Trautmann was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, John and Marian, had to compromise on his name. They did this by putting his first initial in front of his official middle name, therefore calling him J. Michael. During his time in school, he was the class clown. In his freshman year of high school, Trautmann was urged to try out for the school's production of Romeo & Juliet. He landed the titular role, which sparked an interest in…
