An intense, classically trained character actor who approaches his screen projects with the same seriousness with which he does Shakespeare plays, Braugher honed his craft on the New York stage before making an auspicious film debut in
Glory as a bespectacled bookworm who enlists in the Civil War. But his five-season, Emmy-winning stint as a seemingly infallible detective humbled by a stroke on the gritty
Homicide: Life on the Streets is what made him a star. Although the role brought him myriad accolades and allowed him to work opposite his real-life wife, Ami Brabson (who played his on-screen spouse), he left the series in 1998 to pursue big-screen roles. Unfortunately, the movies rarely utilized his palpable energy. So he reprised his
Homicide role in a TV-movie and appeared in two more critically acclaimed but short-lived series —
Gideon's Crossing and
Hack — before snagging his second Emmy on the other side of the law, as a cool criminal in the miniseries
Thief.
Andre Braugher Fast Facts:
- Initially majored in pre-med at Stanford University before switching to drama.
- Role models were James Earl Jones and Sidney Poitier.
- Said he stopped watching TV in the '70s, with Three's Company being the last straw.
- Andre Braugher Relationships:
- Ami Brabson - Wife
- Floyd Braugher - Father
- Isaiah Braugher - Son
- Michael Braugher - Son
- Sally Braugher - Mother
- Andre Braugher Awards:
- 2001 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 1996 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Winner
- 2001 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 1996 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- College:
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA (BA in Theater, 1984); The Juilliard School, New York, NY (MFA in Drama, 1988)
