Summary
- Andre Braugher, a legendary actor known for both immense gravitas and a delightful sense of humor, has passed away at age 61 after a brief illness.
- Braugher excelled in authoritative roles on both film and television, garnering acclaim for his work in movies like The Mist and TV series like Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- Despite his deep voice and serious demeanor, Braugher showcased his humor through voice work in BoJack Horseman and a guest spot on New Girl, and his final film role was in the #MeToo drama She Said.
Beginning your film career with the incredible Oscar-winning war film Glory is a pretty strong way to announce yourself in Hollywood, but that’s emblematic of the kind of confidence that actor Andre Braugher had. The legendary actor, known for his immense gravitas despite the ability to surprise with a great sense of humor, passed away at the age of 61 on Monday. The star of hit television series like Homicide: Life on the Street (David Simon’s series before The Wire), Men of a Certain Age, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, died after a brief illness.
In a short statement, Braugher’s representative confirmed to NBC News on Thursday that the much-loved actor’s death was caused by a short battle with lung cancer, which was only diagnosed “a few months ago.” The tragic loss is still being felt by the actor’s friends, colleagues, and fans, who have continued to show their love and support on social media.
Braugher was a master of authoritative roles, something which he perfected in even smaller roles. His memorable turn in the Stephen King adaptation The Mist is iconic, along with his acclaimed work in the films City of Angels and Frequency. The actor perhaps found his most acclaim on television, however. Along with the aforementioned titles, Braugher was highly lauded for his work in leading miniseries like Thief, the remake of The Andromeda Strain, and the TV movies The Tuskegee Airmen, Passing Glory, and 10,000 Black Men Named George. He garnered award nominations for his roles in the series Gideon’s Crossing, Hack, and just this year, The Good Fight.
Andre Braugher’s Great Career
Braugher’s career is almost perfectly symmetrical though, bookended by two phenomenal performances as a serious policeman. In the 1990s, he rose to stardom as Detective Frank Pembleton in the series Homicide: Life on the Street, based on David Simon’s book, way before Simon became the legend he is now (The Wire, Treme, Show Me a Hero, The Deuce). Two decades later, Braugher garnered more acclaim for playing the hilariously serious Captain Raymond Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Holt was a fan-favorite and a beautifully complex character, a gay Black man who had fought and proved himself time and time again to climb the police hierarchy, and a man who was seemingly born without a funny bone. Nonetheless, Braugher was quietly hilarious in the role and won several awards and fans’ hearts along the way.
Braugher had a wonderful sense of humor despite his deep baritone and massive gravitas, something evidence in his voice work as Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz in BoJack Horseman, along with an award-nominated guest spot on the series New Girl. His final film role was the #MeToo drama She Said.
Braugher will be dearly missed, but fans can see his final performance when Netflix releases the series, The Residence. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Classical Theatre of Harlem, where Braugher served on the board.
