Virginia Madsen

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 …