James Ransone, ‘Tangerine’ and ‘The Wire’ Actor, Dead at 46

The Indie Spirit winner passed away on Friday, December 20.

Actor James Ransone, best known for his frequent collaborations with filmmakers like Sean Baker and breakout roles on “The Wire” and in “It: Chapter Two” has died at age 46. Ransone was found dead by hanging on Friday in Los Angeles, having apparently died by suicide, according to the county medical examiner’s report. TMZ was the first outlet to report the news.

Ransone was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1979. He attended the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Md., from 1993 to 1997. Over the course of more than 70 screen credits, the actor became known as a reliably electric performer, adding texture and emotionality to all of his roles. His first big break came in 2003, when he was cast in the second season of “The Wire” as Chester “Ziggy” Sabotka. In 2008, he starred alongside Alexander Skarsgård in the fact-based miniseries “Generation Kill.”

His film work was marked by turns in films both large and small, though he notably returned to work again and again with many of his filmmakers, including Sean Baker, Spike Lee, and Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill. In 2006, he appeared in his first major Hollywood production, Lee’s “Inside Man.” He would again star for Lee in his 2012 “Red Hook Summer.”

For indie film fans, Ransone’s work with Baker was a highlight. Ransone starred in three Baker features, “Starlet” (which earned him an Indie Spirit Award, shared with the cast and crew as part of the body’s Robert Altman honor), “Tangerine,” and “The Florida Project.” His work with Derrickson and Cargill included a number of horror hits, including both “The Black Phone” and “Black Phone 2” and “Sinister” and its sequel.

In 2019, Ransone co-starred in his biggest production to date, as the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in Andy Muschietti’s smash hit “It: Chapter Two.” At the time of the film’s release, he told IndieWire he nearly quit Hollywood before booking the job.

“I really thought I was going to leave and not do this anymore in 2017, for real,” he said in a 2019 interview with IndieWire. “I was not very happy about certain things that were happening in the business. I was really considering going back to school for theology. I wrote something that was very important to me that I hoped would get made, and people liked it, but it didn’t get any traction. I was like, ‘oh, no one really cares, and money’s sort of more important than anything else.’ I know that we’re in a business, too, and we’re so fortunate that we get to make art that also gets to make money, but I just felt a little jaded.”

Most recently, Ransone appeared in an episode of “Poker Face” and briefly returned for a cameo in “Black Phone 2.”

After the news of Ransone’s passing was reported over the weekend, tributes began to pour in from some of his many collaborators. Baker shared a photo of the pair on Instagram and captioned it “I’ll miss you dearly my friend.” His “Tangerine” co-star Mya Taylor also took to Instagram, sharing a photo of the actor and writing, “He could light up a room with his smile and dimples. So funny and sweet and he will be missed.” “Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE,” Spike Lee wrote on Instagram. “We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN.”

He is survived by his wife Jamie McPhee and their children, Jack and Violet. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family during this time.

If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.