Actress appeared on dozens of TV shows, including Better Call Saul, Gossip Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and more
Kimberly Hébert Gregory, the actress who starred on the HBO series Vice Principals, has died at the age of 52.
Gregory’s ex-husband Chester Gregory confirmed her death on social media Sunday; no cause of death was provided.
“Kimberly Hébert Gregory You Were Brilliance Embodied, A Black Woman Whose Mind Lit Every Room, Whose Presence Carried Both Fire And Grace. You Taught Us Lessons In Courage, In Artistry, In Resilience, And In How To Keep Showing Up, Even When Life Demanded More Than Its Share,” Chester Gregory wrote on Instagram. “Thank You, Kimberly, For Every Chapter We Shared. Your Story Was Never Defined By The Battle, But By The Beauty You Carried Through It.”
After first making her mark on the stage in the late Nineties, Gregory’s film and television career began in 2007 with roles in Chris Rock’s I Think I Love My Wife and one-episode roles in Gossip Girl, The Black Donnellys, Two and a Half Men, and Law & Order. The actress also appeared in Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer, Justin Baldoni’s Five Feet Apart, The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Better Call Saul.
In 2016, Gregory landed a main role as the school principal in the HBO series Vice Principals, co-starring Walton Goggins and Danny McBride. Goggins also paid tribute to his former co-star on social media, “We lost one of the best yesterday… one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Kimberly Hebert Gregory. I had the honor… the good fortune of getting to know, getting to spend months working with this Queen on Vice Principals. She made me laugh like no other. A professionals professional. A gatdamn SOPRANO that never missed a note. You will be missed my friend. As much as you know.”
After Vice Principals, Gregory was also part of the main cast on sitcoms like Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and Craig of the Creek. Her last on-screen role was portraying Ruth Jean Baskerville Brown in the National Geographic series Genius: Aretha.
