J. E. Freeman


James E. Freeman was an American actor.
He was often cast in menacing roles, such as the evil mobster Marcello Santos in David Lynch's Wild at Heart, the terrifying henchman Eddie Dane in Miller's Crossing, and the cruel scientist Dr. Mason Wren in Alien Resurrection.

Acting career

Freeman trained as an actor with Jean Shelton at Shelton Studios in the San Francisco area in the 1970s. He was nominated for best actor for playing Teach in the West Coast premiere of David Mamet's American Buffalo, which also featured George Eckel and Charles Bouvier. After directing Look Back in Anger in 1979, Freeman moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film career. His first movie appearance was in action film An Eye for an Eye in which he played a tow-truck driver who minces words with Chuck Norris. In addition to this role and the three mentioned before, his other notable film contributions include Ruthless People as the "Bedroom Killer", Patriot Games as the bearded CIA agent Marty Cantor, Copycat as the police lieutenant Thomas Quinn, and Go as the enraged strip-club owner Vic Sr.

Personal life

James E. Freeman attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York. He was a three-year member of the track team. He graduated from Bishop Loughlin in 1964. As a high school student, he was assertively conservative.
Freeman was openly gay. At age 22, he revealed his sexuality to the United States Marine Corps, leading to his discharge. He had been HIV-positive since around 1984. In 2009, he published a letter to the editor on sfgate.com, describing his reminiscences of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. He also wrote poetry and had a tumblr blog dedicated to his poetry.
Freeman retired from acting in 2007. He died in the evening of August 9, 2014. He was 68.

Filmography