The late Michael Madsen is mostly remembered for his roles in the films of Quentin Tarantino, including *Reservoir Dogs*, *Kill Bill*, *The Hateful Eight*, and *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood*. His work with the hit filmmaker saw him exclusively play tough guys and villains. But did you know that he almost played a cop in Dick Wolf’s long-running *Law & Order* series? True story.
According to Richard D. Lindheim and Richard A., the show’s creators felt that the Tarantino alum wasn’t a good fit for the procedural, as he lacked on-screen chemistry with George Dzundza, the actor who played Sergeant Max Greevey during the show’s early seasons. The producers thought Madsen was good-looking and had a strong big-screen presence, but unfortunately, he didn’t quite fit the bill for *Law & Order*.
Chris Noth, meanwhile, reprised the role of Detective Mike Logan in the spin-offs *Law & Order: Exiled* and *Law & Order: Criminal Intent* before moving on to other hit series.
Madsen, however, had quite a successful career in his own right, both on the big and small screens. His career spanned 43 years, and at the time of writing, he had several projects in the works set to be released posthumously.
Outside of working with Quentin Tarantino, he is arguably most synonymous with films like *Donnie Brasco*, *Thelma & Louise*, *Die Another Day*, and *Sin City*. Fans of television might also remember him from some legendary shows and lesser-known gems.
Early in his career, Madsen appeared on popular series such as *Miami Vice*, *Quantum Leap*, and *Our Family Honor*. During the late ’90s, he landed a starring role on *Vengeance Unlimited*, a one-season crime drama co-created by *NCIS* alum John McNamara.
Additionally, some viewers will associate him with his portrayal of Jack Ricker, an old friend of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), on season 8 of *24*.
If Madsen had gotten the role on *Law & Order*, he might never have been able to commit to *Reservoir Dogs* and *Thelma & Louise*—two of his most iconic movies, both of which were released just one year after Dick Wolf’s procedural debuted on NBC. Still, it would have been interesting to see him play Detective Mike Logan all the same.
https://www.tvline.com/2008576/quentin-tarantino-michael-madsen-law-and-order-detective-mike-logan/