Andre Braugher’s Costar Dirk Blocker Says He Was the ‘Father Figure’ of B99 Cast: ‘Always There for People’ (Exclusive)

When Dirk Blocker reflects on his time shooting Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Andre Braugher, it’s always with affection and immense respect for the actor who not only portrayed the captain on the show, but also sought to be a “father figure” to the cast.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Blocker, 66, recalls a defining moment during the sitcom’s first season when Fox released short introductory videos about his character, Hitchcock, and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller).

“The day they were released, Joel and I were sitting in our little space, and the main actors were sitting in another area,” he explains, adding, “Andre walks into the room, and he’s very loud—certainly loud enough that Joel and I hear – what I think his point was, he said, ‘Have you seen the Hitchcock videos?'”

Remembering the life of Andre Braugher through his most famous roles

The movie ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ stars Andre Braugher, Dirk Blocker and Anna Bogomazova.

Jordin Althaus/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

“Everybody was looking at him like, ‘What?'” he continues. “And he said, ‘You have to see. These are magnificent.’ … Everyone gathered around him on that side of the room and looked over his shoulder as he played three of our videos to the rest of the group.”

Braugher often burst out laughing as he watched them — “he had a great laugh,” says Blocker — but Blocker and McKinnon Miller knew then that he was “laughing for us.”

“He wanted us to know that he appreciated what we were doing, that we fit in and that we were doing a good job — and he needed to let us know that,” she explains, adding, “He’s just so generous with himself anyway, but that’s who he is and was.”

Braugher, who played Captain Raymond Holt Brooklyn Nine-Nine eight years, died on Monday after a recent illness at the age of 61. The actor earned 11 Emmy nominations during his decades-long career, winning the 1998 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Murder: Life on the Street and a second win for Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2006 for a miniseries Thief.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine The cast pays tribute to Andre Braugher after his death: ‘O Captain. my captain

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ stars Joel McKinnon Miller, Dirk Blocker, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews and Andre Braugher.

Jordin Althaus/Fox/Universal Television/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Braugher and Blocker last appeared together on Late Night with Seth Meyers hours after Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘with the series finale aired in September 2021. The two didn’t stay in touch after that, but Blocker always felt a connection to Braugher, hearing from a friend that the actor continued to share “wonderful stories” about their time together on the show.

“He was the captain, or the father figure, of the cast,” says Blocker, adding, “I’ll just remember how warm and kind and how loving he was as a human being. It was really special.”

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Braugher’s other credits are included Glory with Denzel Washington, Kojak with Telley Savalas, as well as The city of angels, Salt, Law and order, Salem’s Lotand the upcoming Netflix series The Residence. He also won an Obie Award for his performances in stage productions Henrik V and Whipping man.

A native of Chicago and a graduate of Stanford University and Juilliard, Braugher is survived by his wife Ami Brabson and their children John Wesley Braugher, Michael Braugher and Isaiah Braugher.

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Source: HIS Education