James Ransone Biography – 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know

Quick Facts

James Ransone is an American actor who has received acclamation both as an onscreen hero and as a real-life hero. His role as Tate, an angry teen, in Ken Park attracted much attention to him and moved his career to unexpected heights. He is also known as Ziggy Sobotka in the HBO’s crime drama series The Wire, Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries Generation Kill, and The Deputy in the horror film Sinister.

James Ransone – Biography

Ransone was born on the 2nd of June 1979 to Joyce (née Peterson) and James Finley Ransone II in Baltimore, Maryland, in the US. He was named James Finley Ransone III, after his father, a Vietnam War veteran. His middle name is of Scottish origins and it means fair warrior or hero. What better moniker could there be for the son of a war veteran?

Given his name, you might want to conclude that he must have some Scottish roots after all. Contrary to your presumptions, The First actor has a cocktail of heritage but Scottish is not one of them. He is of Italian, English, German, and Irish ancestry.

In 1993, Ransone started attending the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, a magnet school in Baltimore where he majored in theatre and then fine arts. He graduated in 1997 and proceeded to Manhattan, New York where he studied at the School of Visual Arts for one year.

While he did not grow up to join the military, James Finley is a hero in the entertainment industry, consistently in demand. Ransone has grown his career to an enviable position, recording over sixty roles in movies and TV shows. James Ransone is a real life hero too. He foiled an attempted rape attempt in April 2006 when he responded to his neighbor’s cries for help and ultimately saved her by fighting off her assailant with a metal bar.

His Career

James Ransone began his acting career in the early 2000s. He starred in an episode of the legal drama series, Law & Order in 2001 and was cast in the 2001 film, The American Astronaut. Since then, he has featured in dozens of movies, short films, and television shows.

He caught his audience as an angry teen, Tate, who brutally killed his grandparents in the drama film Ken Park (2002). Ransone was in the 2006’s  heist thriller Inside Man and on TV, he had a recurring role in the crime drama series, The Wire as Ziggy Sobotka, written by author and TV writer, David Simon. He reunited with the writer in Generation Kill (2008) as Cpl. Josh Ray Person and Treme (2011).

Ransone had a recurring role in the comedy series How to Make It in America in 2010. He appeared in the AMC drama series Low Winter Sun (2013) after his role in the drama film Starlet and horror film Sinister in 2012. He returned for the Sinister sequel in 2015. In June 2014, he joined the cast of the Western film In a Valley of Violence (2016) and co-starred in the comedy-drama film Tangerine the following year.

He co-starred in the mystery thriller film Gemini (2017) alongside and , the 2018 horror film Family Blood with , and the sci-fi thriller flick Captive State in 2019. Ransone landed recurring roles in the police procedural drama series Bosch (2016) and the murder mystery TV drama Mosaic (2018). In 2018, he was cast in a regular role as astronaut Nick Fletcher in the Hulu space epic, The First led by and created by Beau Willimon.

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About James Ransone

1. Ransone Had A Drug Addiction

By the time James Ransone was 27, he was weighing 115lbs, had developed a heroin addiction and was $30,000 in debt. Suddenly, realization dawned on him that if he does nothing about the way he was going, he would ultimately end up dead or where he never dreamed to be and it would be nobody’s fault but solely his.

At that time, Ransone had recorded a few accomplishments on the career front. He has appeared in some successful movies and television shows, and a few bands including the NYC’s metal band Early Man but knew that what he wanted was more than a successful career. He desired a successful life as well.

Thus, he radically altered his lifestyle by moving to the African country, Namibia for seven months, undergoing immersion into his role in the HBO war drama miniseries Generation Kill. Though he admitted that change in whatever form it assumes is painful, but he is grateful it happened.

2. His Net Worth

The heroin addict who was once in debt of $30,000 has become an Indie hero. He has appeared in many successful movies which have, in turn, caused an upturn in his account. James Ransone has a net worth that has been estimated to be $3 million.

3. His Relationship Gone Awry Was One Of The Forces That Propelled Him To Change

Before Ransone joined the cast of the HBO series to Namibia, he was involved in a five-year relationship. Although he claimed to have loved her very much, his addiction put a strain on their relationship. According to Ransone, she got fed up with his problems and eventually decided to leave. Of course, junkies don’t tend to make the best boyfriends after all.

4. It Was His Relationship That Also Brought Change His Way

Some of the transforming relationships he had were with men by way of friendships. Ransone met two Marines, Eric Kocher, and Jeff Carrizales while in Namibia, whom the miniseries was partly based on. He credited them with reconnecting him with himself. From being a junkie, they forced him to grow up, to look at things differently. He calls these men the best experience of his life so far.

5. He Was Cast In The 2019 Movie – It: Chapter Two

Ransone was cast in the sought after part of the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in the much-anticipated sequel to It, It: Chapter Two.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.