Michael Madsen files for divorce from DeAna Madsen, wife of 26 years
“Reservoir Dogs” star Michael Madsen has filed for divorce from his wife of 26 years.
The actor, who has appeared in several Quentin Tarantino films, cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. But, he said, there’s more to it.
The filing comes about a month after Madsen was arrested in Malibu following a report about a domestic disturbance. After Madsen’s detainment, the Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to file charges “due to insufficient evidence.”
In his petition filed Wednesday in L.A. County Superior Court, Madsen said that he separated from his estranged wife, DeAnna Madsen, in January 2022 — shortly after their son Hudson’s death. The former couple wed on April 15, 1996.
A longtime lawyer for Michael Madsen says the actor’s wife ‘broke into’ into the actor’s Malibu home. DeAnna Madsen says the attorney doesn’t speak for her husband.
“The ‘irreconcilable differences’ reason in the Petition does not adequately describe the divorce filing,” Madsen, 66, said in a signed statement included with the petition. “I have been separated from Respondent since my son’s death by suicide on 1/25/22. I believe Respondent drove him to this by her neglect, drinking and alcoholism.”
The “Donnie Brasco” and “Thelma & Louise” star added that DeAnna Madsen, with whom he shares two other adult children, “significantly contributed” to his personal issues as well.
“I am a victim in an abusive, co-dependent, and toxic relationship that culminated in the Respondent breaking into my residence and having me wrongfully arrested for DV. Once the cell bars close on you, it’s the final curtain on any marriage or relationship, and mine was no exception,” he wrote.
Actor Michael Madsen was arrested Saturday in Malibu after allegedly getting into ‘a domestic incident’ with his wife, an L.A. County Sheriff spokeserpson said.
Madsen’s longtime attorney, Perry C. Wander, who represented Madsen in the domestic violence case, alleged in a statement to The Times that the couple’s marriage unraveled after their son died and ended when Madsen was “wrongfully arrested” for domestic violence “when he tried to have his wife whom he was separated from, leave his residence after she broke in.” Madsen, whose criminal case was dropped, has filed for a temporary restraining order against DeAnna Madsen.
“Michael is looking forward to spending quality time with his children and pursuing acting and writing poetry ... now that he is free from a toxic, abusive marriage,” Wander said.
DeAnna Madsen, who has contended that she did not break into the family home, declined to comment when contacted Thursday by The Times.
After the actor’s arrest last month, DeAnna Madsen said she and their children “have been supporting him to the best of our ability.”
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
