Al Freeman, Jr.

Description

Albert Cornelius "Al" Freeman, Jr. (born March 21, 1934, in San Antonio, Texas) is an African-American actor and director.<p>Freeman has made appearances in many films, such as My Sweet Charlie, Finian's Rainbow, and Malcolm X, and television series such as The Cosby Show, Law &amp; Order, and Homicide: Life on the Street. He is mostly recognized for his portrayal of Police Captain Ed Hall on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live, a role he played from 1972 through 1985, with recurring roles in 1988 and 2000. He won an Emmy award as best lead actor for that role, the first African-American actor to be so honored. He left the show briefly to appear in the network's controversial sitcom Hot L Baltimore. During that period, "Ed" was played by another actor, Arthur Pendleton.<p>He was also a director of One Life to Live, and was one of the first, if not the first, African-Americans who directed a soap opera.<p>After leaving One Life to Live, Freeman appeared in the motion picture Down in the Delta....