Kimberly Hébert Gregory, best known for her standout role as Dr. Belinda Brown in HBO’s dark comedy Vice Principals, has died at the age of 52.
Her death on Oct. 3 was confirmed by her ex-husband, actor Chester Gregory, who shared a heartfelt 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,” he wrote. “Your story was never defined by the battle, but by the beauty you carried through it.”
Born Dec. 7, 1972, in Houston, Texas, Gregory began her career on stage in Chicago before breaking into film and television.
She made her big-screen debut in I Think I Love My Wife (2007) and appeared in a string of hit TV shows, including Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, Law & Order, Private Practice, Shameless, Better Call Saul, The Act, and Dollface.
Her breakout came with Vice Principals (2016–2017), where she starred opposite Walton Goggins and Danny McBride. Gregory later headlined the ABC comedy Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (2017–2018), and in 2021 portrayed Ruth Jean Baskerville Bowen in the acclaimed Aretha Franklin season of the National Geographic anthology series Genius.
On film, Gregory appeared in the 2018 dark comedy Arizona, the 2019 teen romance Five Feet Apart, the 2019 drama Miss Virginia, and the 2020 thriller John Henry. She also voiced characters in the Cartoon Network series Craig of the Creek and Netflix’s Carol and the End of the World.
Walton Goggins, her Vice Principals co-star, remembered Gregory in an emotional post: “We lost one of the best yesterday… one of the best I’ve ever worked with. She made me laugh like no other… A professional’s professional. A goddamn SOPRANO that never missed a note. You will be missed, my friend.”
Outside of acting, Gregory was deeply committed to advocacy and mentoring, championing greater representation for Black women in theater, film, and television.
The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
