“We are all too complex to be summed up in one single character trait”
BY CAMILLE BAVERA, IMAGE BY NBC
Actor Andre Braugher has passed away at the age of 61 after a brief illness, and fans, co-stars, friends, and family are mourning the loss worldwide.
Perhaps best known for portraying Captain Ray Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Andre is survived by his on-screen husband, Terry Crews, as well as his real-life wife Ami Brabson and three sons, Michael, Isaiah, and John.
Although his strong presence lent itself well to a matter-of-fact, gay, Black cop – who chose not to conform to any of those stereotypes – Andre also had a soft side that he showed both on and off-screen. By portraying a character with several defining minority characteristics in a subtle, straight-laced way that highlighted who he was, not what he was, Andre effectively propelled television forward and changed the way audiences might associate with characters.
“This is one more facet of Holt as opposed to being Holt’s defining characteristic, and that’s what’s important to me,” Andre said, during an interview in 2018. “My teenage son said, ‘You’re playing a gay police captain?’ I said ‘No, I’m playing a police captain who’s gay’. So we have to sit down and understand what that distinction is.”
Not only did the theatre actor and comedian understand how to pave the way for his own character’s path forward, but his attention to the importance of his co-stars’ stories helped bring many character stereotypes onto a bigger stage. A notable instance was in season five, episode one when Holt made an apology to Rosa Diaz following her breakup with his nephew. Rosa later came out as bisexual, and Holt continued his deadpan, steadfast support. “We are all too complex to be summed up in one single character trait”, said the late actor.
Andre’s acting and comedic prowess heavily relied on his innate ability to cover a range of emotions in just a few moments, and his positive contributions to television and LGBTQIA communities will not be forgotten.
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