The Prophecy | Katherine | |
| 1996 | Just Your Luck | Kim | Video |
| Ghosts of Mississippi | Dixie DeLaughter | ||
| 1997 | The Apocalypse Watch | Karin De Vries | Television film |
| The Rainmaker | Jackie Lemanczyk | ||
| 1998 | Ambushed | Lucy Monroe | |
| 1999 | The Florentine | Molly | |
| Ballad of the Nightingale | Mo Lewis | ||
| The Haunting | Jane Vance | ||
| 2000 | After Sex | Traci | |
| Children of Fortune | Ingrid Bast | Television film | |
| 2001 | Crossfire Trail | Anne Rodney | Television film |
| Lying in Wait | Vera Miller | ||
| Almost Salinas | Clare | ||
| Full Disclosure | Brenda Hopkins | Video | |
| Just Ask My Children | Brenda Kniffen | Television film | |
| 2002 | American Gun | Penny Tillman | |
| 2003 | Tempted | Emma Burke | Television film |
| Artworks | Emma Becker | ||
| Nobody Knows Anything! | Prison Lawyer | ||
| 2004 | Brave New Girl | Wanda Lovell | Television film |
| Sideways | Maya Randall | ||
| 2005 | Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? | Cleopatra (voice) | Video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. |
| 2006 | The Beast (voice) | Video | |
| Firewall | Beth Stanfield | ||
| A Prairie Home Companion | Dangerous Woman | ||
| The Astronaut Farmer | Audrey "Audie" Farmer | ||
| 2007 | The Number 23 | Agatha Sparrow/Fabrizia | |
| Ripple Effect | Sherry Atrash | ||
| Cutlass | Robin | Short | |
| Being Michael Madsen | Herself | ||
| 2008 | Diminished Capacity | Charlotte | |
| 2009 | Wonder Woman | Hippolyta (voice) | Video |
| The Haunting in Connecticut | Sara Campbell | ||
| 2010 | Father of Invention | Lorraine King | |
| 2011 | Red Riding Hood | Suzette | |
| Marriage Drama | Linda | Short | |
| 2012 | Hornet's Nest | Judy Hammer | Television film |
| The Magic of Belle Isle | Charlotte O'Neil | ||
| 2013 | The Last Keepers | Abigail Carver | |
| The Hot Flashes | Clementine Winks | ||
| Crazy Kind of Love | Augusta Iris | ||
| The Anna Nicole Story | Virgie Arthur | Television film | |
| Jake Squared | Beth | ||
| 2014 | All the Wilderness | Abigail Charm | |
| 2015 | Walter | Karen Benjamin | |
| Maggie | |||
| Karen Thomas | |||
| Burning Bodhi | Naomi | ||
| Joy | Terry Mangano | ||
| 2016 | Burn Your Maps | Victoria | |
| Better Watch Out | Deandra Lerner | ||
| 2017 | A Change of Heart | Deena | |
| 2018 | 1985 | Eileen Lester | |
| Her Smell | Ania Adamcyzk | ||
| Spare Room | Nat | ||
| 2020 | Operation Christmas Drop | Congresswoman Angie Bradford | |
| 2021 | Candyman | Helen Lyle (voice) | |
| 2022 | Give Me An A | Coach Judy | |
| Prey for the Devil | Dr. Peters | ||
| 2023 | One Day as a Lion | Valerie Brisky | |
| The Portrait | Mags | ||
| 2024 | Lola James | Mona |
| 1984 | American Playhouse | Lou Ellen Purdy | Episode: "A Matter of Principle" |
| 1985 | Clara Petacci | Main cast | |
| 1987 | The Hitchhiker | Christina | Episode: "Perfect Order" |
| 1989 | Moonlighting | Annie Charnock | Recurring cast: Season 5 |
| 1994 | Earth 2 | Alonzo Solace's Dance Partner | Episode: "The Church of Morgan" |
| 1998 | Kellin | Episode: "" | |
| 1999 | Frasier | Cassandra Stone | Recurring cast: Season 6 |
| Unsolved Mysteries | Herself/Co-Host | Main co-host: season 11 | |
| 2001 | The Practice | Marsha Ellison | Recurring cast: season 6 |
| 2002 | Justice League | Sarah Corwin (voice) | Episode: "The Brave and the Bold" |
| 2002–2003 | American Dreams | Rebecca Sandstrom | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2003 | Pet Star | Herself/Celebrity Judge #2 | Episode: "Episode #2.1 & "#2.3" |
| Dawson's Creek | Maddy Allen | Recurring cast: Season 6 | |
| Silver Sable (voice) | Recurring cast | ||
| Krista Walker | Episode: "Death Grip" | ||
| Boomtown | Erika Ashland | Episode: "The Big Picture" | |
| 2005 | Teen Titans | Arella (voice) | Episode: "The Prophecy" |
| 2005–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Veronica Sinclair/Roulette (voice) | Guest cast: seasons 2-3 |
| 2006 | Hollywood Greats | Herself | Episode: "Harrison Ford" |
| TV Land's Top Ten | Herself | Recurring guest | |
| 2006–2007 | Smith | Hope Stevens | Main cast |
| 2006–2008 | Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan | Herself | Guest cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2009 | Orangutan Island | Herself/Narrator | Episode: "Cheating Extinction" |
| Monk | T.K. Jensen | Recurring cast: season 8 | |
| 2010 | Scoundrels | Cheryl West | Main cast |
| 2011 | The Event | Senator Catherine Lewis | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2012 | Jan | Mel | Recurring cast |
| Hell on Wheels | Mrs. Hannah Durant | Recurring cast: season 2 | |
| Ruth & Erica | Mel | Episode: "September" | |
| 2013 | Who's Cooking with Florence Henderson | Herself | Episode: "Virginia Madsen" |
| Susanna | Mel | Episode: "Episode #1.12" | |
| Witches of East End | Penelope Gardiner | Recurring cast: season 1 | |
| 2014 | Carol Alt | Herself | Episode: "May 3, 2014" |
| Let's Go to the Movies | Herself | Episode: "Virginia Madsen" | |
| 2015 | Metropolis | Herself | Recurring guest |
| Beth Anne Rollins | Episode: "Maternal Instincts" | ||
| 2015–2016 | Celebrity Name Game | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Ross Mathews & Virginia Madsen 1-3" |
| 2016 | Pickle and Peanut | Jackson (voice) | Episode: "Night Shift/Scalped" |
| American Gothic | Madeline Hawthorne | Main cast | |
| 2016–2017 | Designated Survivor | Kimble Hookstraten | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2016–2019 | Elementary | Paige Cowan | Guest Cast: Season 4-5 & 7 |
| 2017 | Commander Heera (voice) | Episode: "Hole in the Sky" | |
| 2018 | The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair | Tamara Quinn | Main cast |
| 2019 | Swamp Thing | Maria Sunderland | Main cast |
| 2021 | Behind the Monsters | Herself | Episode: "Candyman" |
| 2023 | Obliterated | Marge McKnight | Episode: "Walks of Shame" |
| 2024 | Holidazed | Connie Manetti-Hanahan | Recurring cast |
| 1984 | "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)" | Kenny Loggins |
| 1986 | "But Not Tonight" | Depeche Mode |
| 1987 | "I Found Someone" | Cher |
| 1989 | "Liberian Girl" | Michael Jackson |
| 2001 | Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies |
| 2003 | Complicated Women |
| 2009 | I Know a Woman Like That |
| 2012 | Made in New Mexico |
| 2013 | Battling Darkness |
| 2016 | Joy, Strength and Perseverance |
| 2018–2021 | Imagined Life |
| 2020–2023 | Little Stories Everywhere |
| 2021–2023 | Whose Amazing Life? |
| 1993 | Candyman | Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival Award for Best Actress | |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actress | |||
| Saturn Award for Best Actress | |||
| 2004 | Sideways | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female | |||
| Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast | |||
| San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | |||
| Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress | |||
| 2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast | |
| Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
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