Christian Madsen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Divergent (2014) and Palo Alto (2013).

Christian Madsen
Born
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2007–present
FatherMichael Madsen
Relatives

Life and career

edit

Christian Madsen was born in Los Angeles to actors Michael Madsen and Jeannine Bisignano. His aunt is actress Virginia Madsen and his grandmother is filmmaker and author Elaine Madsen.[citation needed]

He began acting at the age of ten, when he appeared in a small role in one of his father's films,[1] and spent time on the set of a number of other films, including Free Willy and The Getaway.[2] His grandmother, filmmaker Elaine Madsen, encouraged him to pursue a career in acting after watching his performances in high school theater.[3] His parents divorced when he was a child and he subsequently "bounced around a lot" between his parents' homes in Malibu, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Fe, and Montana.[4] He eventually moved in with his grandmother when he was 17, and she took him to the Actors Studio and introduced him to the head of its Hollywood branch, Martin Landau.[1]

Madsen's early film career consisted mainly of small roles with his father and independent films. He took on other jobs while continuing to audition for acting roles.[3] He had been auditioning without any successes for over two years[4] and was about to be evicted from his Los Angeles apartment when he won a role in Divergent, a film adaptation of Veronica Roth's young adult novel of the same name.[3]

After filming Divergent, Madsen was cast in the lead role of the independent film Prism, in which he plays a young man who is reunited with his amnesiac father after 15 years.[5] In 2013, he also appeared in Palo Alto, a drama film directed by Gia Coppola, and he has been cast in Jack Squared.[5]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Eyes Front Sam Video
2009 Lost in the Woods FBI Agent #1
Clear Lake, WI Warrior
2010 Now Here Travis Pratt
2011 The Brazen Bull Billy
In Time Dayton Citizen Leader
2012 Refuge from the Storm Sam
The Lovers Samuel Basrico Short
2013 Palo Alto Anthony
Jake Squared Grip
2014 Divergent Albert
2015 King Jack Tom
Prism Bryan
2016 Manson's Lost Girls Tex Watson TV movie
Mr. Church Eddie Larson
2017 Odious Joe McNeal
2019 Red Handed Duffy
2020 Dinner With Grandma Jack Short
2021 Free Bird Man Short
2023 The Other Side of Fortune Brett Short

Television

edit
Year Title Role Notes
2018–22 The Family Business Vinnie Dash Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 4

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Brown, Emma (November 2013). "Christian Madsen". Interview. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  2. ^ Sauvey, Kaylee (March 30, 2012). "Christian Madsen – Just like Dad". Two Cents Magazine. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Stemer, Zak (March 28, 2014). "Rebel with a cause: Christian Madsen". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Saatsaz, Cyrus (March 18, 2014). "An Exclusive Interview With Christian Madsen and Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Stars of Divergent". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (August 7, 2013). "Christian Madsen to Star in Indie 'Prism' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
edit