Michael Madsen on the left and John Cusack on the right.
Michael Madsen is best known for his gangster roles in movies while John Cusack is more known for his nice guy cool image roles in movies.
Michael Madsen was born on September 25, 1957. He has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Piranhaconda, Donnie Brasco and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin City. Madsen is also credited with voice work in several video games, including Grand Theft Auto III, True Crime: Streets of L.A., DRIV3R, Dishonored and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. In January 2012, Madsen was a housemate in the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother 9. Madsen was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Elaine (née Melson), an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, poet and playwright, and Calvin Madsen, a firefighter. Madsen’s mother left a career in corporate business to pursue a writing career. Madsen’s paternal grandparents were Danish and his mother has English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Native American ancestry. His sister is actress Virginia Madsen, and he also has an older sister, Cheri. Madsen’s acting career began at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he served as an apprentice under actor John Malkovich.
John Paul Cusack born June 28, 1966 is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He has appeared in films such as Say Anything…, Grosse Pointe Blank, High Fidelity, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, 1408, Must Love Dogs, 2012, Martian Child, America’s Sweethearts, and The Butler. Cusack was born in Evanston, Illinois, to a Catholic Irish-American family. His mother, Ann Paula “Nancy” (née Carolan), is a former mathematics teacher and political activist. His father, Richard Cusack (1925–2003), was an actor, as are John’s siblings, Ann, Joan, Bill, and Susie. His father was also a documentary filmmaker, owned a film production company, and was a friend of activist Philip Berrigan. Cusack spent a year at New York University before dropping out, saying that he had “too much fire in belly”.
Both Michael Madsen and John Cusack crew up in Chicago, Illinois both have dark or black hair and both are of Irish ancestry.