James Ransone, the American actor best known for his role in the series The Wire, has died. Information provided by the Los Angeles medical examiner indicates that Ransone, 46, committed suicide.
Ransone played dock worker turned petty criminal Chester “Ziggy” Sobotka in the second season of the acclaimed police series The Wire, created by David Simon and set in Baltimore. He later starred alongside Alexander Skarsgård in Generation Kill, also directed by Simon.
In Generation Kill, Ransone played real-life Marine Corporal Josh Ray Person for all seven episodes of the HBO production.
More recently, Ransone appeared in It Chapter Two as the fictional character Eddie Kaspbrak.
The news of his death generated an outpouring of condolences on social media from fans of the productions in which he starred. One tribute in particular highlighted how his performance in It Chapter Two stood out against a cast that included Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Alexander Skarsgård’s brother Bill, who played the antagonist Pennywise, according to The Guardian.
Among those who reacted was the actor François Arnaud, an important member of the cast of the series Heated Rivalry, available on the HBO Max platform.
“RIP James Ransone”Arnaud wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “A unique actor who constantly impressed and inspired me.”
Ransone was born in Baltimore in 1979. He attended the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland from 1993 to 1997. He found success playing a supporting role in the teen drama Ken Park (2002) before landing a role in The Wire a year later.
In 2021, Ransone disclosed that he was sexually abused by a former tutor who worked in Maryland public schools, according to the Baltimore Sun. The actor wrote on Instagram that the abuse contributed to the alcohol and heroin addictions he later faced.
The tabloid publication Page Six reported that Ransone reported the described abuses in 2020, but authorities declined to prosecute.
In 2016, Ransone told Interview magazine that he “struggle with the catharsis of acting”.
Some of his roles forced him to humanize unlikable characters, “so I find myself living in the shoes of many unsympathetic characters”he said. “And as a result, I don’t always feel good.”
