James Ransone, the American actor best known for his roles in The Wire and It: Chapter Two, has died at the age of 46.
According to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ransone died on Friday in Los Angeles. The cause of death was listed as suicide by hanging, and the location was recorded as a shed. The information was first reported by Variety.
Career That Spanned Television and Film
Ransone rose to prominence in 2003 with his portrayal of Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of The Wire, appearing in 12 episodes. His performance as the troubled son of dockworkers’ union leader Frank Sobotka earned critical praise and remains one of the show’s most memorable arcs.
He later became a familiar presence in HBO productions, appearing in Generation Kill and Treme, and went on to star in the Amazon series Bosch. His most recent television appearance came earlier this year in an episode of Poker Face.
His film credits included Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), Mr. Right (2015), It: Chapter Two (2019), The Black Phone (2021), and Black Phone 2, scheduled for release in 2025.
Early Life and Background
James Finley Ransone III was born on June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up with his brother Dave and was the son of Joyce and James Finley Ransone II, a Vietnam War veteran.
He attended the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland, before spending a year at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He later left formal studies to pursue acting full-time.
Personal Struggles and Recovery
Ransone had spoken openly about his struggles with addiction. In his twenties, he battled heroin use and significant debt before becoming sober in 2007.
In a 2016 interview, he said: “People think I got sober working on Generation Kill. I didn’t. I sobered up six or seven months before that.”
He described how sobriety allowed him to take on greater responsibility in his career after years of instability.
Disclosure of Childhood Abuse
In 2021, Ransone publicly revealed that he was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He accused a former math tutor, Timothy Rualo, of abusing him in 1992 at his family home in Phoenix, Maryland.
Ransone reported the abuse to Baltimore County police in March 2020, but prosecutors later declined to pursue charges. He described the long-term impact of the trauma, saying it contributed to years of addiction and emotional distress.
Family and Mental Health Advocacy
Ransone was married to Jamie McPhee and was a father of two. Following his death, McPhee shared a fundraiser supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on her social media accounts.
Ransone’s estimated net worth was reported to be $1.5 million. He is survived by his wife and their children.
