Andre Braugher | |
|---|---|
 Braugher in 2019 | |
| Born | Andre Keith Braugher (1962-07-01)July 1, 1962 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2023(2023-12-11) (aged 61) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1988–2023 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Andre Keith Braugher (/ˈbraʊər/BROW-ər; July 1, 1962 – December 11, 2023) was an American actor known for his roles as DetectiveFrank Pembleton in theNBC police drama seriesHomicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and CaptainRaymond Holt in theFox/NBC police comedy seriesBrooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). He won twoPrimetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for twoGolden Globe Awards.
Braugher started his acting career as part ofThe Public Theatre'sShakespeare in the Park, appearing inMuch Ado About Nothing (1988),Coriolanus (1989),Twelfth Night (1996),Hamlet (2008), andAs You Like It (2012). He transitioned his career into television, gaining roles inKojak (1989–1990),The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990), andThe Tuskegee Airmen (1995), followed by leading roles in theABC medical seriesGideon's Crossing (2000–2001), theCBS crime seriesHack (2002–2004), the FX crime miniseriesThief (2006), and theTNT comedy seriesMen of a Certain Age (2009–2011).
Braugher'sfilm roles includeGlory (1989),Primal Fear (1996),City of Angels (1998),Frequency (2000),Duets (2000),Poseidon (2006),The Mist (2007),Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007),Salt (2010),The Gambler (2014), andShe Said (2022). He also had supporting roles in series such asThe Good Fight,House,New Girl, andBoJack Horseman.
Andre Keith Braugher was born in Chicago on July 1, 1962, the son of Sally and Floyd Braugher, a postal worker and heavy-equipment operator.[1][2] Andre had three older siblings[3] and was raised in theAustin neighborhood of Chicago.[4][5] He attendedSt. Ignatius College Prep for high school[6] and earned a scholarship to attendStanford University. Initially majoring in engineering, Braugher found that he enjoyed acting and graduated with aBA in theatre in 1984.[4][7] He then attended theJuilliard School's Drama Division, graduating in 1988.[8]
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Braugher's first film role was in the 1989 filmGlory as Thomas Searles, a free, educated black man from the North who joins the firstblack regiment in theUnion Army.[2][5] He played Kojak's sidekick in the late 1980sABC television film revival ofKojak.[2] He subsequently moved on to a role on the television seriesHomicide: Life on the Street as DetectiveFrank Pembleton, a self-righteous, fiery, unyielding,Jesuit-educated police detective.[9] Braugher won Television Critics Association awards for individual achievement in drama in 1997 and 1998.[9] He was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 and 1998, winning in the latter year.[2][10] He leftHomicide after its sixth season but returned for the reuniontelevision film. He also co-starred in the filmsCity of Angels,Frequency, andPoseidon.[2]
In 1997, he was selected byPeople as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World".[11]
As part of theShakespeare in the Park series at theDelacorte Theater in New York City'sCentral Park, Braugher played the title role in the 1996 production ofHenry V, for which he received anObie Award.[12][13] In 2000, he played the title role as Ben Gideon in the seriesGideon's Crossing, which lasted one season.[12] In 2002, Braugher narrated the award-winning,PBS-broadcast documentaryMuhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, produced by Unity Productions Foundation.[14] He narratedThe Murder ofEmmett Till for PBS.[15] He played Detective Marcellus Washington in the TV seriesHack from 2002 to 2004.[16]
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In 2006, Braugher starred asNick Atwater in the miniseriesThief forFX Networks, winning a second Emmy for his performance.[1][2][3][12] He portrayed General Hager in the 2007 filmFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[2] Braugher appeared on the TV seriesHouse, M.D. as Dr.Darryl Nolan, apsychiatrist who helps House recover from his addiction toVicodin.[2] He also appeared in theTNT seriesMen of a Certain Age, for which he was nominated twice asPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[2] He also voiced the villainDarkseid in the animated film,Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.[17] He took supporting roles in the science fiction filmThe Mist (2007),[18] the mystery filmPassengers (2008),[18] and the action thrillerSalt (2010).[2]
Braugher acted in theManhattan Theatre Club's production of theMatthew Lopez playThe Whipping Man,off-Broadway, for a limited run from January–March 2011. Braugher co-starred alongsideAndre Holland.[12] Marilyn Stasio ofVariety described the play as "genuinely moving and Braugher captures the moment with his thrilling evocation of Simon's pride and joy and hope".[19] He narrated the introduction to theOlympic Games onNBC from2006 to2010.[20] Braugher narratedJames Patterson'sAlex Cross bookCross Fire (2010).[21]
Braugher had a recurring role as defense attorney Bayard Ellis onLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit from 2011 to 2015,[22] and starred as the lead character, Capt. Marcus Chaplin, in ABC's 2012 military drama TV seriesLast Resort.[23] In 2017, Braugher had a recurring role in season four of theNetflix animated seriesBoJack Horseman as California Governor Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz.[24] From 2013 to 2021, he starred in the Golden Globe-winning TV seriesBrooklyn Nine-Nine as theprecinct captain,Raymond Holt. For his performance inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, he was nominated for fourPrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.[9] Braugher was cast as Chief Usher A. B. Wynter in Netflix'sThe Residence, but he died after more than half his scenes had been filmed resulting in the role having to be recast and refilmed. The series was dedicated to Braugher's memory.[25]
In 1991, Braugher married actress Ami Brabson, who later appeared as Frank Pembleton's wife Mary inHomicide: Life on the Street.[13] They had three sons, Michael, Isaiah, and John Wesley, and lived in New Jersey.[9][3]
Braugher died on December 11, 2023, at the age of 61. His death was attributed tolung cancer, with which he had been diagnosed a few months prior.[1][2][26][27] Braugher had previously been a smoker, but quit in 2010.[4] Following his death, many of his co-stars expressed gratitude for his warmth, kindness, and talent as an actor.[9] TheClassical Theatre of Harlem dedicated its 2024 season to Braugher's memory; Braugher had served as Vice Chairman of the company and had been a longtime trustee.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Glory | Cpl. Thomas Searles | [2] | |
| 1993 | Striking Distance | District Attorney | [18] | |
| 1996 | Primal Fear | Tommy Goodman | [2] | |
| Get on the Bus | Flip | [29] | ||
| 1998 | Thick as Thieves | Dink | [23] | |
| City of Angels | Cassiel | [2] | ||
| 1999 | It's the Rage | Tim | [18] | |
| 2000 | A Better Way to Die | Cleveland | [18] | |
| Frequency | Satch DeLeon | [29] | ||
| Duets | Reggie Kane | [2] | ||
| 2006 | Poseidon | Captain Bradford | [2] | |
| 2007 | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | General Hager | [2] | |
| Live! | Don | [18] | ||
| The Mist | Brent Norton | [2] | ||
| 2008 | Passengers | Perry | [18] | |
| 2010 | Superman/Batman: Apocalypse | Darkseid | Voice | [29] |
| Salt | Secretary of Defense | [2] | ||
| 2012 | The Baytown Outlaws | Millard | [18] | |
| 2014 | The Gambler | Dean Fuller | [2] | |
| 2015 | Emily & Tim | Tim | Segment: “Acceptance” | [23] |
| 2021 | Spirit Untamed | Al Granger | Voice | [30] |
| 2022 | She Said | Dean Baquet | [9][31] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Kojak: Ariana | Detective Winston Blake | Television film | [2] |
| Kojak: Fatal Flaw | [23] | |||
| 1990 | Kojak: Flowers for Matty | [18] | ||
| Kojak: It's Always Something | [18] | |||
| Murder in Mississippi | Dennis | [32] | ||
| Kojak: None so Blind | Detective Winston Blake | [33] | ||
| Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture | Dan Weston | [32] | ||
| The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | Jackie Robinson | [29] | ||
| 1993 | Class of '61 | Lucius | [18] | |
| Without Warning: Terror in the Towers | Tag | Television film | [34] | |
| 1993–1998 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Detective Frank Pembleton | 98 episodes | [9] |
| 1995 | The Tuskegee Airmen | Benjamin O. Davis Jr. | Television film | [12] |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Detective Frank Pembleton | Episode: "Charm City" | [35] |
| 1999 | Passing Glory | Father Joseph Verrett | Television film | [32] |
| Love Songs | Ellis | [18] | ||
| 2000 | Homicide: The Movie | DetectiveFrank Pembleton | [32] | |
| 2000–2001 | Gideon's Crossing | Dr. Ben Gideon | 20 episodes | [29] |
| Jackie Chan Adventures | Derge | Voice, 3 episodes | [32] | |
| 2001 | Enduring Faith | Narrator | Television film | [36] |
| The Practice | Dr. Ben Gideon | Episode: "Gideon's Crossover" | [18] | |
| 2002 | 10,000 Black Men Named George | A. Philip Randolph | Television film | [18][A] |
| 2002–2004 | Hack | Marcellus Washington | 39 episodes | [2] |
| 2003 | American Experience | Narrator | Episode: "The Murder of Emmett Till" | [15] |
| Soldier's Girl | Sergeant Carlos Diaz | Television film | [18] | |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Matt Burke | 2 episodes | [32] |
| 2006 | Thief | Nick Atwater | 6 episodes | [1][2][3][29] |
| 2008 | The Andromeda Strain | General George W. Mancheck | 4 episodes | [32] |
| 2009–2011 | Men of a Certain Age | Owen Thoreau Jr. | 22 episodes | [2] |
| 2009–2012 | House | Dr. Darryl Nolan | 4 episodes | [2] |
| 2010 | Miami Medical | Dr. William Rayner | Episode: "Pilot" | [18] |
| 2011–2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Bayard Ellis | 6 episodes | [22] |
| 2012–2013 | Last Resort | Captain Marcus Chaplin | 13 episodes | [23] |
| 2012–2023 | American Experience | Narrator | 4 episodes | [18][38][39][40] |
| 2013–2021 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Captain Raymond Holt | Main role; 153 episodes | [2] |
| 2015 | Axe Cop | Lobster Man | Voice, episode: "The Center of the Ocean" | [41] |
| 2016 | New Girl | Captain Raymond Holt | Episode: "Homecoming" | [23] |
| 2017 | BoJack Horseman | Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz | Voice, 4 episodes | [24] |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | James Evans | Episode: "'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'" | [42] |
| 2022 | The Good Fight | Ri'Chard Lane | Main role (season 6) | [43] |
| 2025 | Sausage Party: Foodtopia | General Owens | Voice, 1 episode; posthumously |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick / Ensemble | Delacorte Theater,Shakespeare in the Park | [44] |
| King John | English Herald / Messenger | [44] | ||
| 1989 | Coriolanus | Junius Brutus | Anspacher Theatre,The Public Theatre | [45] |
| Twelfth Night | Antonio | Delacorte Theater, Shakespeare in the Park | [46] | |
| 1993 | Measure for Measure | Angelo | [46][47] | |
| 1994 | The Tragedy of Richard II | Henry Bolingbroke | Anspacher Theatre, The Public Theater | [48] |
| 1996 | Henry V | King Henry V | Delacorte Theater, The Public Theatre | [12] |
| 2008 | Hamlet | Claudius | [44] | |
| 2011 | The Whipping Man | Simon | Manhattan Theatre Club | [12] |
| 2012 | As You Like It | Duke Senior / Duke Frederick | Delacorte Theater, The Public Theatre | [49] |
