Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress
and film producer. She made her film debut in Class (1983), which was
filmed in her native Chicago. After moving to Los Angeles, director
David Lynch cast her as Princess Irulan in the science fiction film
Dune (1984). Madsen then starred in a series of successful teen
movies, including Electric Dreams (1984), Modern Girls (1986), and
Fire with Fire (1986).Madsen received further recognition for her
starring role as Helen Lyle in the horror film Candyman (1992). She
received critical acclaim for her performance as Maya in Alexander
Payne's comedy-drama film Sideways (2004), for which she received
numerous awards, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award and
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film appearances
include Long Gone (1987), Gotham (1988), The Hot Spot (1990), The
Prophecy (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Rainmaker (1997),
The Haunting (1999), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), The Astronaut
Farmer (2007), The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), Red Riding Hood
(2011), All the Wilderness (2014), Joy (2015), Better Watch Out
(2017), and Her Smell (2018).On television, Madsen has appeared in the
comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1989), the comedy series Frasier
(1998), the period drama series American Dreams (2002â€"2003), the
science fiction series The Event (2011), the supernatural drama series
Witches of East End (2013â€"2014), the political thriller series
Designated Survivor (2016â€"2017), and the DC Universe superhero
horror series Swamp Thing (2019).
and film producer. She made her film debut in Class (1983), which was
filmed in her native Chicago. After moving to Los Angeles, director
David Lynch cast her as Princess Irulan in the science fiction film
Dune (1984). Madsen then starred in a series of successful teen
movies, including Electric Dreams (1984), Modern Girls (1986), and
Fire with Fire (1986).Madsen received further recognition for her
starring role as Helen Lyle in the horror film Candyman (1992). She
received critical acclaim for her performance as Maya in Alexander
Payne's comedy-drama film Sideways (2004), for which she received
numerous awards, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award and
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film appearances
include Long Gone (1987), Gotham (1988), The Hot Spot (1990), The
Prophecy (1995), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), The Rainmaker (1997),
The Haunting (1999), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), The Astronaut
Farmer (2007), The Haunting in Connecticut (2009), Red Riding Hood
(2011), All the Wilderness (2014), Joy (2015), Better Watch Out
(2017), and Her Smell (2018).On television, Madsen has appeared in the
comedy-drama series Moonlighting (1989), the comedy series Frasier
(1998), the period drama series American Dreams (2002â€"2003), the
science fiction series The Event (2011), the supernatural drama series
Witches of East End (2013â€"2014), the political thriller series
Designated Survivor (2016â€"2017), and the DC Universe superhero
horror series Swamp Thing (2019).
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