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.
