James Ransone, star of 'The Wire' and 'It: Chapter Two,' dies at 46

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James Ransone, a character actor who played an impulsive, drug-dealing dockworker in the iconic HBO series “The Wire” and later appeared in horror films “Sinister” and “It: Chapter Two,” died in Los Angeles on Friday.He was 46.According to the L.A.

County medical examiner’s office, Ransone died by suicide.A native of Maryland, Ransone studied theater at the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in the Baltimore County community of Towson, before breaking into television a few years later.Ransone appeared in several prominent horror films.He portrayed Max in “The Black Phone,” a film about a teen boy who is abducted by a serial killer.

The movie was based on a short story written by Joe Hill — Stephen King’s son — and starred Ethan Hawke.Ransone reprised his role in the sequel, “Black Phone II.”Ransone appeared in another horror film with Hawke, taking on the role of Deputy in “Sinister.” The movie centers around a writer who finds snuff films in his new house.

Ransone also acted alongside Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain and Bill Skarsgård in the follow-up “It: Chapter Two,” playing Eddie Kaspbrak, one of several characters being tormented by killer clown Pennywise.While promoting the film, he defended the horror genre against those who consider it a “throwaway” category.“To those people I’ll say, ‘Tell that to William Friedkin or Stanley Kubrick,’” Ransone said in an interview with Anthem Magazine.He also had roles in the shows “Generation Kill,” “Treme” and “Bosch.” His final TV appearance came in the a second-season episode of Peacock’s comedy crime show “Poker Face,” which aired in June.But he will likely be remembered most for his turn as Ziggy Sobotka in “The Wire,” a dark and uncompromising drama — hailed as one of the best TV shows of all time — that explored various aspects of Baltimore and its in...