Andre Braugher, the Emmy Award-winning actor known for his roles on Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died at the age of 61.
According to Deadline, Braugher passed away on Monday after a brief illness. Update: Braugher died following a brief battle with lung cancer, his publicist confirmed to the New York Times. He was diagnosed with the illness only a few months ago.
A film and television veteran, Braugher was a commanding dramatic presence who also excelled in the world of comedy. Born July 1st, 1962 in Chicago, Braugher received his BA in theater at Stanford University, and graduated from the Juilliard School’s Drama Division in 1988. Work quickly followed, as Braugher made his first film appearance in 1989’s Glory, alongside Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman.
Following early television work in a series of Kojak films, Braugher became a true TV star in 1993, thanks to the role of the brilliant but hard-edged Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street. He would win his first of two Emmy Awards for his work on the Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson-produced drama in 1998.
Braugher’s television career included series regular roles on the dramas Gideon’s Crossing, Hack, Men of a Certain Age, and Last Resort. However, perhaps his most iconic late-era role was that of Captain Raymond Holt on the cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, playing the tough foil to his squad’s antics — though, as the series progressed, increasingly open to participating in said antics. Braugher received four Emmy nominations for his role as Holt over the show’s run, bringing his career total to 11.
One of Braugher’s last television appearances was on the final season of Paramount+’s The Good Fight, and he told Consequence in September 2022 that “I’m moving further into my career. I’m 60 years old now, so I’m playing different kinds of characters, and I continue to have my fingers crossed and a lot of optimism that I’ll have the opportunity to close out another superb series.”
Braugher is survived by his wife, actress Ami Brabson, and sons Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley.
