James Ransone, Actor Known for 'The Wire,' Dies at 46
Source: New York Times
James Ransone, Actor Known for 'The Wire,' Dies at 46
The character actor had grown up in Maryland, where "The Wire" was set, and went on to star in horror films like "It Chapter Two."
James Ransone in 2015. Jeff Vespa/WireImage, via Getty
By Jonathan Abrams
Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter, is the author of the book "All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of 'The Wire.'"
Dec. 21, 2025
Updated 7:59 p.m. ET
James Ransone, a character actor who starred in Season 2 of "The Wire" and appeared in horror films like "It Chapter Two" and "The Black Phone," died on Friday in Los Angeles. He was 46. ... The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed his death and, according to the office's website, was investigating it as a suicide. ... Representatives for Mr. Ransone did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Mr. Ransone was born in 1979 in Baltimore, an advantage in the early 2000s when "The Wire," then a little-watched drama on HBO, was looking to cast actors from the city for the show's second season. ... Mr. Ransone was living in New York at the time and knew of "The Wire," which focused largely on a group of Baltimore drug dealers and the police officers pursuing them, from having seen subway posters advertising the show. A friend, the actor Leo Fitzpatrick, had appeared in a couple of episodes.
"You have to remember, no one cared about that show until the fourth season," Mr. Ransone said in a 2016 interview. "I was 21 or 22, and it was probably my third legit job and definitely the biggest."
Mr. Ransone played Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka as a brash though inept dock worker and petty criminal whose decisions frustrate his father, Frank Sobotka, a respected union leader (played by Chris Bauer). Mr. Ransone's scenes included accompanying a live duck to a bar and donning a prosthetic penis. ... Mr. Bauer once called Mr. Ransone one of the inspirations in his life.
{snip}
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
Derrick Bryson Taylor contributed reporting.
Jonathan Abrams is a Times reporter who writes about the intersections of sports and culture and the changing cultural scenes in the South.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-abrams
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/arts/television/james-ransone-wire-dead.html
RIP to Ziggy Sobotka.
— Stan Oklobdzija (@stano.bsky.social) 2025-12-21T20:07:39.262Z
******
Stan Oklobdzija
@stano.bsky.social
RIP to Ziggy Sobotka.
Alan Sepinwall
@sepinwall.bsky.social
· 7h
I was just at the gym watching a The Wire s2 episode, and came back to this awful news. Ransone was incredible in that season -- so believable as the screw-up determined to live down to everyone's low opinion of him. And great in almost everything else I saw him do. RIP.
'The Wire' Star James Ransone Dead at 46 After Apparent Suicide
James Ransone -- an actor best known for his role in the hit show "The Wire" -- has died ... and the medical examiner is pointing to suicide as the cause.
www.tmz.com
3:07 PM · Dec 21, 2025
******
I was just at the gym watching a The Wire s2 episode, and came back to this awful news. Ransone was incredible in that season — so believable as the screw-up determined to live down to everyone's low opinion of him. And great in almost everything else I saw him do. RIP.
— Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall.bsky.social) 2025-12-21T19:54:41.301Z
******
Alan Sepinwall
@sepinwall.bsky.social
I was just at the gym watching a The Wire s2 episode, and came back to this awful news. Ransone was incredible in that season -- so believable as the screw-up determined to live down to everyone's low opinion of him. And great in almost everything else I saw him do. RIP.
'The Wire' Star James Ransone Dead at 46 After Apparent Suicide
James Ransone -- an actor best known for his role in the hit show "The Wire" -- has died ... and the medical examiner is pointing to suicide as the cause.
www.tmz.com
2:54 PM · Dec 21, 2025
******
= new reply since forum marked as read
