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. Braugher then attended the Juilliard School in New York City, graduating in 1988 where he was acknowledged as the Most Outstanding Theater Student at graduation.
Braugher's first film role was in the 1989's Glory. He subsequently moved on to a role on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street, 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.
In 1997 he was selected by People as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World".
Currently, Braugher can be seen on the TV series House, M.D. as Dr. Nolan, a psychiatrist who helps House recover from his addiction to Vicodin. He also currently appears in the highly acclaimed TNT series Men of a Certain Age.
In 1991, Braugher married Ami Brabson, an actress who later played Pembleton's wife Mary on Homicide. The couple have three sons: Michael (1992), Isaiah (1997), and John Wesley (Jw) (2003). They reside in South Orange, New Jersey. Braugher and his family are Unitarian Universalists.