Kimberly Hébert Gregory, the acclaimed actress best known as Dr Belinda Brown in HBO’s dark comedy Vice Principals, has died at the age of 52.
Her passing on October 3 was confirmed by her ex-husband, actor Chester Gregory, who shared an emotional tribute on Instagram.
‘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,’ he wrote.
‘Thank you, Kimberly, for every chapter we shared. Your story was never defined by the battle, but by the beauty you carried through it.’ He also described their son as ‘the living echo of your light.’
Her cause of death has not been publicly revealed at this time.
Tributes quickly followed from friends and collaborators. Walton Goggins, her Vice Principals co-star, wrote on Instagram: ‘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 gatd*** SOPRANO that never missed a note. You will be missed my friend. As much as you know.’
Actress Busy Phillips also paid tribute, calling her ‘a light and a force.’
Born on December 7, 1972, in Houston, Texas, Gregory studied at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts before earning a degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s in clinical social work from the University of Chicago.
She also trained at DePaul University’s MFA program before launching a stage career in Chicago and New York.
She appeared in numerous productions, including By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, for which she earned a Drama Desk nomination, and developed a reputation for her intelligence, humour, and emotional precision.
Gregory made her film debut in 2007 with I Think I Love My Wife and that same year appeared in her first television role on The Black Donnellys.
Over the next two decades she became one of the most consistently sharp and versatile actors on American television, appearing in shows including Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order, Two and a Half Men, Shameless, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Big Bang Theory, Better Call Saul, The Act, Dollface, Private Practice and New Amsterdam.
Her first major television role came in Vice Principals, where she starred opposite Danny McBride and Walton Goggins as Dr Belinda Brown, a poised and ambitious school principal trying to keep her footing amid chaos.
The role showcased her gift for blending biting comedy with vulnerability, and won her widespread acclaim.
She later headlined the ABC series Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and portrayed Ruth Jean Baskerville Bowen in the Aretha Franklin season of National Geographic’s Genius anthology.
On film, Gregory appeared in Arizona (2018), Miss Virginia (2019), Five Feet Apart (2019) and John Henry (2020). She also lent her voice to animated projects including Craig of the Creek and Netflix’s Carol and the End of the World.
Beyond her screen work, Gregory was a dedicated advocate for representation and mentorship, particularly for young Black women pursuing careers in the arts.
She was known for mentoring emerging performers and for speaking candidly about the challenges of navigating Hollywood as a woman of colour.
In an essay for Time in 2017, she reflected on the necessity of self-belief in a world that often refused to see it: ‘Your dad and mom have said that you are beautiful, and you can be anything you wanted to be.’
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