“If there is a throughline to my characters, it's that they're fish out of water. I love to act roles that allow me to make discoveries for the first time.”
Synopsis
Born in 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Brendan Fraser studied acting at Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts and soon after landed leading roles in several films, including 1992's Encino Man and 1992’s School Ties. Fraser reached star status in the lead role in 1999's The Mummy, which was hugely popular and lead to two sequels. Always diverse, Fraser has also done family adventure films as well as dramas.
Early Life and Career
Brendan James Fraser was on December 3, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The youngest of four, he moved around a lot during his childhood. His father was a Canadian tourism executive, and he has dual American-Canadian citizenship. Relocating every few years for his father's job, Fraser first discovered theater while living in London. He started going to see shows.
In his early teens, Fraser began performing in Seattle, Washington. He worked with the Laughing Horse Summer Theater. After attending the Upper Canada College Preparatory School in Toronto, he returned to Seattle for college. Fraser continued to pursue his interest in acting at the Cornish College of the Arts. He caught his first break, landing a bit part in 1991'sDogfight. The movie, which was filmed in Seattle, stars Lili Taylor and River Phoenix. Soon after his Dogfight experience, Fraser's career started to take off.
Leading Film Actor
In 1992, Brendan Fraser starred in two films. He played a caveman must cope with modern times after being thawed out in the comedy Encino Man. InSchool Ties, Fraser tackled a dramatic role as a Jewish athlete who hides his background from his boarding school peers; Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also appeared in the film.
More prominent film roles soon followed with varying results. The 1994 rocker comedy Airheads proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment. But he enjoyed box office success with the cartoon-based George of the Jungle in 1997. The following year, Fraser won kudos for his performance in Gods and Monsters with Ian McKellen. He took on another cartoon-inspired role for 1999's Dudley Do-Right, which fell flat at the box office. But Fraser also launched a hugely popular family adventure series with The Mummy that same year. The movie was one of the biggest films of the time. Fraser appeared in two more blockbuster films, The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008).
While his cartoon comedy Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) was lackluster, Fraser had some success as a dramatic actor around this time. He gave a stellar performance in the 2002 film adaptation of the Graham Greene novel The Quiet American with Michael Caine. Two years later, Fraser had a well-received supporting role in 2004's Crash.
Recent Projects
Fraser enjoyed another box office triumph with 2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Based on the Jules Verne novel, this adventure tale raked in more than $100 million in its initial release.
In 2010, Fraser made his Broadway debut in the comedy Elling. Unfortunately, the show only had a short time because of poor reviews and weak ticket sales. Fraser had signed up for a film about William Tell, but he ended up in a legal dispute with the filmmakers over production delays. He also dropped out of a television pilot for a series over creative differences in 2012.
After that professional rough patch, Fraser appears to be back on track. He has several projects in the works, including the upcoming drama Gimme Shelter with Vanessa Hudgens. Fraser also stars in the western comedy In With the Outlaws.
Personal Life
Fraser married actress Afton Smith in 1998. They have three sons together, Griffin Arthur, Holden Fletcher and Leland. Fraser and his wife divorced in 2007. In 2013, Fraser made headlines when he sought to reduce the amount of support he paid to Smith: Fraser claimed that he no longer had the income to keep up with the annual total of $900,000 in payments to her, and the pair had become engaged in a legal battle over the finances.
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