Bobby J. Brown obit

Bobby J. Brown Dies: ‘The Wire’ & ‘We Own This City’ Actor Was 62

 He was not on the list.

Bobby J. Brown, the actor who played Officer Bobby Brown on The Wire, has died. He was 62.

The actor’s daughter said that he died on Tuesday of smoke inhalation when he was caught in a barn fire in Maryland, which was determined to be an accident after he went inside the barn to jump-start a car, according to TMZ.

The outlet reported that Brown called to a family member for a fire extinguisher, but by the time they returned with the extinguisher, the structure was already engulfed in flames.

“I am upset and saddened. He was such a good actor and person,” his agent Albert Bramante told TMZ. “He was totally dedicated to the craft of acting and was a joy to work with.”

Born and raised in Washington DC, Brown took up boxing at an early age, winning five Golden Glove Championships before moving to New Jersey to fight professionally.

While fighting in Atlantic City casinos, Brown became interested in acting during the filming of the 1988 Mickey Rourke boxing movie Homeboy. He then moved to New York to study the craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Making his onscreen debut in a 1998 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, Brown also appeared that year in John Waters’ Pecker as Average Joe. In addition to movies like City by the Sea (2002) and Miss Virginia (2019), Brown has appeared in shows like Law & Order: SVU and Veep.

Brown was most known for his recurring role on HBO’s The Wire as Officer Bobby Brown from 2002 to 2008. In 2022, he returned to the network to play Thomas Allers in the limited series We Own This City, a true story about the corruption in Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force.

Actor

The Sessions (pilot)

Mr. Fouchet

CompletedTV Mini Series

 

Mailman (2023)

Mailman

Short

Kevin

2023

 

Dian Bachar, Gerry Bednob, Robin Jarrett, Adam LaVorgna, Tony Luke Jr., Kenneth McGregor, Jerod Mixon, Brian O'Halloran, Chris Owen, Rakim, Carlos Ramirez, Bobby J. Brown, Robert L. Mickles, Brian J. Bentz, Michael Ryan Redding, Cheryl Spadt, Lee Farrell, Patrick Woodruff, Morgan West, Jessica Czop, Victoria Gates, Montana Marks, Aleksandra Svetlichnaya, Johnny Christos, Valerie Renee Heckel, Karine Dashney, Wesley Green, Matthew Cantor, Alexis Aponte, Natalie White, Dolores Hillgrube, Jack Davis, Alessandra Merlo, Nicolas Serra, and Kera Blair in Off-Time (2022)

Off-Time

6.4

Shane

2022

 

Josh Charles, Jamie Hector, Jon Bernthal, and Wunmi Mosaku in We Own This City (2022)

We Own This City

7.6

TV Mini Series

Thomas Allers

2022

4 episodes

 

Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing in Really Love (2020)

Really Love

6.2

Officer

2020

 

Union Bridge (2019)

Union Bridge

4.7

John

2019

 

Miss Virginia (2019)

Miss Virginia

7.2

Police Officer

2019

 

Emily Peachey, Belle Shickle, and Caroline Coleman in Fishbowl (2018)

Fishbowl

4.8

Ron Peltz

2018

 

Bum'n Baltimore (2016)

Bum'n Baltimore

Short

Wildcat Willy

2016

 

Patricia Mizen, Bobby J. Brown, Richard Cutting, and Altorro Prince Black in City of Lost Souls (2014)

City of Lost Souls

Short

Mikey Wallace

2014

 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep (2012)

Veep

8.4

TV Series

Crazy Long Shoreman

2012

1 episode

 

Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Vernee Watson, Deidra LaWan Starnes, and Malachi Malik in Nocturnal Agony (2011)

Nocturnal Agony

6.1

Sonny

2011

 

Renée Zellweger in My One and Only (2009)

My One and Only

6.5

Diner Man (as Bobby Brown)

2009

 

Elizabeth Rice in From Within (2008)

From Within

5.6

Officer Dan

2008

 

The Wire (2002)

The Wire

9.3

TV Series

Officer Bobby Brown

2002–2008

12 episodes

 

Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

8.1

TV Series

Uniform #1Uniformed OfficerUniform Officer

2001–2004

3 episodes

 

Graham Beckel in The Pennsylvania Miners' Story (2002)

The Pennsylvania Miners' Story

5.5

TV Movie

Driller #3

2002

 

Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand in City by the Sea (2002)

City by the Sea

6.1

Uniform Cop (uncredited)

2002

 

Pam Grier, Adrien Brody, Charlotte Ayanna, and Jon Seda in Love the Hard Way (2001)

Love the Hard Way

6.3

Man in Video Arcade

2001

 

The Corner (2000)

The Corner

8.5

TV Mini Series

Officer Ira Weiner (as Bobby Brown)

2000

3 episodes

 

Christina Ricci, Edward Furlong, Martha Plimpton, Lili Taylor, Bess Armstrong, Mary Kay Place, Lauren Hulsey, Mark Joy, and Brendan Sexton III in Pecker (1998)

Pecker

6.3

Average Joe (as Bobby Brown)

1998

 

Michelle Forbes, Yaphet Kotto, Max Perlich, Kyle Secor, Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Reed Diamond, Clark Johnson, and Melissa Leo in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)

Homicide: Life on the Street

8.7

TV Series

Terry (as Bobby Brown)

1998

1 episode

 

Director

Tear the Roof Off-the Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic (2016)

Tear the Roof Off-the Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic

6.6

Director

2016

 

Off the Chain (2005)

Off the Chain

8.2

Video

Director

2005

 

Writer

Off the Chain (2005)

Off the Chain

8.2

Video

Writer

2005