While the holidays are a time for peace and positivity for many people, that’s not always the case, and Hollywood is now mourning the loss of frequent HBO and horror movie actor James Ransone. The Baltimore, Maryland vet passed away on Friday, December 19, with his death reported as a suicide. He was 46 years old.
Arguably best known for both his roles on The Wire and in the Stephen King adaptation IT: Chapter 2, Ransone was found alone at his L.A. residence by Los Angeles Police Department officers, who were responding to a call. At the home, the actor was apparently found hanging in his shed, according to the L.A. medical examiner’s report (via TMZ).
An initial death investigation report was completed by officers at the scene. Afterward, it was determined that no foul play was suspected.
Scott Derrickson directed Ransone across several movies, including his cameo in this year’s Black Phone 2, and the filmmaker took to Instagram Stories to share his grief-filled reaction to hearing the news. In his words:
An inexpressible loss. Five films together, and he gave unforgettable performances in all of them. Grateful to have known him. He is already sorely missed.
Scott Derrickson
On top of the aforementioned sequel appearance, James Ransone co-starred opposite Natasha Lyonne in a star-studded Season 2 episode of Rian Johnson‘s crime caper anthology Poker Face, as the character Juice.
Horror fans were no doubt also hoping to see the actor return to the role of Eddie Kaspbrak in an upcoming season of IT: Welcome to Derry. The Season 1 finale set up a way for Bill Skarskgard’s Pennywise to float across timelines, leaving the door open for the two movies’ cast members to reappear within the TV prequel. It’s unclear at this point whether that was actually in the cards or not.
While Ransone was in a wide variety of projects of varying tones and genres, he was a beloved addition to just about any horror movie, as he often added energetic levity to even the most serious of scenes. He amassed a solid lineup of spooky projects over the years, such as those listed below:
- Prom Night (2008)
- Sinister (2012)
- Sinister 2 (2015)
- Fun-Size Horror: Volume 2 (2015)
- Family Blood (2018)
- Deadwax (2018)
- Captive State (2019)
- IT: Chapter 2 (2019)
- 50 States Of Fright (2020)
- What We Found (2020)
- The Black Phone (2021)
- V/H/S/85 (2023)
- Black Phone 2 (2025)
Outside of horror, some of James Ransone’s biggest roles came via a lineup of HBO originals, including one of the best shows in TV history. He portrayed Ziggy Sobatka, the fan-fave dock-working criminal in the spotlight of The Wire‘s second season.
Some years later, Ransone went on to play Cpl. Josh Ray Pearson in the miniseries Generation Kill, Tim in the dramedy How to Make It in America, and the NYC chef Nick in Treme.
Outside of HBO and horror, the actor popped up in episodes of Law & Order, Bosch and Mosaic, while also boasting roles in films like Spike Lee‘s Inside Man, Sean Baker’s Tangerine, John Waters’ A Dirty Shame, Ti West’s In A Valley of Violence and more.
James Ransone previously spoke about past troubles that he’s experienced in his life, perhaps most notably by alleging in 2021 that he was sexually abused by a tutor in 1992. His allegations were reported to the Baltimore County police, though the investigation did not spark any charges against the educator, who at the time was employed as a department chair at a local middle school.
We at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of James Ransone during this time of mourning.