Andre Braugher had a tremendous, rare talent. His unexpected passing at age 61 has left a gap in the Hollywood landscape that, although understated, has been deeply felt by those who had worked closely with the actor.
From the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast who got to spend over 9 years working with Braugher to those with whom he only crossed paths briefly, the tributes have been plentiful and heartbreaking.
Braugher, whose film career started alongside Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in the 1989 Civil War epic Glory, received the most recognition for his Emmy-winning performance in Homicide: Life on the Street as the tenacious detective Frank Pembleton in the 80s, and more recently from his repeatedly Emmy-nominated run as Captain Raymond Holt in the Fox/NBC comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
However prosperous his over-three-decade-spanning career was, the Chicago native confessed to Variety in 2020 that it “could have been larger.” Braugher chose to stay close to home, his wife Ami Brabson, and their three sons instead of pursuing other dreams like “directing [and] producing.” “I think [my career] could have spanned more disciplines,” he told the magazine, “But it would have been at the expense of my own life.”
Joe Lo Truglio
Joe Lo Truglio, who played the hilarious and dedicated detective Charles Boyle on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, precisely highlighted Braugher’s love for and devotion to his family. “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,” Lo Truglio shared in a heartfelt Instagram post, noting how Braughter “knew exactly well his most important role and was deeply proud of it.”
Braughter’s co-star also reminisced about the times the 61-year-old actor would have sing-alongs “at full volume” alone in his dressing room. “The man was so full of song,” Lo Truglio reflected, capping off the emotional tribute with a Brooklyn Nine-Nine reference, “Miss you Capt Holt. Love, Porkchop.”
Marc Evan Jackson
Marc Evan Jackson’s tribute to Andre Braugher might have been a lot more succinct than Joe Lo Truglio’s, but it was just as moving. The 53-year-old actor, who was one-half of Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s most iconic couple, Kevin and Raymond, alongside his late co-star, referred to Walt Whitman to express his grief. “O Captain. My Captain,” Jackson wrote, under a candid picture of the two hugging.
Terry Crews
Terry Crews shared many a scene with Andre Braugher during their time together in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The loss, the actor says, “hurts.” Crews underlined his castmate’s wisdom, advice, kindness, and friendship, bidding farewell by stating that Braugher “showed [him] what a life well lived looks like.” “I love you, man,” he concluded.
Chelsea Peretti
You couldn’t have Gina without Captain Holt, and most of the time the same was true the other way around. Chelsea Peretti and Andre Braugher’s on-screen duo provided some of the funniest moments in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and gave the actress a “ringside seat” to her counterpart’s enormous talent. “Is it weird that I am also grieving for what Captain Holt meant to Gina?,” Peretti mused, adding that she will always cherish the moments when she hung out in Braugher’s “doorway barring [his] exit,” and “the insane opportunity to be [his] sidekick.”
Josh Lucas
Andre Braugher’s Poseidon co-star Josh Lucas contributed with an evocative anecdote about the time he got to see the late actor perform Shakespeare’s Henry V in 1996. Lucas recalled Braugher forgetting his lines and the remarkable professionalism with which he handled the situation. “The pause lasted what seemed an eternity and then like lightning he whipped his head up and exploded with greatness, word perfect,” Lucas recounted. “It was a performance I will always remember,” he concluded.
Joel McKinnon Miller
Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s endearingly inept Scully, Joel McKinnon Miller paid tribute to his castmate with an arresting shot of the actor in between takes. “An actor prepares…,” Miller captioned the photograph.
Prentice Penny
Insecure showrunner and Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer, Prentice Penny honored Braugher with two hilarious memories which captured the 61-year-old’s generous sense of humor. The first was when Braugher told Penny he was funny on Twitter but refused to give him his handle because he liked that the writer didn’t know it was him.
The second recalled the times when Penny, Braugher, and Terry Crews got together on the predominantly non-black Brooklyn Nine-Nine set and the late thespian would go from joking around to sobering up when a white person walked by. According to Penny, Braugher would lean in and joke “Gotta keep ’em on they toes.”
Ryan Grace
Brooklyn Nine-Nine editor and director Ryan Case also had plenty of funny, loving Andre Braugher stories to tell. One time, when it was revealed Captain Holt was a Sex and the City die-hard fan, Case was tasked with teaching the actor about the show he knew nothing about. She said “her cheeks hurt” from smiling during those moments. Other episodes include the time when he asked her what a “thirsty ass bitch” was and the way his positive energy, “singing, and dancing,” would make everyone feel comfortable and happy on set. “The world is worse without him,” Case concluded.
We agree.