James Finley Ransone III (born June 2, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'', US Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries '' Generation Kill'' (2008), the Deputy in the supernatural horror films '' Sinister'' (2012) and '' Sinister 2'' (2015), Chester in ''

Tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

'' (2015), the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in ''

It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...

'' (2019), and Max in ''

The Black Phone ''The Black Phone'' is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson from a screenplay coauthored with longtime collaborator C. Robert Cargill. It stars Mason Thames as Finney, a teenage boy abducted by a serial child ki ...

'' (2021).

Early life and education

Ransone was born and raised in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland, the son of Joyce (née Peterson) and James Finley Ransone II, a Vietnam War veteran. He was educated at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland, and attended the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

in Manhattan for one year.

Personal life

In May 2021, on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account, Ransone wrote that he was sexually abused by his math tutor Timothy Rualo in 1992. He reported his allegations to the Baltimore County police in March 2020, but they declined to pursue the charges after an investigation. An investigation by the Baltimore school system has not yet been resolved. By the age of 27, Ransone had developed a heroin addiction and a debt of $30,000, but became sober in 2007. He is married to Jamie McPhee, with whom he has a son.

Career

In 2002, Ransone co-starred in the

Larry Clark Lawrence Donald Clark (born January 19, 1943) is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for his controversial teen film '' Kids'' (1995) and his photography book ''Tulsa'' (1971). His work focuses pri ...

drama film '' Ken Park'' as Tate. In 2003, he was featured in 12 episodes of The Wire, as Ziggy Sobotka. He had a supporting role in

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

's 2006 heist movie '' Inside Man'' as bank robber, Steve-O. He starred in the 2008 miniseries '' Generation Kill'' as Cpl. Josh Ray Person. In 2010, he was cast in a recurring role in the HBO comedy series '' How to Make It in America'', and the following year, appeared in a recurring role in the HBO drama series '' Treme''. In 2012, he starred in the drama film '' Starlet''. The following year, he starred in the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

drama series '' Low Winter Sun'' as Damon Callis. Ransone then starred in the 2012 horror film '' Sinister'' in the supporting role of Deputy So-and-So. In June 2014, Ransone joined the cast of the Western film '' In a Valley of Violence''. Also in 2014, Ransone starred in '' Small Engine Repair''

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

. In 2015, he had a supporting role in the comedy-drama film ''

''. Following the success of ''Sinister'', Ransone appeared in the 2015 sequel '' Sinister 2'', reprising his role from the first film but now as the main character. In 2016, Ransone appeared in Season 2 of the drama series '' Bosch'' as Eddie Arceneaux. In 2019, Ransone played Eddie Kaspbrak (sharing the role with Jack Dylan Grazer) in the horror film ''

'', for which he received critical praise.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ransone, James 1979 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Baltimore Independent Spirit Award winners