- published: 30 Apr 2015
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Andre Braugher (born July 1, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Thomas Searles in the film Glory, as the fiery detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1998 and again in the 2000 made-for-TV film, and as Owen Thoreau Jr. on the TNT show Men of a Certain Age.
Braugher, the youngest of four children, was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Sally, a postal worker, and Floyd Braugher, a heavy-equipment operator. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep and later graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in theater in 1984. He then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 17: 1984-1988), graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1988. He was acknowledged as the Most Outstanding Theater Student at graduation.[citation needed]
Braugher's first film role was in the 1989's Glory as Thomas Searles, a free, educated black from the North who joins the first black regiment in the Union Army.
He subsequently moved on to a role on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street as Det. Frank Pembleton, a self-righteous, fiery, unyielding, Jesuit-educated police detective. Playing opposite Kyle Secor (who portrayed Det. Tim Bayliss), Braugher became the series' breakout star. He received Television Critics Association awards for individual achievement in drama in 1997 and 1998. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for best actor in a drama series in 1996 and 1998, winning in the latter year.