Andre Braugher, who starred as the uptight, emotionally closed off Captain Raymond Holt in the US comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died at the age of 61, his publicist has confirmed.
He appeared alongside Andy Samberg and Terry Crews as New York police officers in the fictional 99th precinct. The show ran for eight seasons from 2013 to 2021 and brought Braugher international fame as a comedy actor.
Crews paid tribute to him on Instagram: “I’m honoured to have known you, laughed with you, worked with you and shared eight glorious years watching your irreplaceable talent.
“This hurts. You left us too soon. You taught me so much. I will be forever grateful for the experience of knowing you. Thank you for your wisdom, your advice, your kindness and your friendship.
“…You showed me what a life well lived looks like.”
It was actually in gritty crime dramas where Braugher first made his name. He won an Emmy in 1998 for his portrayal of Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life On The Street, and followed that with a second in 2006 for the mini-series Thief, in which he played professional burglar Nick Atwater.
In total he was nominated for an Emmy 11 times, four for Brooklyn Nine-Nine as best supporting actor in a comedy series.
Born in Chicago in 1962, he won a scholarship to Stanford before attending Julliard performing arts conservatory in New York.
His breakout role was in the 1990 film Glory directed by Ed Zwick, alongside Hollywood stars Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington – who won his first Academy Award for his supporting role in the film.
Other notable credits include starring as Benjamin O Davis in Tuskegee Airmen, Dr Ben Gideon in Gideon’s Crossing and Owen in Men Of A Certain Age – all roles which won him Emmy nominations.
Mike Royce, who co-created Men Of A Certain Age, said on X, formerly Twitter: “This is impossible for me to process. He was best actor in the world. An incredible human being. An incomprehensible loss.”
