Andre Keith Braugher ( ; July 1, 1962 – December 11, 2023) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and Captain Raymond Holt in the Fox/NBC police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). He won two Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.
Braugher started his acting career as part of The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park, appearing in Much Ado About Nothing, Coriolanus, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and As You Like It. He transitioned his career into television, gaining roles in Kojak (1989–1990), The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990), and The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), followed by leading roles in the ABC medical series Gideon's Crossing (2000–2001), the CBS crime series Hack (2002–2004), the FX crime miniseries Thief (2006) and the TNT comedy series Men of a Certain Age (2009–2011). He also had supporting roles in series such as The Good Fight (2022), New Girl (2011–2018), and BoJack Horseman (2014–2020).
Braugher's film roles include Glory (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), and She Said (2022).
Early life Andre Braugher was born in Chicago on July 1, 1962, the son of Sally and Floyd Braugher, a postal worker and heavy-equipment operator. Braugher had three older siblings and was raised in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep for high school and earned a scholarship to attend Stanford University. Initially majoring in engineering, Braugher found that he enjoyed acting and graduated with a BA in theatre in 1984. He then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division, graduating in 1988.
Career
Braugher's first film role was in the 1989 film Glory as Thomas Searles, a free, educated black man from the North who joins the first black regiment in the Union Army. He played Kojak's sidekick in the late 1980s ABC television film revival of Kojak. He subsequently moved on to a role on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street as Detective Frank Pembleton, a self-righteous, fiery, unyielding, Jesuit-educated police detective. Braugher won Television Critics Association awards for individual achievement in drama in 1997 and 1998. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1996 and 1998, winning in the latter year. He left Homicide after its sixth season but returned for the reunion television film. He also co-starred in the films City of Angels, Frequency, and Poseidon.
In 1997, he was selected by People as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World".
As part of the Shakespeare in the Park series at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park, Braugher played the title role in the 1996 production of Henry V, for which he received an Obie Award. In 2000, he played the title role as Ben Gideon in the series Gideon's Crossing, which lasted one season. In 2002, Braugher narrated the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, produced by Unity Productions Foundation. He narrated The Murder of Emmett Till for PBS. He played Detective Marcellus Washington in the TV series Hack from 2002 to 2004.
In 2006, Braugher starred as Nick Atwater in the miniseries Thief for FX Networks, winning a second Emmy for his performance. He portrayed General Hager in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Braugher appeared on the TV series House, M.D. as Dr. Darryl Nolan, a psychiatrist who helps House recover from his addiction to Vicodin. He also appeared in the TNT series Men of a Certain Age, for which he was nominated twice as Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He also voiced the villain Darkseid in the animated film, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. He took supporting roles in the science fiction film The Mist (2007), the mystery film Passengers (2008), and the action thriller Salt (2010).
Braugher acted in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of the Matthew Lopez play The Whipping Man, off-Broadway, for a limited run from January–March 2011. Braugher co-starred alongside Andre Holland. Marilyn Stasio of Variety described the play as "genuinely moving and Braugher captures the moment with his thrilling evocation of Simon's pride and joy and hope". He narrated the introduction to the Olympic Games on NBC from 2006 to 2010. Braugher narrated James Patterson's Alex Cross book Cross Fire (2010).
Braugher had a recurring role as defense attorney Bayard Ellis on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 2011 to 2015, and starred as the lead character, Capt. Marcus Chaplin, in ABC's 2012 military drama TV series Last Resort. In 2017, Braugher had a recurring role in season four of the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman as California Governor Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz. From 2013 to 2021, he starred in the Golden Globe-winning TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine as the precinct captain, Raymond Holt. For his performance in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Braugher was cast as Chief Usher A. B. Wynter in Netflix's The Residence, but he died after more than half his scenes had been filmed resulting in the role having to be recast and refilmed.
Personal life and death In 1991, Braugher married actress Ami Brabson, who later appeared as Frank Pembleton's wife Mary in Homicide: Life on the Street. They had three sons, Michael, Isaiah, and John Wesley, and lived in New Jersey.
Braugher died on December 11, 2023, at the age of 61. His death was attributed to lung cancer, with which he had been diagnosed a few months prior. Braugher had previously been a smoker, but quit in 2010. Following his death, many of his co-stars expressed gratitude for his warmth, kindness, and talent as an actor. The Classical 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.
Netflix’s show The Residence was also dedicated to Andre Braugher as he had been cast in the role of A. B. Wynter before his death.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1989 Glory Cpl. Thomas Searles 1993 Striking Distance District Attorney 1996 Primal Fear Tommy Goodman Get on the Bus Flip 1998 Thick as Thieves Dink City of Angels Cassiel 1999 It's the Rage Tim 2000 A Better Way to Die Cleveland Frequency Satch DeLeon Duets Reggie Kane 2006 Poseidon Captain Bradford 2007 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer General Hager Live! Don The Mist Brent Norton 2008 Passengers Perry 2010 Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Darkseid Voice Salt Secretary of Defense 2012 The Baytown Outlaws Millard 2014 The Gambler Dean Fuller 2015 Emily & Tim Tim Segment: “Acceptance” 2021 Spirit Untamed Al Granger Voice 2022 She Said Dean Baquet
Television Year Title Role Notes 1989 Kojak: Ariana Detective Winston Blake Television film Kojak: Fatal Flaw 1990 Kojak: Flowers for Matty Kojak: It's Always Something Murder in Mississippi Dennis Kojak: None so Blind Detective Winston Blake Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture Dan Weston The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson 1993 Class of '61 Lucius Without Warning: Terror in the Towers Tag 1993–1998 Homicide: Life on the Street Detective Frank Pembleton 98 episodes 1995 The Tuskegee Airmen Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Television film 1996 Law & Order Detective Frank Pembleton Episode: "Charm City" 1999 Passing Glory Father Joseph Verrett Television film Love Songs Ellis 2000 Homicide: The Movie Detective Frank Pembleton 2000–2001 Gideon's Crossing Dr. Ben Gideon 20 episodes Jackie Chan Adventures Derge Voice, 3 episodes 2001 Enduring Faith Narrator Television film The Practice Dr. Ben Gideon Episode: "Gideon's Crossover" 2002 10,000 Black Men Named George A. Philip Randolph Television film 2002–2004 Hack Marcellus Washington 39 episodes 2003 American Experience Narrator Episode: "The Murder of Emmett Till" Soldier's Girl Sergeant Carlos Diaz Television film 2004 Salem's Lot Matt Burke 2 episodes 2006 Thief Nick Atwater 6 episodes 2008 The Andromeda Strain General George W. Mancheck 4 episodes 2009–2011 Men of a Certain Age Owen Thoreau Jr. 22 episodes 2009–2012 House Dr. Darryl Nolan 4 episodes 2010 Miami Medical Dr. William Rayner Episode: "Pilot" 2011–2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Bayard Ellis 6 episodes 2012–2013 Last Resort Captain Marcus Chaplin 13 episodes 2012–2023 American Experience Narrator 4 episodes 2013–2021 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Captain Raymond Holt Main role; 153 episodes 2015 Axe Cop Lobster Man Voice, episode: "The Center of the Ocean" 2016 New Girl Captain Raymond Holt Episode: "Homecoming" 2017 BoJack Horseman Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz Voice, 4 episodes 2019 Live in Front of a Studio Audience James Evans Episode: "'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'" 2022 The Good Fight Ri'Chard Lane Main role (season 6) 2025 Sausage Party: Foodtopia General Owens Voice, episode: "Sixteenth Course"; posthumously
Theatre Year Title Role Venue 1988 Much Ado About Nothing Benedick / Ensemble Delacorte Theater, Shakespeare in the Park King John English Herald / Messenger 1989 Coriolanus Junius Brutus Anspacher Theatre, The Public Theater Twelfth Night Antonio Delacorte Theater, Shakespeare in the Park 1993 Measure for Measure Angelo 1994 The Tragedy of Richard II Henry Bolingbroke Anspacher Theatre, The Public Theater 1996 Henry V King Henry V Delacorte Theater, The Public Theater 2008 Hamlet Claudius 2011 The Whipping Man Simon Manhattan Theatre Club 2012 As You Like It Duke Senior / Duke Frederick Delacorte Theater, The Public Theater 2019 A Human Being, of a Sort Smokey Williamstown Theater Festival
Awards and nominations