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Sadeq Al Sabbah Awarded Lebanon's National Order of the Cedar

Sabbah receives his honor.
Sabbah receives his honor.
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Sadeq Al Sabbah Awarded Lebanon's National Order of the Cedar

Sabbah receives his honor.
Sabbah receives his honor.

Lebanese producer Sadeq Al Sabbah was awarded the National Order of The Cedar on Sunday.

Held at Beirut's Grand Serail, the ceremony was attended by politicians, artists, and media personalities.

The honor was ordered by President Michel Aoun. He was represented at the ceremony by Prime Minister Najib Mikati who hosted the event.

Al Sabbah arrived early to the Serail, before the launch of the ceremony at 6:00 pm. He was calm, smiling, and seemed a modest man proud of his remarkable achievements. He welcomed the guests, thanked those who congratulated him with flowers, and embraced his grandchildren expressing his happiness on the occasion.

The ceremony was led by poet and journalist Zahi Wehbi who said honoring a successful Lebanese figure warms the heart, especially since this initiative comes while Sabbah is in the peak of his success.

The event was inaugurated with a short film listing the producer’s best cinema and TV works, followed by several keynotes.

Among the attendees were Industry Minister George Boujikian, former prime minister Tammam Salam, Lebanese and Arabic artists including Elham Shahin, Rafic Ali Ahmad, Georges Khabbaz, Claudia Marshalian, Rola Beksmati, and Adel Karam.

“His name tells so much about him. He is honest (Sadeq in Arabic means honest) in his work, honest in his productions, and honest with his country. We worked together several times, and I felt how honest he is to this country. He has made Beirut the capital of drama series. His persistence impressed us and made us proud,” Mikati said in his keynote.

“Every day, we look at you, waiting for more successful productions,” he said.

After the ceremony, responding to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat on whether he watches Lebanese drama, Mikati said: “Of course, I do and I know the names of all the stars.” Then he turned to his wife and asked her about the name of the series they plan to watch soon, she said: “The Rain Dance,” which is a Sabbah production.

Boujikian addressed a keynote in which he said: “Who among us doesn’t remember ‘Al Hayba’ series, and the millions of viewers who waited in front of their TVs for more episodes. How can Lebanon, the state, and the people not honor Sadeq Al Sabbah, who despite all the difficult circumstances, kept his studios operating in Lebanon, offering opportunities to many actors and actresses, and widening the horizons to welcome more talents from the Arab world as part of his global, Arabic vision.”

“It’s hard for me to express my thoughts and emotions, but I am so happy, not only for the medal that I respect and honor, but for accomplishing the goal I inherited from my family, grandfather, and father. I am from Nabatieh, a city of culture, light, knowledge, and scientists like Hassan Kamel Al Sabbah. I belong to a southern Arabic city, to an Arabic family proud of its roots that built a wide, regional network of fraternal and familial connections,” Sabbah said after he received the medal which he has dedicated to Lebanon.

“My goal was to be proud of my country and make my country proud of me even in the most challenging circumstances. Now, I see this goal is accomplished, and I hope to see Lebanon recovered and back to its Arabic entourage like it was and it is supposed to be. These exceptional situations will end despite the compelling circumstances,” he added.

Commenting on this tribute, Sadeq’s daughter and his partner Lama Al Sabbah, said: “I believe this honor is a reward to my father’s long successful journey. I am happy his country considered celebrating him.”

Elham Shahin described Sadeq Al Sabbah as a close friend and a person she respects and appreciates. “He’s a unique producer in this industry. He is professional and knows what he’s doing, and who to choose for every work. He’s a producer and an artist with a fine artistic sense who managed to make great works,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

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Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Star, Dies at 67

Actor Michael Madsen appears at the premiere of "The Hateful Eight" in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2015. (AP)
Actor Michael Madsen appears at the premiere of "The Hateful Eight" in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2015. (AP)
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Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Star, Dies at 67

Actor Michael Madsen appears at the premiere of "The Hateful Eight" in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2015. (AP)
Actor Michael Madsen appears at the premiere of "The Hateful Eight" in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2015. (AP)

Michael Madsen, the actor best known for his coolly menacing, steely-eyed, often sadistic characters in the films of Quentin Tarantino including "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," has died.

Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Watch Commander Christopher Jauregui said. He is believed to have died of natural causes and authorities do not suspect any foul play was involved. Madsen's manager Ron Smith said cardiac arrest was the apparent cause. He was 67.

Madsen’s career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low-budget and independent films. He often played low-level thugs, gangsters and shady cops in small roles. Tarantino would use that identity, but make him a main character.

His torture of a captured police officer in Tarantino's 1992 directorial debut "Reservoir Dogs," in which Madsen's black-suited bank robber Vic "Mr. Blonde" Vega severs the man's ear while dancing to Stealers Wheel’s "Stuck in the Middle with You" was an early career-defining moment for both director and actor.

He would become a Tarantino regular. He had a small role as the cowboy-hatted desert dweller Budd, a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, in 2003's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," then a starring role the following year in the sequel, in which he battles with Uma Thurman's protagonist The Bride and buries her alive.

Madsen also appeared in Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" and "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood." He was an alternate choice to play the hit man role that revived John Travolta's career in 1994's "Pulp Fiction." The character, Vincent Vega, is the brother of Madsen's "Reservoir Dogs" robber in Tarantino's cinematic universe.

His sister, Oscar-nominated "Sideways" actor Virginia Madsen, was among those paying him tribute on Thursday.

"He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother—etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark," she said in a statement. "I’ll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I’ll miss the boy he was before the legend. I miss my big brother."

His "Hateful Eight" co-star and fellow Tarantino favorite Walton Goggins celebrated him on Instagram.

"Michael Madsen... this man... this artist... this poet... this rascal..." Goggins wrote. "Aura like no one else. Ain’t enough words so I’ll just say this.... I love you buddy. A H8TER forever."

James Woods, Madsen's co-star in two films, wrote on X, "I was always touched by his sweet nature and generosity, the absolute opposite of the ‘tough guys’ he portrayed so brilliantly."

Madsen was born in Chicago to a family of three children.

He performed on stage with the city's Steppenwolf Theatre Company alongside actors including John Malkovich.

During a handprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in November 2020, Madsen reflected on his first visit to Hollywood in the early 1980s.

"I got out and I walked around and I looked and I wondered if there were someday some way that that was going to be a part of me. And I didn’t know because I didn’t know what I was going to do at that point with myself," he said. "I could have been a bricklayer. I could have been an architect. I could have been a garbage man. I could have been nothing. But I got lucky. I got lucky as an actor."

His first film role of any significance was in the 1983 hacker thriller "WarGames" with Matthew Broderick. The following year he played pro baseball player Bump Bailey alongside Robert Redford in "The Natural."

He spent much of the rest of the 1980s doing one-off guest roles on television dramas including "Miami Vice" and "Quantum Leap."

1991 would bring a career boost with roles in "The Doors," where he played a buddy of Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison, and "Thelma and Louise" where he played the boyfriend of Susan Sarandon's Louise.

Then would come "Reservoir Dogs."

In 1995, he played a black ops mercenary in the sci-fi thriller "Species" and in 1997 he was third billed after Al Pacino and Johnny Depp as a member of a crew of gangsters in "Donnie Brasco."

He occasionally played against type. In the 1993 family orca adventure "Free Willy" he was the foster father to the orphan protagonist.

Madsen would return to smaller roles but worked constantly in the final two decades of his career.

Madsen had six children. He had struggled in recent years after the 2022 death of one of his sons, Hudson.

"Losing a child is the hardest and most painful experience that can happen in this world," Madsen said in an Instagram post last year.

He said the loss put a strain on his marriage to third wife, DeAnna Madsen. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery last year, but was not charged. He filed for divorce, but asked that the filing be dismissed just weeks later.

He had previously been arrested twice on suspicion of DUI, most recently in 2019, when he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor.

"In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films ‘Resurrection Road,’ ‘Concessions and ’Cookbook for Southern Housewives,' and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life," his managers Smith and Susan Ferris and publicist Liz Rodriguez said in a statement. "Michael was also preparing to release a new book called ‘Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems’ currently being edited."

They added that he "was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many."