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`Homicide' star as dedicated as his character

When you first meet Andre Braugher, it's difficult to figure out where his character, Detective Frank Pembleton, stops and Braugher begins.

Both actor and character are men not quickly forgotten. They speak in subtle, hypnotic, yet powerful tones. Both are passionate about their beliefs and certain of what they have to say.

Braugher, however, is so much more.

To some, he said with a smile, he might be dismissed as "that bald black guy" on NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street.''

The baldness was his own idea; "I got tired of going to the barber to keep my fade together," he said, "so I just cut it all off."

To those who watch the series closely, he's a multifaceted, Juilliard-trained actor whose talents transcend the world of television.

But to Braugher himself, he's a dedicated family man doing a job he loves, hoping to serve a purpose higher than pure entertainment.

"My goal is to broaden and deepen the range of African American characters on television, so I always try to show human beings," Braugher said.

"I've grown tired of characters who are window dressing, or hipster pimps, and drug dealers and shadowy underworld figures. I want to bring a man to the screen. Unfortunately, in television today there are very few African American characters who are human beings. They are typically two-dimensional stereotypes, cookie-cutter types."

As Pembleton on Friday night's "Homicide" -- which this week has cross-over episodes with another NBC drama, "Law & Order" -- Braugher apparently has found a character who meets his standard.

"I was always attracted to the part. The reason I committed myself to the show was because I could not discern Pembleton's race by the sides (script pages devoted to a single character), and I said to myself, `I'm going to take a chance on it,' because this might actually be a character rather than a quote-unquote black character."

The character Braugher plays is not necessarily endearing to everyone. He's tough, cynical and not easy to get to know. It's a character who is changing, though, especially this season, since Pembleton and his wife Mary are expecting a baby.

"Already he (Pembleton) is responsible for more lives than simply his own,'' Braugher said, "so there's a sense of vulnerability in Pembleton's position. Whereas I used to be a lone wolf and solitary investigator, now I have a lot of allegiances."

Mary Pembleton is played by Braugher's real-life wife, Ami Brabson.

Acting with his wife is a pleasant experience for Braugher. "I think she's a fine actress. We already have a history together, and we understand each other, so we communicate very easily. We have similar tastes about what is good and bad in the course of a scene, and we agree about the complexities of each of our characters, and things seem to go quite well and I enjoy it a lot."

Pembleton's allegiances aren't only familial; they are also with the people he works with.

"The relationship between Tim Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor) and Pembleton has become one of mutual respect and consideration, and I believe they actually care for each other, whereas three years ago when we first met, I (Pembleton) couldn't stand him," Braugher said.

Braugher explained how the dynamics of "Homicide" have changed since the show premiered following the Super Bowl in 1993.

"In the first year ... our stories seemed to be separate -- concurrent, but separate,'' he said. "In the second year, that was where we started mixing and shifting and talking to each other more.

"Our story lines began to involve more about what we were like and the office politics. I think that's where the chemistry developed. We've got a fine cast, very talented, very dedicated, and we've come together."

This week's episode adds the cast of "Law & Order" to the mix. In a cross-over story line that begins on "Law & Order" (Wednesday night) and concludes on "Homicide" (Friday night), detectives and attorneys from both shows travel back and forth between Baltimore and New York to catch a killer responsible for gas bombings.