Last week during the 4th of July weekend, Hollywood and the indie cinema worlds were rocked by the passings of some great talents.

Michael Madsen, known for his collaborations with legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and his later work in indie cinema, unexpectedly passed away on July 3 at the age of 67. The brother of actress Virginia Madsen, Michael’s best known roles include Mr. Blonde in Tarantino’s Resevoir Dogs, Budd in the Kill Bill saga, and Joe Gage in The Hateful Eight. In recent years, Madsen would appear in indie films, including two films for Mahal Empire (Death Count and Arena Wars).

Madsen is not just an actor, but a poet as well with a book of his works set to be released in early 2026 as well as some films that will be released posthumously later this year.

Next up is Australian actor Julian McMahon, who passed away after secretly battling cancer on July 2. The 56-year old will be known for his work on two television series, Charmed and Nip/Tuck. In 2005, McMahon would play the big screen version of Victor Von Doom in Fox’s Fantastic Four and would go on to reprise the role in the 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer. McMahon recently had a major role on the television series FBI: Most Wanted.

Finally, martial arts film fans were shocked at the passing of Ted Jan “TJ” Roberts, who actually had passed away on June 6, 2022 but his death was made public over three years later. A martial arts champion, Roberts’ first appearance was on an episode of the his show Married with Children. In 1992, indie outlet PM Entertainment signed Roberts to a multi-picture deal. He would be the company’s teen star with films like the Magic Kid franchise, A Dangerous Place, The Power Within, and Tiger Heart. In 1995, Roberts took the lead of Saban’s Masked Rider, adapted from the Japanese series Kamen Rider Black RX.

After a brief appearance in Gus Van Sant’s Milk and some short films, Roberts decided to leave acting and his passing leaves a mark in the hearts of 90s martial arts film fans.

WorldFilmGeek sends its condolences to the families of Michael Madsen, Julian McMahon, and Ted Jan Roberts.