Biography
Though she spent the first two decades of her career languishing in small, thankless parts or leading roles in erotic thrillers, actor Virginia Madsen finally had the role of a lifetime with her subtle, touching portrayal of a waitress and wine connoisseur in Alexander Payne's critically acclaimed "Sideways" (2004). Nominated for her first Academy Award, Madsen earned a large degree of respectability that had previously been lacking despite a …
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Career Milestones
| Studied dancing and acting throughout her childhood | ||
| Took time off acting to concentrate on raising her son | ||
1983 | First feature film, "Class" | |
1984 | First lead role in a feature, "Electric Dreams" | |
1984 | TV-movie debut, "A Matter of Principle" for PBS series "American Playhouse" | |
1985 | First TV miniseries, "Mussolini: The Untold Story" (NBC) | |
1989 | Played Maddie's (Cybill Shepherd) sister on two episodes of ABC's "Moonlighting" | |
1990 | Offered a fine turn as a femme fatale in "The Hot Spot" | |
1992 | Starred in the horror thriller "Candyman" | |
1998 | Joined Robert Stack as co-host of "Unsolved Mysteries" (CBS) | |
1998 | Turned in an effective supporting turn in "John Grisham's 'The Rainmaker'" | |
2001 | Starred in the fact-based Lifetime TV-movie "Just Ask My Children" | |
2002 | Cast for one season as Rebecca Sandstrom on the NBC drama "American Dreams" | |
2004 | Co-starred with Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Sandra Oh in Alexander Payne's "Sideways"; received Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress | |
2006 | Cast as Ray Liotta's unsuspecting wife on the short-lived CBS series "Smith" | |
2006 | Cast in Robert Altman's ensemble feature "A Prairie Home Companion," based on Garrison Keilor's radio program | |
2006 | Played Harrison Ford's wife in the thriller "Firewall" | |
2007 | Co-starred in the films "The Number 23" with Jim Carrey and "The Astronaut Farmer" with Billy Bob Thornton | |
2007 | Executive producing debut, "Ripple Effect"; also acted opposite Forest Whitaker | |
2008 | Featured opposite Matthew Broderick in "Diminished Capacity" | |
2009 | Starred in the horror drama "The Haunting in Connecticut" | |
2010 | Co-starred with David James Elliott on ABC's "Scoundrels," about a crime family who tries to go straight when the patriarch goes to prison | |
2011 | Appeared in Catherine Hardwicke's horror fantasy "Red Riding Hood" | |
2011 | Cast as a Senator on NBC mystery drama "The Event" | |
Awards
2004 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Sideways |
2004 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sideways |
2004 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Sideways |
2004 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sideways |
2004 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sideways |
2004 | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sideways |
2004 | San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress in Sideways |
2004 | Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Performance, Female in Sideways |
2005 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in Sideways |
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Sideways |
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Sideways |