One of the most versatile talents who spanned stage, screen, comedy and drama, has left this plane. Actor Andre Braugher, best known for his roles on Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died after a brief illness. Braugher was 61.

Andre Braugher, who starred in such television series as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” has died. He was 61.https://t.co/orgBlQYtH8 pic.twitter.com/9qUWHpNqW9

— Variety (@Variety) December 13, 2023

Andre Braugher, who starred as Captain Raymond Holt in the hit comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and as Detective Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street, has died aged 61.

The actor died on Monday after a brief illness, his publicist confirmed.

Instantly recognisable for his deep voice, Braugher came to fame on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street, which ran from 1992 to 1998. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of the tenacious, arrogant Detective Frank Pembleton in 1998.

But it was his performance as the deadpan Captain Raymond Holt in the hit comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine that made him most famous, appearing alongside Andy Samberg in eight seasons. He won two Critics Choice Awards for best supporting actor in a comedy series and received four Emmy nominations for his performance as Holt, the precinct’s no-nonsense, Black and gay boss.

I connected with Braugher not just through his talent, but also because we were born around the same time in the same city. He was born in Chicago in 1962. I came along later in 1966. We both grew up on the West Side of Chicago. Braugher was the youngest of four children, I am the youngest of seven. Sometimes it is those small bits of commonality that make you feel as though you are rooting for your own.

Braugher started out as an engineering major, when he won a scholarship to Stanford University. On a dare from a friend, he tried out for a part in a play. Braugher caught the acting bug to such a degree that he changed his major from engineering to theatre. Braugher went on to attend the Juilliard School for Drama, possibly alongside his contemporaries, Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

In fact, Braugher's first film role was in the movie where Denzel Washington won his first Oscar: 1989’s Glory. Braugher portrayed a Civil War Union soldier in one of the first Black regiments.

Another powerhouse acting contemporary, Jeffrey Wright, paid tribute to Braugher for his stage performance.

First time I saw Andre Braugher was in Measure for Measure in Central Park. 1993. Angelo. He fired onto the stage and I was like, “Whoa. What just happened?!” Different level. That was as plain to see as the sky above the stage. Super smart. Forceful. A master. And good dude. RIP https://t.co/Oe7gu6yXop

— Jeffrey Wright 🥜 (@jfreewright) December 13, 2023

In the years that followed, he played a number of roles in television films – including revivals of classic crime series Kojak – before his breakout in the critically acclaimed police drama Homicide: Life on the Street.

I liked that Kojak reboot and wished they had made more of them. But it was Homicide: Life on the Street where Braugher portrayed such a multifaceted character in Det. Frank Pemberton that it made the industry and the nation stand up and take notice. Braugher was nominated for two Emmys for that role and won it in 1998, his last year in the series.

Andre Braugher brought to life one of the most interesting & complex characters in television, Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street. A monumental performance, full of detail, intelligence, depth, personality, & energy. Braugher shone among the amazing Homicide cast. pic.twitter.com/GmZHqApQFZ

— Michael Avolio | michaelavolio.bsky.social (@MichaelAvolio) December 13, 2023

Braugher won his second Emmy for the 2006 miniseries Thief, in which he starred as the leader of a heist balancing a high-stakes operation with family struggles.

Throughout his three-decade career, he was nominated for an Emmy a total of 11 times and often starred in roles circling the military and police, including his beloved role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Other appearances included a cop providing insider info to his disgraced partner on the series Hack, a navy captain on the military drama Last Resort, and a general in the sci-fi miniseries The Andromeda Strain.

Many forget Braugher did a turn on Law & Order: SVU as defense attorney Bayard Ellis; a character who balanced between frenemy and flirtation with Mariska Hargitay's Captain Olivia Benson.

Braugher's acting brilliance ranks with Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and other premiere actors of any generation. However, Braugher chose family above increasing fame, which brought even further depth to him as a person.

In 2020, Braugher was interviewed by the entertainment publication Variety, and discussed his career and family. Braugher spoke about how his wife Ami Brabson, a producer, musician and actor herself, was his greatest counselor.

By now, you’ve probably noticed a common thread for Braugher: Family, including the counsel of his wife, is paramount. “We’re like-minded; we grew up in similar neighborhoods; we share the same values,” he says of Brabson. “She knows me like the back of her hand, and I’m grateful for that.” 

Braugher and Brabson built a life in New Jersey where they raised three sons: Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley. During Brooklyn Nine-Nine's 8-season run, Braugher flew home every weekend in order to be with his family. It was his focus on his family that often limited his potential for greater roles in the entertainment industry, but he had no regrets.

“I made a choice along the way that Ami and those boys were too important to not spend quantity time with,” he says. “Both the health crisis and the democracy crisis that we’re going through demonstrate to me that there’s no substance in the bling. The focus on celebrity-ness — it’s not real. So I just chose, in my own way, to sort of drop out.”

[...]

He says he’s fine knowing that his decision to stick close to home and family may have limited some opportunities along the way. “It’s been an interesting career, but I think it could have been larger,” he says. “I think it could have spanned more disciplines: directing, producing, all these other different things. But it would have been at the expense of my own life.”

That’s why Braugher takes pride in the fact that he’s instead been home and available to his wife and family during times of crisis. “I haven’t been in Australia. I haven’t been in Prague. I haven’t been shooting in San Paolo or whatever,” he says. “I’ve got three boys, and I want them to know me as someone other than the guy who takes them to the circus every once in a while. I wanted to be there through the course of their life because I know how important fathers are.”

What a loss: culturally, creatively, and especially for his wife, children, mother, and brother. 

Here's a compilation of some of Andre Braugher's best character portrayals.

Rest in Peace.