His most famous role came on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manager, Reuben Kincaid, opposite Shirley Jones' character.

He spent his early childhood in Port Huron, Michigan, and in 1939 was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Bess and Frank Hoff, in Terre Haute, Indiana, after his father's death and his mother's job keeping her on the road.

After two unsuccessful years on the Southern nightclub circuit, Madden travelled to Los Angeles, where a successful opening night at a Beverly Hills nightclub led to a 10-week retention, and a recommendation by patron Frank Sinatra to Ed Sullivan, who signed Madden for three nights on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Madden also made guest appearances on other television series, such as Bewitched, Happy Days, The Love Boat, Barney Miller (1978, episode: "Eviction", parts 1 and 2) and Fantasy Island.

Madden began voicing several characters on Focus on the Family's children's radio drama Adventures in Odyssey in the late 1980s.

His last guest appearance was on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, where he played Dr. Egglehoffer along with other former Laugh-In cast members[clarification needed].

Madden did voice-over work for numerous television and radio commercials, including the Corlick Sister ads for Denny's from 1990 to 1993.

[1] Madden befriended many fellow actors over his career, including Jonathan Winters, Alan Young, Pat Morita, Henry Gibson, Dan Rowan, Richard Gautier, Arte Johnson, James Karen and Gary Owens, as well as all of his Partridge Family co-stars and the show's creator Bernard Slade.