Andre Braugher’s 10 Best Movies & TV Shows

The late Andre Braugher was a distinguished and talented actor known for his exceptional talent in some of the best television shows and movies. With a career spanning several decades, Braugher delivered compelling and memorable performances across both film and television. He was highly regarded for his ability to capture the complexity of the characters he portrayed, bringing emotional depth and nuance to his roles. Though he gave many exceptional performances over the years, Braugher was perhaps best known for his starring roles in the hit shows Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

In the former, he played the intelligent, yet fiery Detective Frank Pembleton, masterfully portraying the character’s dedication to solving complex cases. Braugher’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine character offered excellent comedic timing in his portrayal of the straight-laced Captain Raymond Holt. While those two roles cemented his legacy, Braugher demonstrated impressive range across various genres from drama to comedy. His impressive career serves as an enduring testament to his exceptional talents and ability to transform into vastly different characters. Reflecting on his influential body of work, it’s clear Braugher captivated audiences with some of television and film’s most compelling characters.

10 Get On The Bus (1996)

Flip

In a great performance in this Spike Lee movie, the 1996 comedy-drama Get on the Bus, Andre Braugher delivers a charismatic, scene-stealing performance as the flashy actor Flip. Though the film follows a group traveling to the Million Man March, it stands out for its humor and vibrant characters. Braugher’s Flip livens up the journey as he energetically interacts with his fellow riders. Whether making wry O.J. Simpson jokes or leading a raucous rap number, Braugher brings infectious, light-hearted energy to the role. His magnetic presence and commitment to the bigger-than-life character contribute to both the poignancy and humor that make Get on the Bus so impactful.

9 The Mist (2007)

Brent Norton

In the chilling sci-fi horror film The Mist, Andre Braugher delivered an impactful performance as the polarizing neighbor Brent Norton, a man trapped with other townspeople as a mysterious, deadly fog descends upon their community. As panic and hysteria grip the survivors holed up in a supermarket, Norton emerges as a prominent figure. Braugher’s character became key to the plot when he made a daring attempt to venture out into the eerie mist to get help. This fateful decision led to a gruesome, yet pivotal attack scene that exemplified Braugher’s talent for complexity, and it greatly shone through, as the character displayed courage in the face of peril.

8 The Good Fight (2017-2022)

Ri’Chard Lane

André Braugher’s Emmy-nominated performance as the eccentric lawyer Ri’Chard Lane was a scene-stealing highlight in the acclaimed legal drama’s final season. As The Good Fight neared its conclusion after years following Chicago attorneys rebuilding a firm in the wake of scandal, Braugher entered the fray in a recurring role that shook up the status quo. Playing one of The Good Fight’s most likable characters, he was both brilliant and peculiar, bringing quirky charisma and incisive legal talent to captivate in courtroom showdowns. Though a new associate joining the ranks of Diane, Maia, and Luka’s firm, Braugher’s presence made him seem like a long-established member holding his own against the leads.

7 City Of Angels (1998)

Cassiel

Andre Braugher leveraged his tremendous versatility in the 1998 fantasy romance City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Braugher took on the supporting, yet important role of Cassiel, an angel struggling to understand the human desire for forbidden love and mortal life after his fellow angel Seth chooses to Fall. As Seth recklessly pursues the affections of a gifted heart surgeon played by Ryan, the level-headed Cassiel serves as the voice of reason, warning against disrupting divine law for fleeting human passion. Though an unusual genre turn early in his career, Braugher grounded the ethereal premise in relatable emotion, reinforcing his artistic range.

6 Gideon’s Crossing (2000-2001)

Dr. Ben Gideon

In the thoughtful medical drama Gideon’s Crossing, Andre Braugher embodied moral authority and empathetic gravitas as Dr. Ben Gideon, a brilliant, but enigmatic physician leading a cutting-edge cancer unit. As the emotional series grappled with the complex realities facing doctors and patients as lives hang in the balance, Braugher mesmerized as an experimental medicine chief committed to pushing boundaries to heal. Loosely inspired by Dr. Jerome Groopman’s book The Measure of Our Days, the show contemplated the intersection of science and the soul. His nuanced turn as a doctor dedicated both to preserving lives and his own moral code set Braugher apart with a performance balancing strength, subtlety, and sensitivity.

5 Men Of A Certain Age (2009-2011)

Owen Thoreau Jr.

Braugher earned acclaim for his starring role as Owen Thoreau Jr. in the drama TV show that’s as funny as a sitcom, Men of a Certain Age. As one member of a tight-knit trio of middle-aged friends also featuring Ray Romano and Scott Bakula, Braugher played a frustrated car salesman trapped in his overbearing father’s business. Rapid-fire banter with Romano and Bakula amplifies the believable weight of a lifetime bond between friends, all commiserating and cajoling one another through shared indignities. Often typecast in serious cop roles, this performance revealed Braugher’s vulnerability and talent for finding humor in the struggle to stay afloat.

4 Glory (1989)

Cpl. Thomas Searles

Though little-known at the time, Andre Braugher made his impressive film debut in Edward Zwick’s hard-hitting 1989 Civil War drama Glory, starring opposite future greats Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. As the story of the trailblazing Black infantry Union regiment known as the 54th Massachusetts, Glory depicted the incredible courage and sacrifice of soldiers fighting a war to end slavery while confronting unflinching racism within the army’s own ranks. Braugher held his own against the star-studded ensemble as Thomas Searles, a highly educated corporal attempting to prove his worth as a soldier to distrustful white commanders.

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Braugher’s raw performance captured his character’s bottled fury and dignity, a pivotal perspective solidifying Glory’s message. Though only his first-ever film role, the actor demonstrated the force and gravitas that would make him a household name. Glory was the film that put Braugher on the map with a searing introduction.

3 Primal Fear (1996)

Tommy Goodman

In the legal thriller Primal Fear, Andre Braugher lent his trademark talents to the role of Tommy Goodman, a tenacious investigator aiding high-profile defense attorney Martin Vail, played by Richard Gere. The film captivated with its case surrounding an altar boy, Aaron Stampler, accused of murdering an archbishop. As Vail cunningly builds his defense centered on Aaron’s apparent multiple personality disorder, Goodman serves as his razor-sharp right-hand man. Braugher’s natural intensity and intelligence made him the perfect fit as Goodman, as he helped bring the explosive ending of Primal Fear together. Braugher added another scene-stealing performance to his repertoire, holding his own against Gere’s flashier roles with an understated performance.

2 Homicide: Life On The Street (1993-1999)

Detective Frank Pembleton

Before his iconic run as Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Andre Braugher delivered an Emmy-winning performance as Detective Frank Pembleton in the gritty 1990s police drama Homicide: Life on the Street. As the brilliant investigator at the core of the groundbreaking procedural TV show, Braugher mesmerized with a reserved intensity. Widely deemed as one of the best shows of its era, Homicide explored the grim realities of crime and punishment in the city with depth and nuance. Additionally, Braugher earned praise for his authentic, masterful portrayal of Frank Pembleton. It was this performance that played a key role in putting grittier ensemble dramas on the map.

1 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)

Raymond Holt

Though he had displayed excellent comedic timing in prior roles, Andre Braugher’s hilarious seven-season run starring as Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine stands tall as the late actor’s single best and most iconic performance. As the straight-laced, deadpan leader of an eccentric police squad, Braugher utilized his inherent talents for laughs by contrasting Holt’s stern nature against the increasing absurdity surrounding him. Beyond impressive comedic chops, Braugher innovated in portraying openly gay Captain Holt with nuance and depth. While acting in a sitcom that got LGBTQ+ representation right, Captain Raymond Holt secured Andre Braugher’s place in the comedy pantheon with an all-time great performance that will always be remembered.