André Braugher, ‘Glory,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Star, Dies at 61

Veteran actor André Braugher, star of the Oscar-nominated Glory and the hit TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died at the age of 61 following a brief illness.

A Chicago native, Braugher earned his B.A. from Stanford University and an M.F.A. from Julliard before getting his start in acting with the 1989 Civil War epic Glory, in which he played opposite Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, and Cary Elwes. The film went on to win three Oscars and has generally been considered the best Civil War movie to grace the silver screen.

Braugher’s career only skyrocketed from there as he went on to demonstrate a range of talent across three decades in a multitude of genres and formats. Per Deadline:

While Braugher peppered his resume with comedies, many will remember him for his ferocious portrayal as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Put him in the box, sweating out and outsmarting crime suspects in the interrogation room, and you were looking at a weekly dose of tour de force acting, as good as it got on television during that period of time. He won an Emmy for that show he starred in from 1992-98 and Homicide is also where he met his wife, actress Ami Brabson.

For eight seasons, Braugher starred alongside Andy Samberg in the hit comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and he won two Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and received four Emmy Award nominations for his role as Captain Ray Holt in the series.

Braugher also won an Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Mini-Series and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his star performance in the FX miniseries Thief wherein in he played the heist mastermind Nick Atwater.

Braugher is survived by his wife, Ami Brabson, with whom he had three sons: Michael, Isaiah, and John Wesley.