Topic: Al Freeman

Al Freeman, Jr., M.Ed. (born Albert Cornelius Freeman, Jr. on 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, Homicide: Life on the Street and The Edge of Night. 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 a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series 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 to direct a soap opera.