Character actor James Ransone has died. He was best known for memorable roles in The Wire, Sinister, and The Black Phone. Ransone was 46, and reportedly died by suicide.
Ransone was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 2, 1979. He made his big-screen debut in the Larry Clark film Ken Park, playing a troubled teenager. His next role would make him a breakout star; on season 2 of the Baltimore-set crime series The Wire, Ransone was cast as Ziggy Sobotka, the son of respected dockworkers’ union leader Frank Sobotka, who wants to become a criminal. Initially the season’s comic relief, Ziggy’s story became a tragedy as he finally achieved the criminal reputation he desired…and earned a life sentence in the process. Ransone’s performance earned him Hollywood attention, and he soon became a busy character actor. Ransone worked with another Baltimore legend, John Waters, in A Dirty Shame, and had a prominent role in Spike Lee’s heist thriller Inside Man. He also played a leading role on HBO’s harrowing Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill.
How Many Times Did James Ransone Work With Scott Derrickson?
Ransone was a frequent collaborator with horror director Scott Derrickson. He appeared in a supporting role as a sheriff’s deputy in 2012’s Sinister, which Derrickson directed and co-wrote, and then was promoted to lead for the horror film’s 2015 sequel, starring as a private investigator trying to get to the bottom of the first film’s supernatural happenings. Ransone reunited with Derrickson in the 2021 horror hit The Black Phone, playing the eccentric brother of the film’s villain; despite being killed off in the first film, Ransone returned for its sequel earlier this year. He also played the lead role in “Dreamkill,” a Derrickson-directed segment of the anthology film V/H/S/85.
On TV, Ransone had major roles on the TV series Treme, Bosch, Low Winter Sun, and Mosaic. He was a familiar presence on the big screen, with appearances in Paul Haggis’ The Next Three Days, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, Spike Lee’s Oldboy and Red Hook Summer, and Ti West’s In a Valley of Violence. He made a memorable appearance in It: Chapter Two, playing hapless Losers Club member Eddie. Earlier this year, he guest-starred on an episode of Peacock’s Poker Face.
Ransone had struggled with addition in the past, but had overcome it in recent years; he was married, and had one child. We send our condolences to James Ransone’s friends and family.
Release Date
2002 – 2008-00-00
Network
HBO