Andre Braugher, star of ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Homicide,’ dead at 61

Braugher's publicist confirmed his death to multiple news outlets and trade publications, saying the actor died after a brief illness.

Andre Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor best known for his roles on the series “Homicide: Life on The Street” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” died Monday at age 61.

Braugher’s publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed his death to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and CNN, as well as the trade publications Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. His death was first reported by Deadline. The reports all said Braugher died after a brief illness.

The Chicago-born actor had his breakthrough role in 1989’s “Glory,” starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, who won an Oscar for the film about an all-Black army regiment during the the Civil War.

Despite the part, he told The Associated Press in 2019 that he struggled to find work in a Hollywood where roles for African American actors were “few and far between. Period.”

But he would establish himself with the role of Det. Frank Pembleton, which he would play for seven seasons in “Homicide: Life on the Street,” a gritty police drama on NBC based on a book by David Simon, who would go on to create “The Wire.”

He would win his first career Emmy for the role, taking the trophy for lead actor in a drama series in 1998.

He would win his second for lead actor in a miniseries or movie for the 2006 limited series “Thief” on FX. Braugher would be nominated for 11 Emmys overall.

Years later he would play a very different kind of cop on a very different kind of show, shifting to comedy as Capt. Ray Holt on the Andy Samberg-starring “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” It would run for eight seasons from 2013 to 2021 on Fox and NBC.