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Al Freeman Jr.

Al Freeman Jr. built a career that moved comfortably among stage, film and television, often giving weight to characters defined by authority, conviction or moral tension. Born in San Antonio on March 21, 1934, he studied acting at Los Angeles City College before leaving to serve in the US Air Force during the Korean War. After three years in the military, he returned to Los Angeles and continued training in speech, broadcasting, drama and stage performance. Freeman began working in television in 1958 and moved to New York the following year. His Broadway debut came in 1960 with The Long Dream, adapted from Richard Wright’s novel. His stage work later included Dutchman, Look to the Lilies and The Hot L Baltimore. He also appeared in the film version of Dutchman, as well as Black Like Me and The Detective, in which he starred opposite Frank Sinatra. His longest-running and most widely recognized role was police captain Ed Hall on One Life to Live. Freeman played Hall from 1972 through 1987, returning for recurring appearances in 1988 and 2000. In 1979, the performance made him the first African-American actor to receive the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. Freeman’s screen career also brought him into two major portrayals connected to Malcolm X. He played Malcolm X in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations, then portrayed Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. The latter performance earned him the 1992 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Later roles included James Harris on Homicide: Life on the Street and an appearance in Down in the Delta. Teaching became another substantial part of Freeman’s work. He joined Howard University as a visiting artist-in-residence in 1988, became a full-time faculty member in 1991 and later served six years as chair of its Department of Theatre Arts. It was a fitting extension of a career grounded not just in performance, but in the craft behind it.