Andre Braugher, who starred as Captain Raymond Holt in the hit comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Detective Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street, has died at the age of 61.
His publicist confirmed that the actor died on Monday after a brief illness.
Instantly recognized for his deep voice, Braugher rose to fame on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street, which ran from 1992 to 1998. He won an Emmy in 1998 for his portrayal of the stoic, arrogant detective Frank Pembleton.
But it was his performance as deadpan Captain Raymond Holt on the hit comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine that made him most famous, appearing alongside Andy Samberg across eight seasons. He won two Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and received four Emmy nominations for his performance as Holt, the precinct’s no-nonsense, black and gay boss.
Born in Chicago in 1962 as the youngest of four children, Braugher studied theater on a Stanford scholarship before enrolling at the Juilliard School for Drama.
His first film role came in 1989’s Glory when he played a Union soldier in one of the early African American regiments of the American Civil War. The film earned three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for Braugher’s co-star Denzel Washington.