Born in Chicago, Braugher made his film debut in the 1989 Oscar winner Glory and appeared in a series of Kojak TV movies before landing the role of interrogation specialist Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Acclaimed for its gritty portrayal of crime and punishment on the streets of Baltimore, Homicide ran for seven seasons, with Braugher earning two Emmy nominations for best lead actor in a drama series, winning the award in 1998.

Following Homicide, Braugher starred in a number of short-lived TV shows, including ABC’s Gideon’s Crossing, CBS’ Hack and TNT’s Men of a Certain Age. (He won a second Emmy for the FX miniseries Thief.) In 2013, he turned to comedy as stoic captain Raymond Holt in the Fox/NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Andy Samberg. That role earned Braugher four more Emmy nominations, this time for best supporting actor in a comedy.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine wrapped up its eight-season run in 2021. Braugher recently appeared in Season 6 of The Good Fight and was next set to co-star with Uzo Aduba and Susan Kelechi Watson in the Netflix murder mystery The Residence. (Click here to read tributes to Braugher from his Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars and more.)

TV Stars Who Died in 2023