Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Homicide Star Andre Braugher Passes Away

Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning star of such shows as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life on the Street has passed away. Deadline reports that Braugher passed away on Monday after a brief illness. He was 61 years old.

Braugher was a prodigious character actor best known for some of his roles as police officers including the aforementioned TV shows, the Kojak TV films of the late 1980s, and more. He had a lengthy career in both film and television that spanned more than 60 roles over a 34 year career.

Born win 1962 in Chicago, Braugher attended Stanford University for theater and then graduated from Julliard in 1988. His first film role was a breakout, co-starring in the Civil War drama Glory as Thomas Searles, an educated man who joins the first Black regiment in the Union Army. He followed that role up by playing Kojak’s assistant, Detective Winston Blake, in five TV films between 1989 and 1990. A few other roles followed before the role that made him truly famous as Detective Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street. The role earned him accolades and three Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, one of which he won. Braugher starred in six of the show’s seven seasons and reprised the role in the 2000 TV film, as well as a 1996 episode of Law & Order.

Braugher would go on to star as Dr. Ben Gideon in the medical drama Gideon’s Crossing, which ran for one season in 2000 on ABC, before playing Marcellus Washington in CBS’ crime drama The Hack for two seasons. He continued to take on regular television work in shows like Men of a Certain Age, Thief, The Andromeda Strain and House before he took on the role of Captain Raymond Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He earned five nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as the stoic police captain. Thief also earned him a win as Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, while he was nominated twice for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Men of a Certain Age.

While Braugher was not quite as prominent in his film work, he did play memorable roles in several films including the angel Cassiel in City of Angels, detective Satch DeLeon in the 2000 sci-fi thriller Frequency, Brent Norton in the Stephen King adaptation The Mist, and General Hager in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He also did some voice work, playing Darkseid in the animated Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz in BoJack Horseman.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Braugher. He will most certainly be missed.