Albert Cornelius "Al" Freeman, Jr. (born March 21, 1934, in San Antonio, Texas) is an African-American actor and director.
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 & 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.
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.
After leaving One Life to Live, Freeman appeared in the motion picture Down in the Delta. His Broadway theatre credits include Look to the Lilies, Blues for Mister Charlie, and Medea.
Freeman is still teaching acting as a professor at Howard University, located in Washington DC.
Son of actor Al Freeman (I).
Played Sidney Poitier's Oscar-winning role in the musical stage version of Lilies of the Field (1963) entitled "Look to the Lilies" in 1970. Co-starring Shirley Booth, it ran only 25 performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
