LOS ANGELES—Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor who would master gritty drama for seven seasons on “Homicide: Life on The Street” and modern comedy for eight on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” died Dec. 11 at 61. He died from lung cancer, a representative said Dec. 14.
The Chicago-born actor would establish himself in the role of Det. Frank Pembleton, the lead role in “Homicide: Life on the Street,” a dark police drama based on a book by David Simon, who would go on to create “The Wire.” The show, which focused on the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police Department, ran for seven seasons on NBC and would win critical acclaim with Braugher as its dramatic center and breakout star.
He would win his first career Emmy for the role, taking the trophy for lead actor in a drama series in 1998.
He would go on to play a very different kind of cop on a very different kind of show, shifting to comedy as Capt. Ray Holt on the Andy Samberg-starring “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” It would run for eight seasons from 2013 to 2021 on Fox and NBC.
›Though he’d dipped his toe into comedy in the TNT dramedy “Men of a Certain Age,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” still represented a major shift for Braugher, who was known for acting in dark and heavy dramas. He would be nominated for four Emmys during the run.
Braugher’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-star Terry Crews was among those paying tribute to him.
“Can’t believe you’re gone so soon,” Crews said on Instagram. “I’m honored to have known you, laughed with you, worked with you and shared 8 glorious years watching your irreplaceable talent. This hurts.” He added, “You showed me what a life well-lived looked like.”
Braugher most recently starred in “She Said,” the 2022 film about the New York Times journalists who broke the story of Harvey Weinstein`s years of sexually abusing women. Braugher played Times editor Dean Baquet.
Born and raised in Chicago, Braugher graduated from Stanford and got a Master of Fine Arts degree from Juilliard.
He had his breakthrough role in 1989’s “Glory,” starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, who won an Oscar for the film about an all-Black Army regiment during the Civil War.
Braugher was married for more than 30 years to his “Homicide” co-star Ami Brabson. He is also survived by sons Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley, his brother Charles Jennings and his mother Sally Braugher. (AP)
