Andre Braugher (1962–2023), Brooklyn Nine-Nine star
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3 min readAndre Braugher was an actor known for his performances as police officers on TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
- Died: December 11, 2023 (Who else died on December 11?)
- Details of death: Died of lung cancer at the age of 61.
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Andre Braugher’s legacy
Braugher had an early career success in a supporting role in the 1989 movie “Glory,” playing a free Black man who signs up to fight for the Union Army in an all-Black regiment in the Civil War. Within a few years, he had achieved TV stardom as he landed a leading role on “Homicide: Life on the Street.” His character, Detective Frank Pembleton, became a fan favorite as a skilled detective who is especially adept at interrogating suspects and extracting confessions. Braugher won an Emmy Award in 1998 for his work on “Homicide,” and his other honors for his performance included an NAACP Image Award and two Television Critics Association Awards. He remained with the show for six of its seven seasons, returning for 2000’s “Homicide: The Movie.”
Braugher’s other major TV role was, on paper, not so different – he played another talented, driven police officer on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” But this time, the show was a comedy, and Braugher’s Captain Raymond Holt was hilariously stoic and deadpan. Braugher was credited for his nuanced and stereotype-free portrayal of an openly LGBTQIA+ character. He won two Critics’ Choice Television Awards for his portrayal of Captain Holt.
Outside of his two primary TV credits, Braugher had a busy acting career. His movie credits included “Get on the Bus,” “City of Angels,” “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” “The Mist,” and, most recently, “She Said.” He starred in several one- or two-season TV shows: “Gideon’s Crossing,” “Hack,” “Men of a Certain Age,” and “Last Resort,” as well as played a main role in the sixth season of “The Good Fight.” Braugher appeared in several “Kojak” TV movies in the late 1980s and early ‘90s as Detective Winston Blake, and he won a second Emmy Award for his starring performance in the 2006 miniseries “Thief.” His many other TV appearances included “Law & Order,” “House,” “New Girl,” and a recurring voice role on “BoJack Horseman.” Braugher also had a career on stage, often appearing in the works of Shakespeare for New York City’s Delacorte Theatre.
Braugher on falling in love with acting
“It invited you to delve into, to explore, the whole host of forbidden emotions. And get compensated for it. People stood up and clapped. I began to realize that my fun, my enjoyment, my love life and my emotional freedom were founded in the theater.” —from an interview for Variety
Tributes to Andre Braugher
Full obituary: The New York Times
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