Who did James Ransone play in The Black Phone? Character revisited in wake of actor's untimely death at 46

James Ransone, 46, recently died by hanging on Friday, December 19. The actor portrayed Max Shaw in The Black Phone. Apart from that, he was a part of other popular films, including Tangerine, Sinister, and more.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s report confirmed the cause of death. The department says that the case is still open, adding that the investigation is pending on the matter. They have included a contact number to call if anyone needs more details.

Furthermore, James Ransone’s family members have not responded from their side so far. Outside the entertainment industry, the Inside Man star was in the headlines for other reasons.

Wire magazine stated that he struggled with heroin addiction for almost five years while he was slowly building his career in acting.

During a conversation with Wire a few years ago, James Ransone claimed that he became sober a few months before he was cast in the HBO miniseries, Generation Kill.

The Family Blood star revealed in the interview that he had failed after enrolling at the New York-based School of the Visual Arts because he could not attend the classes.

The Mr. Right star mentioned that he intended to become a musician at one point, even though he worked for Patrick McMullan and later managed to get an agent for himself.

“I booked a commercial, worked on a couple of art films, and then I made enough money where I didn’t have to work for Patrick anymore. I really didn’t think I was an actor at that time - I was playing a lot of music,” he added.

James started his acting journey in 2001. However, he came into the spotlight after playing Ziggy Sobotka in The Wire. Ransone portrayed major roles in other shows like Bosch, Mosaic, How to Make It in America, and more. He even appeared as Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two and Detective Nash in the Prom Night remake.

James Ransone in The Black Phone

As mentioned, the Baltimore, Maryland, native was a part of Scott Derrickson’s supernatural horror film. Max Shaw also returned to make a cameo in The Black Phone 2.

James Ransone’s character tried to resolve the cases of the missing boys in Denver. However, Max’s childhood was not normal, as he and his brother Albert were abused by their father, following which Shaw started helping people.

Notably, Albert turned out to be the Grabber, and Max was unaware of the same in the beginning.

Max is believed to have pursued a career in criminal psychology to build a career as a detective. He even managed to discover Finney Blake in the basement, where he was killed with an axe by the Grabber.

Shaw had initially attempted to help other detectives investigating the case. However, they never paid any attention to him.

Finney Blake was The Grabber’s final victim. To find the missing children, Max used a board that featured the pictures of the boys along with newspaper cutouts, the Denver map, and some other cards.

He was also living in the same house for all this time, where Albert continued staying. Max Shaw took an interest in the missing cases after arriving in Denver to visit Albert and stayed for a few days.

He found Finney Blake when he had the opportunity to check the basement, trying to see what his brother was hiding from him.

Apart from The Black Phone, James Ransone and Scott Derrickson had previously collaborated in Sinister and its sequel.

Ransone played a deputy in both films. He was last seen as Juice in an episode of the Peacock crime comedy-drama, Poker Face.