After the Oscars snub James Ransone in their In Memoriam, director Scott Derrickson shares a moving tribute that reveals their deep friendship and the actor’s final, remorseful words—spotlighting a career defined by raw talent and personal battles.
The 2026 Academy Awards ceremony faced immediate backlash when actor James Ransone, who died by suicide in December 2025, was conspicuously absent from the In Memoriam montage. Ransone, survived by his wife and two children, left behind a complex legacy that bridged acclaimed television and horror cinema [Entertainment Weekly].
In response, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson—who collaborated with Ransone on five films—published a raw, personal tribute. “The Oscars In Memoriam ignored him but I cannot,” Derrickson tweeted. “He was my friend… He was a complex, funny, talented, and undeniably reckless person. He was wildly alive and deeply loved” [Twitter].
Ransone’s career was a study in contrasts—a fixture in prestige television and genre filmmaking. He became a cult icon as the volatile Ziggy Sobotka on HBO’s The Wire and later earned a new generation of fans through his work in Scott Derrickson‘s horror franchise Sinister, The Black Phone, and its upcoming sequel Black Phone 2. He also worked with directors like Spike Lee and Sean Baker, and appeared in John Waters’ films [Entertainment Weekly].
His personal life was marked by profound struggle and moments of heroism. Ransone was vocal about his battles with drug addiction and the
