Heath Freeman, ‘Bones’ and ‘NCIS’ Actor, Dies at 41
Freeman, whose TV credits additionally included 'Raising the Bar,' 'Without a Trace' and 'The Closer,' also produced, wrote and starred in the 2010 drama 'Skateland.'
Heath Freeman
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty ImagesHeath Freeman, who starred as Gavin Dillon in legal drama Raising the Bar and played serial killer Howard Epps on Bones, has died. He was 41.
Freeman’s management team confirmed his passing to The Hollywood Reporter. The exact date and cause of death were not disclosed, and there are no “further details at this juncture,” according to the actor’s manager, Joe Montifiore.
“We are truly devastated at the loss of our beloved Heath Freeman,” Freeman’s team wrote in a statement provided to THR. “A brilliant human being with an intense and soulful spirit, he leaves us with an indelible imprint in our hearts. His life was filled with deep loyalty, affection, and generosity towards his family and friends, and an extraordinary zest for life.”
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The statement continued, “He was extremely proud of his recent film work and was very excited for the next chapter of his career. His remarkable legacy as a son, brother, uncle, friend, extraordinarily gifted actor and producer, consummate cook, and man with the most infectious and spectacular laugh will live on forever. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.”
After studying acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Texas at Austin, Freeman landed early roles on several high-profile cable and broadcast TV series, his first in a 2001 episode of the hit NBC medical drama ER. He would later have guest roles in Tru Calling, NCIS, The Closer and Without a Trace.
Freeman also had more significant recurring parts, including voicing multiple characters in the Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Motion Comic, and a two-season arc on TNT’s Steven Bochco legal drama Raising the Bar as public defender Roberta “Bobbi” Gilardi’s (eventually former) husband, Gavin Dillon. He would also appear in three episodes across the first two seasons of Fox crime drama Bones as serial killer Howard Epps.
Freeman’s more current work mainly consisted of big-screen parts in titles such as the 2014 thriller Dark Was the Night before a string of 2021 roles. That includes appearing in the Guy Pearce-led The Seventh Day and Twelve Might Orphans, starring Luke Wilson and Martin Sheen. He had also recently wrapped working on Terror on the Prairie, according to his management.
In 2010, Freeman starred in, produced and wrote Skateland, a drama that chronicles the aftermath of a dramatic event experienced by a 19-year-old skating rink manager in 1980s small-town Texas. The film also starred Ashley Greene, Shiloh Fernandez and Taylor Handley.