Andre Braugher
Won two Emmy Awards twenty years apart, first for the dramatic intensity of Homicide and later for the precise comedy of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
1962–2023 (age 61)·American actor·Birthday: July 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andre Braugher secured his first Emmy Award in 1998 for his role as Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street. He performed the 22-minute "Boxed In" interrogation scene in a single take. Braugher trained at Juilliard's Drama Division and began his career with the New York Shakespeare Festival. He shifted genres in 2013, accepting the role of Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The character’s deadpan delivery, described by Braugher as "a Spock-like quality," earned him four consecutive Emmy nominations and a second win in 2021. He narrated over 100 documentary episodes for PBS and the History Channel. Braugher earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Stanford University before pursuing acting. His filmography includes Glory (1989), where he played Corporal Thomas Searles, and Men of a Certain Age (2009-2011). He demonstrated that classical technique could translate to any genre, dismantling the arbitrary divide between dramatic and comedic television acting.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andre was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andre Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Andre's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2023Died at 61
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Received 11 Emmy Award nominations throughout his career, winning twice in 1998 and 2021.
- His performance in the "Boxed In" episode of *Homicide* is studied in acting curricula for its sustained intensity.
- Played Captain Holt for all eight seasons of *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013-2021), defining the show's tonal balance.
Did You Know?
He graduated from Stanford with a degree in mathematics before attending Juilliard on a full scholarship.
Braugher insisted Captain Holt's homosexuality be presented as a matter-of-fact character trait, not a source of comedy.
He performed the voice of the Android "Dark Matter" in the video game series *Destiny* and *Destiny 2*.
““I’m not interested in being a star. I’m interested in building a body of work.””
