An intense black character player and occasional lead, Andre Braugher gained considerable critical attention for his portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton on the acclaimed series "Homicide" before he left the show to pursue a film acting career. Braugher studied theater at Stanford and later at Juilliard, acting with the New York Shakespeare Festival (NYSF) in plays including "King John" and "The Rehearsal" while attending the latter.In 1989, Braugher broke through in "Ariana" (NBC), the first of five "Kojak" TV-movies, with the fiery actor portraying dogged assistant detective Winston Blake.
