“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star, Andre Braugher, has passed away at the age of 61 after a stint with a brief illness. His publicist, Jennifer Allen, gave the brief information about his death to The Associated Press. The internet has been flooded with tributes and prayers since the news broke.
Early Years
Andre Keith Braugher was born on July 1, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the youngest of four children born to Sally and Floyd Braugher. Furthermore, his mother was a postal worker while his father worked as a heavy equipment operator.
Braugher grew up on the West Side of Chicago in Austin. Furthermore, he went to St. Ignatius College Prep for high school, where he earned a scholarship to college. In 1984, the actor graduated Stanford University, where he earned a BA in theatre. Afterward, he attended Juilliard where he graduated with a masters of arts degree.
Rising Star
The actor made his silver screen debut in the 1989 film “Glory.” In this movie, Braugher played Thomas Searles ” a free, educated black man from the North who joins the first Black regiment in the Union Army.”
Next, he played a sidekick in the ABC TV film revival of “Kojak.” Subsequently, this led to the beginning of Braugher’s television career. Then, Braugher played Detective Frank Pembleton in the TV series “Homicide: Life on the Street.”
Furthermore, the star has been in the films “Poseidon,” “Frequency,” and “City of Angels.” Additionally, he played in several theater productions including Matthew Lopez’s “The Whipping Man,” and playing the title role “Henry V.” This role earned him an Obie Award.
Throughout his career he was nominated for several Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics’ Choice Television Award. While he did not win all the awards he was nominated for he did bring home a few Emmys.
From 2013 to 2021, Braugher played Capitan Ray Holt in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Recently, the actor starred in the 2022 film “She Said.” This movie was about the New York Times journalists who broke the sexual abuse of women perpetrated by Harvey Weinstein. In the film, Braugher played Dean Baquet, the editor of The New York Times.
Condolences to the Family
The cast of “Brooklyn Nin-Nine” has recently paid tribute to their beloved co-star. In a post on Instagram, Terry Crews wrote, “I’m [honoured] to have known you, laughed with you, worked with you and shared eight glorious years watching your irreplaceable talent. This hurts.”
Chelsea Peretti posted, “I will always cherish our conversations, often with me hanging in your doorway barring your exit, and the insane opportunity to be your sidekick.”
Joe Lo Truglio spoke about the actor’s commitment to his family in his post.
So many wonderful stories will be told about Andre but for now, all my love goes to his wife Ami and his three boys, who he loved very much and flew back every weekend from the show to be with.
Many other “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” cast members shared their memories and images of him on social media. They were joined by many other celebrities who shared their memories, love and condolences to his family.
Braugher leaves behind his wife, three sons (Michael, Isaiah, and John Wesley), brother Charles Jennings, and his mother Sally. May he rest in peace and his family find solace.
Sources:
Wikipedia: Andre Braugher
TV Guide: Andre Braugher Biography
IMDb: Andre Braugher
WPBF: Andre Braugher, Emmy-winning actor who starred in ‘Homicide’ and ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ dies at 61
CBC: Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast, other stars mourn Andre Braugher on social media
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Inset Image Courtesy of John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
