American actor James Ranson. Biography

James Ranson is an American actor who has played in at least 81 projects and is known to the public for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka from the second season of the television series "Wiretap", Eddie Kaspbrak from the horror film "It 2" and Corporal Josh Ray Persona from the miniseries "Generation of Killers". He has proven himself to be a creative and responsive person, who has been awarded a number of American professional awards for his work. His life tragically ended on December 19, 2025: the actor committed suicide in Los Angeles.

Family and childhood

James Finley Ranson III was born on June 2, 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland in the USA. His father, James Finley Ranson II, was a Vietnam War veteran, and his mother, Joyce Peterson, was a homemaker. The boy grew up with his younger brother David in a fairly disciplined atmosphere and preferred participation in school plays to sports sections.

At the same time, from an early age, James began to show interest in art, which later inspired him to enroll in the George Washington Carver Specialized Center for Arts and Technology, where he studied the basics of theater. Later, in 1997, he became interested in painting and became a student at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

He tried his hand at photography, advertising and music — he was the bass guitarist of a little-known New York rock band, and due to his outstanding appearance, he was selected to appear on the cover of the album "Through Being Cool", which was released in 1999 by the American rock band Saves the Day.

Career in television and film

James made his film debut in 2001 — he played a supporting role in the film "American Astronaut" (2001), then, in 2002, appeared as Tate, a troubled teenager with sadistic tendencies, in the film "Ken Park" directed by Larry Clark. A year later, in 2003, he also played a young man named Neo in the movie Nola.

One of the first and most notable works of Ranson was the second season of the police series "Wiretap", where he embodied on the screen the image of a hot-tempered loader and drug dealer named Ziggy Sobotki. Three years later, starting in 2006, the actor began to have problems — he began to suffer from heroin addiction and had a debt of $ 30 thousand.

Ranson's salvation was his role as Corporal Joshua "Ray" Persona in a new HBO project called "Generation of Killers." The actor was able to survive difficult times, after which he began to appear on screens more often. He can be seen in such films as "Three Days to Escape" (2010), "Dangerous Quarter" (2011), "Black Phone" (2021) and "Black Phone 2" (2025), as well as in such TV series as "How to Succeed in America" (2010), "Black Mark" (2010) and "Killer Vinyl" (2018).

He has worked in various genres, ranging from the so-called "police procedural" to the post-apocalyptic. However, having played Eddie Kaspbrak in the movie "It 2" in 2019, he secured the status of a favorite of the horror genre.

Public activities and achievements

Throughout his life, James Ranson sought to help others — after coping with circumstances that were quite traumatic for him, he often shared his experiences with the public and touched on the topic of psychological health on his social networks. This is believed to have contributed to the removal of the "taboo" on discussing these topics by representatives of the entertainment industry.

In addition, the actor spent eight months of his life in Namibia, where he rethought some of the issues that worried him and was able to acquire new ideas. In recent decades, Ranson has provided comprehensive support to suicide survivors. In 2006, he prevented the rape of his neighbor by an unknown man — responding to the screams of a woman, he was able to detain the attacker before committing a crime.

The actor was awarded the Independent Spirit, Online Film and Television Association and Fright Meter awards.

Personal life

Ranson was married to Jamie McPhee, about whose identity almost nothing is known — the couple preferred not to share the details of their relationship with the press and led a rather secluded lifestyle.

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