Virginia Madsen

Virginia G. Madsen (born September 11, 1961)[2] is an American actress and producer. She made her film debut in Class (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. She soon moved to Los Angeles. In 1984, David Lynch cast her in the science fiction film Dune (1984) as Princess Irulan. Madsen was cast in a series of successful teen movies, including Electric Dreams (1984), Modern Girls(1986), and Fire with Fire (1986).
She is most known for her role as Helen Lyle in the horror film Candyman (1992); and for her performance as Maya in Alexander Payne's film Sideways (2004), for which she received numerous awards and nominations, including nominations for the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film appearances include Long Gone (1987), Gotham (1988), The Hot Spot(1990), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), The Astronaut Farmer (2007), The Haunting in Connecticut(2009), Red Riding Hood (2011), and All the Wilderness (2014).
She starred as Congresswoman Kimble Hookstraten in the first season of the ABC political drama series Designated Survivor.[3]
== Early life ==
Madsen was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Elaine Madsen (née Elaine Loretta Melson), who became an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and author, and Calvin Madsen, a fireman.[4] 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.[5] Madsen's siblings are Cheryl Madsen, an entrepreneur, and actor Michael Madsen. Her paternal grandparents were Danish, and her mother has English, Irish, Scottish, German and distant Native American ancestry.[6] Madsen is a graduate of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.[7]
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."[8]
== Career ==
=== Film ===
Madsen made her film debut when she was 22, acting in a bit part she landed as Lisa in the teen sex comedy Class. 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), the first film released by Virgin Films Production Company.[citation needed] She was cast as Princess Irulan in David Lynch's science fiction epic Dune (1984).[9] In 1986, she starred as Boris' (Vincent Spano) romantic interest Barbara in Creator, which also starred Peter O'Toole.
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' Fire with Fire. As beauty queen Dixie Lee Boxx, she was the sexy love interest of minor-league baseball manager Cecil "Stud" Cantrell (William Petersen) in the HBO television movie Long Gone (1987). Also in 1987, she appeared in the music video for "I Found Someone", by Cher. She played a secretary in the 1988 comedy film Hot to Trot. She also starred in the 1992 horror film Candyman.
Madsen appeared in a small role in the Francis Ford Coppola drama The Rainmaker (1997) starring Matt Damon. Film critic Roger Ebert said that Madsen had a "strong scene",[10] while reviewer James Berardinelli noted that "the supporting cast is solid, with turns from... Virginia Madsen as a witness for the plaintiff".[11] Madsen had a critically acclaimed performance as a supporting actress in Sideways (2004), directed by Alexander Payne. The role catapulted her onto the Hollywood A-list.[12]
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 Thorntonin The Astronaut Farmer; both films released in North America on February 23, 2007. She voiced Queen Hippolyte, mother of Wonder Woman, in the 2009 animated film Wonder Woman.
=== Television ===
In 1988, Madsen appeared as Maddie Hayes' cousin in the final season of the ABC drama series Moonlighting. She has since made numerous television appearances, including Star Trek: Voyager, CSI: Miami, Dawson's Creek, The Practice, Frasier and other series. She was also co-host of the long-running television series Unsolved Mysteries in 1999, during the show's eleventh (also second and final) season on CBS. She starred opposite Ray Liotta in the short-lived CBS crime drama series Smith. She also had a recurring role in the final season of the USA Network comedy-drama series Monk.
In 2010, she landed the starring role of Cheryl West in the ABC drama series Scoundrels. In December 2010, it was announced that she would be joining the cast in the NBC science fiction/action series The Event.[13] 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.
=== Producer ===
In 2008, she formed her own film production company called Title IX Productions.[14] 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.
Her second project is titled Fighting Gravity and is about the inability of female ski jumpers to obtain recognition in Olympic competition.[16]
== Personal life ==
Madsen was formerly married to actor and director Danny Huston after meeting on the set of Mr. North. They were married in 1989 and divorced in 1992.[17]Madsen was formerly in a long term relationship with Antonio Sabàto Jr., with whom she had one son, Jack Antonio (born 1994).[18]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1983	Class 	Lisa 	
1984	Electric Dreams 	Madeline Robistat 	
1984	Dune 	Princess Irulan 	
1985	Creator 	Barbara Spencer 	
1986	Fire with Fire 	Lisa Taylor 	
1986	Modern Girls 	Kelly 	
1987	Slam Dance 	Yolanda Caldwell 	
1987	Zombie High 	Andrea Miller 	
1988	Mr. North 	Sally Boffin 	
1988	Hot to Trot 	Allison Rowe 	
1989	Heart of Dixie 	Delia June Curry 	
1990	The Hot Spot 	Dolly Harshaw 	
1991	Becoming Colette 	Polaire Sorel 	
1991	Highlander II: The Quickening 	Louise Marcus 	
1992	Candyman 	Helen Lyle 	
1994	Caroline at Midnight 	Susan Prince 	
1994	Blue Tiger 	Gina Hayes 	
1995	The Prophecy 	Katherine 	
1996	Just Your Luck 	Kim 	
1996	Ghosts of Mississippi 	Dixie DeLaughter 	
1997	The Rainmaker 	Jackie Lemanczyk 	
1998	Ballad of the Nightingale 	Mo Lewis 	
1998	Ambushed 	Lucy Monroe 	
1999	The Florentine 	Molly 	
1999	The Haunting 	Jane Lance 	
2000	Lying in Wait 	Vera Miller 	
2000	After Sex 	Traci 	
2001	Full Disclosure 	Brenda Hopkins 	
2001	Almost Salinas 	Clare 	
2001	Just Ask My Children 	Brenda Kniffen 	
2002	American Gun 	Penny Tillman 	
2003	Artworks 	Emma Becker 	
2003	Nobody Knows Anything! 	Prison Lawyer 	
2004	Sideways 	Maya Randall 	
2005	Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? 	Cleopatra 	Voice role
2005	Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild	The Beast (voice) 	Direct-to-video
2006	Firewall 	Beth Stanfield 	
2006	A Prairie Home Companion 	Dangerous Woman 	
2007	The Astronaut Farmer 	Audrey Farmer 	
2007	The Number 23 	Agatha Sparrow / Fabrizia	
2007	Ripple Effect 	Sherry Atrash 	
2007	Cutlass 	Robin 	
2007	Being Michael Madsen 	Virginia Madsen 	
2008	Diminished Capacity 	Charlotte 	
2009	The Haunting in Connecticut 	Sara Campbell 	
2009	Wonder Woman 	Queen Hippolyta 	Voice role
2009	Amelia 	Dorothy Binney 	Deleted scenes
2010	Father of Invention 	Lorraine King 	
2011	Red Riding Hood 	Suzette 	
2012	The Magic of Belle Isle 	Charlotte O'Neil 	
2013	The Last Keepers 	Abigail Carver 	
2013	The Hot Flashes 	Clementine Winks 	
2013	Crazy Kind of Love 	Augusta Iris 	
2014	All the Wilderness 	Abigail Charm 	
2015	Walter 	Karen Benjamin 	
2015	Dead Rising: Watchtower 	Maggie 	
2015	Burning Bodhi 	Naomi 	
2015	Joy 	Terry Mangano 	
2016	Burn Your Maps 	Victoria 	
2017	Better Watch Out 	Deandra Lerner 	
2017	A Change of Heart 	Deena 	
2018	1985 	Eileen Lester 	
2018	Her Smell 	TBA 	
2018	Spare Room 	Nat 	Completed
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1984 	American Playhouse 	Lou Ellen Purdy 	Episode: "A Matter of Principle"
1985 	Mussolini: The Untold Story 	Claretta Petacci 	Miniseries
1987 	Long Gone 	Dixie Lee Boxx 	Television film
1988 	Gotham 	Rachel Carlyle 	Television film
1989 	Third Degree Burn 	Anne Scholes 	Television film
1989 	Moonlighting 	Annie Charnock 	3 episodes
1991 	Victim of Love 	Carla Simons 	Television film
1991 	Ironclads 	Betty Stuart 	Television film
1991 	Love Kills 	Rebecca Bishop 	Television film
1992 	A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story	Carolyn Warmus 	Television film
1993 	Linda 	Linda Cowley 	Television film
1997 	The Apocalypse Watch 	Karin De Vries 	Television film
1998 	Star Trek: Voyager 	Kellin 	Episode: "Unforgettable"
1998 	Frasier 	Cassandra Stone 	4 episodes
1999 	Unsolved Mysteries 	Co-host 	6 episodes
2000 	Children of Fortune 	Ingrid Bast 	Television film
2001 	Crossfire Trail 	Anne Rodney 	Television film
2001 	Just Ask My Children 	Brenda Kniffen 	Television film
2001 	The Practice 	Marsha Ellison 	2 episodes
2002 	Justice League 	Dr. Sarah Corwin (voice) 	2 episodes
2002–03	American Dreams 	Rebecca Sandstrom 	14 episodes
2003 	Tempted 	Emma Burke 	Television film
2003 	Dawson's Creek 	Maddy Allen 	Episode: "All Good Things..."
2003 	CSI: Miami 	Krista Walker 	Episode: "Death Grip"
2003 	Spider-Man: The New Animated Series 	Silver Sable (voice) 	2 episodes
2003 	Boomtown 	Erika Ashland 	Episode: "The Big Picture"
2004 	Brave New Girl 	Wanda Lovell 	Television film
2005 	Justice League Unlimited 	Veronica Sinclair/Roulette(voice)	2 episodes
2005 	Teen Titans 	Arella (voice) 	Episode: "The Prophecy"
2006–07	Smith 	Hope Stevens 	5 episodes
2009 	Monk 	T.K. Jensen 	3 episodes
2010 	Scoundrels 	Cheryl West 	8 episodes
2011 	The Event 	Catherine Lewis 	4 episodes
2012 	Hornet's Nest 	Judy Hammer 	Television film
2012 	Hell on Wheels 	Mrs. Hannah Durant 	4 episodes
2013 	Hatfields & McCoys 	Eloise McCoy 	Unsold TV pilot
2013 	The Anna Nicole Story 	Virgie Arthur 	Television film
2013–14	Witches of East End 	Penelope Gardiner 	8 episodes
2015 	An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success 	Karen Thomas 	Television film
2015 	Lost Boy 	Laura Harris 	Television film
2015 	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 	Beth Anne Rollins 	Episode: "Maternal Instincts"
2016 	Elementary 	Paige Cowen 	2 episodes
2016 	American Gothic 	Madeline Hawthorne 	13 episodes
2016–17	Designated Survivor 	Kimble Hookstraten 	16 episodes
2017 	Voltron: Legendary Defender 	Commander Heera (voice) 	Episode: "Hole in the Sky"
2018 	The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair 	Tamara Quinn 	Episode: "Pilot"
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Nominated work 	Award 	Result
1992	Candyman 	Saturn Award for Best Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast 	Won
2004	Sideways 	San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Won
2004	Sideways 	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Nominated
2004	Sideways 	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	Nominated
2004	Sideways 	Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Nominated
2004	Sideways 	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 	Nominated
2004	Sideways 	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	Nominated
2004	Sideways 	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 	Nominated
2006	A Prairie Home Companion	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast 	Nominated
2006	A Prairie Home Companion	Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast 	Nominated