Brendan Fraser

Brendan James Fraser (/ˈfreɪzər/ FRAY-zər;[lower-alpha 1][1][2] born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor.[3][4] He is best known for playing Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy (1999, 2001, 2008), as well as for leading roles in comedy and fantasy films including Encino Man (1992), George of the Jungle (1997), Bedazzled (2000), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008). Fraser branched into dramatic cinema with roles in School Ties (1992), Gods and Monsters (1998), The Quiet American (2002) and Crash (2004).

For the ice skater, see Brandon Frazier.

Brendan Fraser
Fraser at the premiere of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008
Born
Brendan James Fraser

(1968-12-03) December 3, 1968
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Alma materCornish College of the Arts (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active1988–present
Spouse(s)
Afton Smith
​
(
m. 1998; div. 2007)
Children3
RelativesGeorge Genereux (uncle)
Websitebrendanfraser.com

During a hiatus from film acting, Fraser found a new audience in television, with supporting roles in the History miniseries Texas Rising (2015), the Showtime drama series The Affair (2016–2017),[5][6] the FX anthology series Trust (2018)[7] and the DC Universe action series Doom Patrol (2019–).[8]

Early life

Fraser, the youngest of four boys, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Canadians Carol Mary [née Genereux] (1937–2016)[9] and Peter Fraser. His mother was a sales counselor, and his father was a former journalist who worked as a Canadian foreign service officer for the Government Office of Tourism.[3][10][11] His maternal uncle, George Genereux, was the only Canadian to win a gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics, at the Olympic Trap.[12] He has three older brothers: Kevin, Regan, and Sean.[13] He has Irish, Scottish, German, Czech, and French-Canadian ancestry.[14] He holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.[15]

Fraser's family moved often during his childhood, living in Eureka, California; Seattle, Washington; Ottawa, Ontario; the Netherlands; and Switzerland. He attended Upper Canada College,[16] a private boarding school in Toronto. While on vacation in London, he attended his first professional theatre show in the West End.

He graduated from Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts in 1990.[10][17] He began acting at a small acting college in New York City. He planned on studying toward a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Southern Methodist University, but stopped in Hollywood on the way and decided to stay there to work in film.[18]

Career

Fraser made a brief 1988 appearance in a reenactment on the TV series America's Most Wanted, as a friend of murder victim Rodney Mark Peterson.[19] In 1991, Fraser made his film debut as a sailor headed to Vietnam in Dogfight. He got his first leading film role in the 1992 comedy film Encino Man where he played a frozen pre-historic caveman who is thawed out in the present day.[20] The film was a moderate box office success and is considered a cult film.[21] That same year he starred with Matt Damon and Chris O'Donnell in School Ties. In 1994, he played Steve Nebraska in The Scout and Montgomery "Monty" Kessler in With Honors as well as co-star with Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi in Airheads. He went on to star in films such as Philip Ridley's The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) and The Twilight of the Golds (1997). He also had a small part in the movie Now and Then (1995).

He had his first major box office success with the 1997 comedy film George of the Jungle[22] which was based on the animated series of the same title created by Jay Ward. His biggest commercial success came with the adventure fantasy film The Mummy (1999) and its sequel The Mummy Returns (2001).[23]

He went on to star in several films which underperformed or only did moderately at the box office, such as Dudley Do-Right (1999), which was based on another Jay Ward animated series; Blast from the Past (1999); Bedazzled (2000); and Monkeybone (2001).[22]

He also played a dramatic role in 1998's Gods and Monsters, which was based on the life of James Whale (Ian McKellen), who directed Frankenstein. The film was written and directed by Bill Condon, and follows the loss of creativity, ambiguous sexuality and unlikely bonds between a heterosexual gardener and a homosexual, tortured and ailing filmmaker.[24] He lent his voice for the unreleased animated film Big Bug Man. In 2002, he starred alongside Michael Caine in the political drama The Quiet American which was well received by critics.[25] In 2004, he appeared as part of an ensemble cast in the Academy Award-winning film Crash.[26]

He has also made guest appearances on the television shows Scrubs, King of the Hill and The Simpsons. In March 2006, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame,[3] the first American-born actor to receive the honor. However, as of 2019, he does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After a six-year hiatus in the franchise, Fraser returned for the second sequel to The Mummy released in August 2008 and titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Filming started in Montreal on July 27, 2007 and also starred Jet Li as Emperor Han. That same year, he starred in the 3D film adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and the fantasy film Inkheart (chosen personally for the lead role by the novel's author Cornelia Funke).

Fraser starred as "Brick" in the West End production of Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in September 2001, directed by Anthony Page. Castmates included Ned Beatty, Frances O'Connor and Gemma Jones. The show closed on January 12, 2002, with Fraser garnering many excellent reviews.[27] In 2010, Fraser starred in a Broadway production of Elling, but the play closed after 9 performances due to lackluster reviews.[28] After appearing in the critically panned Furry Vengeance in 2010, Fraser moved from being represented by William Morris Endeavor to the Creative Artists Agency.[29] In 2010, he starred in Whole Lotta Sole directed by Terry George and in 2011, he was set to play William Tell in The Legend of William Tell: 3D, directed by Eric Brevig, with whom Fraser had also worked on in Journey to the Center of the Earth.[30] Filming was delayed and late in 2011, Fraser sued the producer Todd Moyer for promised wages. Moyer later countersued for assault,[31] which Fraser dismissed as a desperate attempt to avoid paying his debt.[32] In 2013, he played an Elvis Presley impersonator in the ensemble black comedy Pawn Shop Chronicles.[33]

In 2016, Fraser replaced Ray Liotta in the Bollywood thriller Line of Descent.[34] Fraser later joined the recurring cast of the television drama series The Affair during season 3 where he portrayed the misery-minded prison guard Gunther.[35] He portrayed Getty family fixer James Fletcher Chace in the FX anthology series Trust, which premiered on March 25, 2018.[7] Fraser portrayed Clifford "Cliff" Steele / Robotman in the Titans TV series, with Jake Michaels physically portraying Robotman. He reprised the role in the spin-off series Doom Patrol, where he voices the character and appears as Steele in flashbacks; Riley Shanahan–replacing Jake Michaels in Titans–physically portrays Robotman.[8] The string of appearances has led many to announce his sudden comeback as the "Brenaissance".[36][37][38]

Personal life

After arriving in Los Angeles, California, Fraser met actress Afton Smith while attending a barbecue at Winona Ryder's house on July 4, 1993.[10] They married on September 27, 1998, and had three sons: Griffin Arthur Fraser (born 2002),[2] Holden Fletcher Fraser (born 2004), and Leland Francis Fraser (born 2006). After their home in Beverly Hills, California, sold in April 2007 for $3 million,[39] Fraser's publicist announced in December 2007 that the couple had decided to divorce.[40][41] In early 2013, Fraser petitioned the courts for a reduction of his alimony and child support payments, asserting that he was unable to meet the annual obligation of $900,000; Smith, in turn, accused Fraser of hiding financial assets.[42] As of February 2018, Fraser lives near Bedford, New York.[43]

Fraser speaks fluent French,[44] and serves on the board of directors for FilmAid International.[45] He is an accomplished amateur photographer,[3] and has used several instant cameras in movies and on TV shows, most notably on his guest roles on Scrubs. In his first appearance, he used a Polaroid pack film; and on his second appearance, he used a Holga with a Polaroid back, a Japanese-only model. The book Collector's Guide to Instant Cameras has a dedication to Fraser.[46]

The stunts Fraser performed in his action roles eventually required him to undergo several surgeries over a period of seven years, including a partial knee replacement, a laminectomy, and vocal cord surgery.[47]

Fraser alleged in 2018 that he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, at a luncheon in the summer of 2003. The incident, his subsequent divorce, and the death of his mother, launched Fraser into a depression that, combined with his health issues and a backlash within the industry over speaking out against Berk, he believes caused his career to decline.[43][48]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Dogfight Sailor No. 1
1992 Encino Man Linkovich "Link" Chomovsky
1992 School Ties David Greene
1993 Twenty Bucks Sam Mastrewski
1993 Younger and Younger Winston Younger
1994 With Honors Montgomery "Monty" Kessler
1994 Airheads Chester "Chazz" Darby
1994 In the Army Now Link Cameo
1994 The Scout Steve Nebraska
1995 The Passion of Darkly Noon Darkly Noon
1995 Now and Then Vietnam Veteran Uncredited cameo
1996 Brain Candy Placebo Patient Uncredited cameo
1996 Mrs. Winterbourne Bill/Hugh Winterbourne
1996 Glory Daze Doug Cameo
1997 The Twilight of the Golds David Gold
1997 George of the Jungle George
1998 Still Breathing Fletcher McBracken
1998 Gods and Monsters Clayton Boone
1999 Blast from the Past Adam Webber
1999 The Mummy Rick O'Connell
1999 Dudley Do-Right Dudley Do-Right
2000 Bedazzled Elliot Richards
2000 Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists Sinbad Voice
2001 Monkeybone Stu Miley
2001 The Mummy Returns Rick O'Connell
2002 The Quiet American Alden Pyle
2003 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Himself Uncredited cameo
2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action DJ Drake, Himself Also the voice of Tasmanian Devil and She-Devil
2004 Crash Rick Cabot
2006 Journey to the End of the Night Paul
2006 The Last Time Jamie Bashant Also executive producer
2007 The Air I Breathe Pleasure
2008 Journey to the Center of the Earth Professor Trevor Anderson Also executive producer
2008 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Rick O'Connell
2009 Inkheart Mortimer Folchart
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Sgt. Stone Uncredited cameo
2010 Extraordinary Measures John Crowley
2010 Furry Vengeance Dan Sanders Also executive producer
2012 Stand Off Joe Maguire Also executive producer[49]
2013 Escape from Planet Earth Scorch Supernova Voice
2013 A Case of You Tony
2013 Hair Brained Leo Searly
2013 Pawn Shop Chronicles Ricky Baldoski
2013 Breakout Jack Damson Direct-to-DVD; also producer
2013 Gimme Shelter Tom Fitzpatrick
2014 The Nut Job Grayson Voice
2019 The Poison Rose Miles Mitchell
2019 Line of Descent Charlie 'Charu' Jolpin Released on ZEE5
2020 Behind the Curtain of Night Ronay Post-production[50]

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1991 My Old School Chevy Short film
1991 Child of Darkness, Child of Light John's friend Television film
1991 Guilty Until Proven Innocent Bobby McLaughlin Television film
1995 Fallen Angels Johnny Lamb Episode: "The Professional Man"
1997 Duckman Sammons Cagle (voice) Episode: "Dammit, Hollywood"
1998 The Simpsons Brad (voice) Episode: "King of the Hill"
2000, 2005 King of the Hill David Kalaiki-Ali/Irv Bennet/Jimmy Beardon (voices) 2 episodes
2002, 2004 Scrubs Ben Sullivan 3 episodes
2009 Wishology Turbo Thunder (voice) Television film
2015 Texas Rising Billy Anderson 5 episodes
2016–2017 The Affair John Gunther 6 episodes
2017 Nightcap Himself Episode: "Poop Show"
2018 Trust James Fletcher Chase 8 episodes
2018 Condor Nathan Fowler 6 episodes[51]
2018 Titans Robotman (voice) Episode: "Doom Patrol"
2019–present Doom Patrol Cliff Steele [8]
Robotman (voice)
2019 Professionals Peter Swann 10 episodes

Theme park ride
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Revenge of the Mummy Rick O'Connell Universal Studios Florida version only

Awards
Year Association Category Work Result
1993 Chicago Film Critics Association Award Most Promising Actor Encino Man and School Ties Nominated
1997 Seattle International Film Festival Award Best Actor Still Breathing Won
2000 Saturn Award Best Actor The Mummy Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actor – Action Nominated
2001 Teen Choice Award Film – Choice Actor The Mummy Returns Nominated
2005 Gotham Awards Best Ensemble Cast Crash Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival Award Ensemble of the Year Won
2006 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Cast Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
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gollark: An infinite number at night!
gollark: Since it's the turbo clock speed, I doubt there will actually be much of a battery life loss.
gollark: The 8565 has better turbo speed.
gollark: ```shnpm search --parseable something | cut -f 1 | xargs npm install```A great way to waste storage space!

References
  1. Dougherty, Margot. "Brendan Fraser Comes Up For Air". LA Mag. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  2. "Brendan Fraser's Looney Adventure". CBS. November 13, 2003. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  3. "2006 Inductees – Brendan Fraser". Canada's Walk of Fame. 2006. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  4. Beale, Lewis (November 1, 1998). "In The Know Brendan Up To Buff In 'Gods And Monsters'". NY Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  5. "Texar Rising - About". History.com. History. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  6. Nolfi, Joey. "Brendan Fraser: The Affair matters in the age of alternative facts". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  7. "Brendan Fraser - James Fletcher Chace". FXNetworks.com. FX. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (August 21, 2018). "'Doom Patrol': Brendan Fraser To Star As Robotman In DC Universe TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  9. "Carol G. Fraser Obituary". Harvey Family Funeral Home. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  10. Lynch, Lorrie (October 26, 2003). "In tune with himself". USA Weekend. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  11. "Brendan Fraser Biography (1968–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  12. "Daily Highlights – January 10 – Brendan Fraser Interview". Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
  13. Rota, Kara (January 22, 2010). "Brendan Fraser on playing the real John Crowley in 'Extraordinary Measures'". Irish Central. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  14. Rota, Kara (February–March 2010). "Brendan Fraser on Playing John Crowley in Extraordinary Measures". Irish America.
  15. Beale, Lewis (November 1, 1998). "In the Know: Brendan up to Buff in 'Gods and Monsters'". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  16. Diamond, Jamie (June 21, 1992). "UP AND COMING: Brendan Fraser; A Man Schooled for Success". New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  17. Halpern, Lisa (February 10, 2005). "Fraser's Edge". Cornish College of the Arts. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  18. "Brendan Fraser's eclectic career". South Coast Today.
  19. Lee, Allen (October 2019). "How Brendan Fraser Achieved a Net Worth of $25 Million". Money Inc. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  20. "The many faces of Brendan Fraser - Philstar.com". philstar.com. October 24, 2000.
  21. "Hey bu-ddy! 'Encino Man' turns 25 — but here's where the '90s comedy was really filmed". May 23, 2017.
  22. "Bankability Breakdown: Brendan Fraser - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  23. "The Mummy (1999) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  24. "Gods and Monsters Credits". Gods and Monsters Official site. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  25. "The Quiet American". Rotten Tomatoes.
  26. Stacey Wilson Hunt (December 5, 2016). "How Crash Crashed the Oscars". Vulture.
  27. "Albemarle – Archive". Albemarle-london.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  28. "Brendan Fraser Broadway debut shuts after one week". BBC. November 26, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  29. Masarella, Linda (March 27, 2011). "Fraser finds 'Sole' in Ireland". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  30. "Eric Brevig Re-Teaming with Brendan Fraser for 'William Tell 3D'". TheFilmStage.com. September 7, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  31. The Deadline Team (July 13, 2012). "Producer Todd Moyer Files Lawsuit Against Brendan Fraser, After Fraser Sued Moyer". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  32. Izzo, Michael (July 24, 2012). "Brendan Fraser Sued By Producer For Alleged Battery". Business Insider. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  33. "Elijah Wood, Brendan Fraser & Many More Tell 'Pawn Shop Chronicles'".
  34. Bhushan, Nyay (June 15, 2016). "Brendan Fraser Replaces Ray Liotta in Indian Mafia Thriller 'The Field'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  35. Ihnat, Gwen. "An unrecognizable Brendan Fraser shows up to give The Affair a menacing twist". The A.V. Club.
  36. McNear, Claire (December 28, 2016). "Let the Brendan Fraser Renaissance Begin". The Ringer.
  37. Codrai, Lorna (November 30, 2018). "STEP ASIDE MCCONAUGHEY, THE BRENAISSANCE IS HERE". Cultured Vulture.
  38. Mathews, Liam (April 1, 2018). "Trust: Brendan Fraser's Brenaissance Is Here, and It's Glorious". TV Guide.
  39. "Brendan Fraser's Former Mid-Century Modern Home Back on the Market for $4.4M". Fox News. August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  40. "Brendan Fraser and Wife to Divorce". The Insider. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  41. "Mummy Star Brendan Fraser, Wife Split After Nine Years". US Magazine. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  42. "Brendan Fraser Broke, Can't Afford $900,000 Child Support Payment To Ex-Wife". The Huffington Post. February 15, 2013.
  43. Baron, Zach (February 22, 2018). "What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?". GQ. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  44. "BBC – Films – Brendan Fraser". BBC. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  45. "filmaid.org Newsletter". FilmAid International. 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  46. "30 celebrity photographers who are actually celebrities". TechRadar. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  47. Mazziotta, Julie (February 22, 2018). "Brendan Fraser Says He Destroyed His Body Doing Movie Stunts: 'I Was Probably Trying too Hard'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  48. Vojtech, Jim; Messer, Lesley (February 22, 2018). "Brendan Fraser says he has his own #MeToo story". ABC News. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  49. "TFF 2012: Spotlight". tribecafilm.com, Inc. March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  50. Busch, Anita (August 20, 2015). "'Behind The Curtain Of The Night,' A Life-After-Death Movie Stars Brendan Fraser, Marcia Cross". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  51. Petski, Denise (April 6, 2017). "Brendan Fraser Joins Cast Of 'Condor' Audience Network Series". Deadline magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2017. Fraser will play Nathan Fowler, an unstable yet efficient central cog in an unholy alliance between the private military company that employs him and the CIA.

Notes
  1. The correct pronunciation of Fraser's surname is a running gag in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, in which his character's surname is pronounced /ˌfrærəˈʒʊər/.
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