Actor Al Freeman Jr. who was familiar to millions of movie goers in his role as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in the Oscar nominated, Spike Lee directed classic, Malcom X starring Denzel Washington, and who was a distinguished professor at Howard University died today at 78. Freeman’s many other credits in film and television included roles in Law & Order, Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored, Down in the Delta, The Cosby Show, Roots, the Next Generation, Boy Meets Girl and the Mod Squad. His longest lasting role included playing police Captain Ed Hall for 15 years on the TV soap opera “One Life to Live”.
He was credited with being the first African American to win a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor for his work on this soap opera back in 1979.
