---
name: "Al Freeman Jr."
canonical: "https://film.one/person/al-freeman-jr"
fi1m_id: "al-freeman-jr"
imdb_id: "nm0293272"
tmdb_id: 19739
wikidata_id: "Q2118140"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "21 March 1934"
died: "9 August 2012"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-17T21:52:09.585782+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Al Freeman Jr.

## Identity

Al Freeman Jr.

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/al-freeman-jr
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** al-freeman-jr
- **IMDb ID:** nm0293272
- **TMDB ID:** 19739
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2118140
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Freeman_Jr., https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2118140, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0293272/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19739

Actor. Born 21 March 1934 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Died 9 August 2012.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 21 March 1934, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- **Died:** 9 August 2012
- **Active:** 1973–1993
- **Also known as:** Al Freeman, Albert Cornelius Freeman Jr., Albert C. Freeman Jr.
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 80 (1), 1990s 84 (2)
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 2, Mystery 2, History 1
- **Screen time:** 3 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $48m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Freeman_Jr., https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2118140, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0293272/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19739

## Biography

Al Freeman Jr. was an American actor, director and educator. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he appeared in films including *Finian's Rainbow* (1968) and *Malcolm X* (1992), in which he played Elijah Muhammad.

He was best known for his long-running role as Police Captain Ed Hall on the ABC soap opera *One Life to Live* from 1972 to 1987, with later recurring appearances. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1979, the first African-American actor to receive the award, and was the first African-American to direct a soap opera. He also played Malcolm X in the 1979 miniseries *Roots: The Next Generations* and taught acting at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Freeman's other credits include guest roles in *The Cosby Show*, *Law & Order* and *Homicide: Life on the Street*, and stage work on Broadway in *Blues for Mister Charlie*. His performance in *Malcolm X* earned him the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, chicagotribune.com, npr.org, bbc.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), Fi1m 89, as Deputy Commissioner James Harris — [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)
- *Malcolm X* (1992), Fi1m 79, as Elijah Muhammad — [page](https://film.one/film/malcolm-x.md)
- *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, as Donald Mosher — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)

## Complete filmography (41)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Down in the Delta* (1998), as Earl Sinclair
- *Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored* (1996), as Poppa
- *Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker* (1994), as Old Johnson Whittaker
- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), series, as Deputy Commissioner James Harris — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)
- *Boy Meets Girl* (1993), as Curtis
- *Malcolm X* (1992), as Elijah Muhammad — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/malcolm-x.md)
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, as Reverend Thayer, Stan Wallace — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice* (1989), as Narrator (voice)
- *Seven Hours to Judgment* (1988), as Danny Larwin
- *Perry Mason Returns* (1985), as Lt. Cooper
- *The Cosby Show* (1984), series, as Coach Ernie Scott
- *Roots: The Next Generations* (1979), series, as Malcolm X
- *King* (1978), series, as Damon Lockwood
- *Countdown at Kusini* (1976), Screenplay
- *Hot l Baltimore* (1975), series, Actor
- *Kojak* (1973), series, as Donald Mosher — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)
- *To Be Young, Gifted and Black* (1972), Actor
- *A Fable* (1971), as The Leader · Director
- *The Chicago Conspiracy Trial* (1970), Actor
- *My Sweet Charlie* (1970), as Charles Roberts
- *Castle Keep* (1969), as Pvt. Allistair Piersall Benjamin
- *The Lost Man* (1969), as Dennis Lawrence
- *Finian's Rainbow* (1968), as Howard
- *The Mod Squad* (1968), series, Actor
- *One Life to Live* (1968), series, as Capt. Ed Hall
- *The Detective* (1968), as Robbie Loughlin
- *Judd, for the Defense* (1967), series, Actor
- *Dutchman* (1966), as Clay
- *For Pete's Sake* (1966), as Harvey
- *The F.B.I.* (1965), series, as Alan Harmon
- *Ensign Pulver* (1964), as Taru
- *The Troublemaker* (1964), as Intern
- *Black Like Me* (1964), as Thomas Newcomb
- *The Defenders* (1961), series, as Charlton White
- *Sniper's Ridge* (1961), as Medic Gwathney
- *This Rebel Breed* (1960), as Satchel
- *Adventures in Paradise* (1959), series, as Para
- *The DuPont Show with June Allyson* (1959), series, as Taxi Man
- *Torpedo Run* (1958), as Sam Baker
- *The Broken Mask* (1958), as George
- *The Millionaire* (1955), series, as Houseboy

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/al-freeman-jr