Star of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Andre Braugher, Passes Away at 61 Following Short Illness

Variety, a trade newspaper, received confirmation of Andre Braugher’s passing from his publicist Jennifer Allen. The 61-year-old Emmy-winning actor, who was most renowned for his parts in the television shows “Brooklyn 99” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” passed away on Monday.

The actor, who was born in Chicago, made his feature debut in 1989’s “Glory,” which starred Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman and earned an Oscar for its portrayal of an all-Black army unit fighting in the Civil War. Despite the statement, he admitted to The Associated Press in 2019 that he had trouble being hired in Hollywood, where he could find “few and far between. Period” parts for African American performers.

However, he would make a name for himself as Det. Frank Pembleton in the grittier NBC police drama “Homicide: Life on the Street,” which aired for seven seasons and was based on a novel by David Simon, the man who would later develop “The Wire.” For the part, he would get his first career Emmy in 1998 for lead actor in a drama series. For the 2006 limited series “Thief” on FX, he would receive his second award for lead actor in a miniseries or film. In all, Braugher would get 11 Emmy nominations.

Years later, he would portray a completely different sort of police officer on an entirely different kind of television program, turning to humor as Capt. Ray Holt on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” starring Andy Samberg. Fox and NBC would air it for eight seasons between 2013 and 2021.

Even though Braugher had dabbled with humor with the TNT dramedy “Men of a Certain Age,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” nevertheless marked a significant departure for the actor, who was renowned for his work in intense and somber dramas.

Braugher told the AP, “I just felt like it was an opportunity to do something really different from the rest of my career.” “I like it because it just challenges my preconceived notions and causes me to think differently. Thus, I believe that as an actor, I’ve grown much more flexible and receptive to the vast array of options available to me when it comes to playing a scene.

Throughout the series, he would get four Emmy nominations. He was wed to his “Homicide” co-star Ami Brabson for almost thirty years. Three boys were born to them.

Deadline was the first to report on his demise.