Series star and Emmy winner Andre Braugher died on Monday at the age of 61 after a short illness. Baugher was best known for his role as Detective Frank Pembletonin the series “Homicide” and as Captain Ray Holt in the Netflix comedy hit “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”.
Braugher’s press secretary Jennifer Allen confirmed his death to Variety.
Won two Emmys, nominated for 11 Emmys
The Chicago-born actor made his breakthrough in the 1989 film “Glory” opposite Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, winning an Oscar for the film about an all-black Army regiment during the Civil War.
Despite the role, Braugher told The Associated Press in 2019 that he had difficulty finding work in a Hollywood where roles for African-American actors “are few and far between. Point.”
Nevertheless, Baugher established himself with the role of Detective Frank Pembleton, which he played for seven seasons in “Homicide”, a dark police drama. The series is based on a book by David Simon, later creator of The Wire.
For this role he received his first Emmy in the category Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1998. The Emmy is the most important television award in the USA.
He received his second Emmy for Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie in 2006 for the limited series “Thief.” Braugher was nominated for a total of 11 Emmys.
Braugher won two Emmys and was nominated for eleven during his career
He became a Netflix favorite as Captain Ray Holt
In the comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Braugher played Captain Ray Holt alongside Andy Samberg – and thus became a star in Germany. The series ran for eight seasons on Netflix from 2013 to 2021.
Although he had already delved into the comedy scene in the TNT dramedy “Men of a Certain Age,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” marked a big change for Braugher, who was known for his roles in dark and heavy dramas.
“I just felt like it was an opportunity to do something that was very different from the rest of my career,” Braugher told AP. “I like it because it just opens my mind and forces me to think in a different way. I think I’ve become much more flexible as an actor and more open to the incredible number of ways you can play a scene.”
He was nominated for four Emmys during the series.
Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt (M.) in the comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, at his side: Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle (l.) and leading actor Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta
He was married to his “Homicide” co-star Ami Brabson for more than 30 years. They had three sons. Deadline first reported his death.