James Ransone

James Finley Ransone III (June 2, 1979 – December 19, 2025) was an American actor. He was best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series The Wire, 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 (2015), adult Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two (2019), and Max in The Black Phone (2021).

Ransone died in 2025 at the age of 46 in Los Angeles, California. His death was determined to be a suicide by hanging.

Early life and education
James Finley Ransone III was born on June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, 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 in Manhattan for one year.

Career
In 2002, Ransone co-starred in the Larry Clark drama film Ken Park as Tate. In 2003, he appeared in 12 episodes of The Wire, as Ziggy Sobotka. He had a supporting role in Spike Lee’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 drama series Low Winter Sun as Damon Callis.

Ransone then appeared in the 2012 horror film Sinister in the supporting role of Deputy So-and-So. In June 2014, he joined the cast of the Western film In a Valley of Violence. Also in 2014, he starred in Small Engine Repair off-Broadway. In 2015, he had a supporting role in the comedy-drama film Tangerine. Following the success of Sinister, Ransone reprised his role in the 2015 sequel Sinister 2, this time as the film’s main character. In 2016, he appeared in Season 2 of the drama series Bosch as Eddie Arceneaux.

In 2019, Ransone portrayed the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in the horror film It Chapter Two, sharing the role with Jack Dylan Grazer, who played the younger version.

Personal life and death
By the age of 27, Ransone had developed a heroin addiction and a debt of $30,000, but became sober shortly after.

In May 2021, Ransone wrote on his Instagram account that he was sexually abused for around six months by his math tutor in 1992, and that this was a factor in the alcohol and heroin addictions he later struggled with.[14] He reported his allegations to the Baltimore County police in March 2020, but they declined to pursue the charges after an investigation. The Baltimore County School System was informed of the allegations, according to police; school officials acknowledged having been notified of a “concern” but declined to specify what actions had been taken.

Ransone was married to Jamie McPhee and had two children. He died by suicide by hanging in Los Angeles, California, on December 19, 2025, at the age of 46.