Brendan Fraser
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| Brendan Fraser | |||||||
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 Brendan Fraser, 2007 |
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| Born | Brendan James Fraser December 3, 1968 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1991—present | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Afton Smith (1998-2007) | ||||||
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Brendan James Fraser[1] (born December 3, 1968) is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. He is known for having starred in several major Hollywood films, including The Mummy film series, The Quiet American, Crash and George of the Jungle.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana,[1] the son of Canadian-American parents Carol, a sales counselor, and Peter Fraser, a former journalist who worked as a foreign service officer for the Canadian Government Office of Tourism.[2][3][4] His great-grandfather was a Royal Canadian Mountie.[5] Fraser has three older brothers: Kevin, Regan, and Sean. His family moved often during his childhood, living in Eureka, California, Seattle, Ottawa, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Fraser attended the private boys' boarding school,[6] Upper Canada College in Toronto. While on vacation in London, Fraser attended his first professional theatrical performance in at the West End. He graduated from Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts in 1990.[3][7] He began acting at a small acting college in New York. He originally planned on attending graduate school in Texas but stopped in Hollywood on his way south and decided to stay in Los Angeles and work in movies.
His surname is properly pronounced "Fray-zer", though some pronounce it "Frasier" (as in Kelsey Grammer's television character). The correct pronunciation of his surname is a running gag in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in which he has a cameo.
[edit] Career
Fraser's first film role was a brief cameo in America's Most Wanted Reenactment (1985) he played friend to Rodney Mark Peterson, who was murdered. He has since garnered over 30 film credits. He had his first lead role in Encino Man (1992). That same year he played opposite Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O'Donnell in School Ties (1992). In 1994 he co-starred alongside Adam Sandler in the comedy Airheads. He went onto play supporting roles starring alongside Viggo Mortensen and Ashley Judd in Philip Ridley's The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), and Jennifer Beals in The Twilight of the Golds (1997). In 1997 he got his breakthrough role with the hit comedy film George of the Jungle (1997). He went onto appear in several comedy films such as Blast from the Past (1999), Bedazzled (2000) and Monkeybone (2001).
Fraser also played a dramatic role in Gods and Monsters (1998),[8] alongside Ian McKellen. The film was based on the life of the filmmaker James Whale (McKellen), who made the 1931 film Frankenstein. This film was written and directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and was a story about the loss of creativity, ambiguous sexuality and unlikely bonds between a not-too-bright straight gardener and a gay, tortured and ailing filmmaker.
His biggest commercial success came with the action adventure horror film (co-starring Rachel Weisz) The Mummy (1999) and its sequel The Mummy Returns (2001), both of which were hugely successful at the box office. He has starred in two films based on Jay Ward creations, George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right although he did not reprise his role in the former's sequel.
In 2004 he appeared in the Academy Award-winning film Crash. 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,[2] the first American-born actor to receive the honor. However, as of 2006, he does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After a six year hiatus in the franchise, Fraser will return for the second sequel to The Mummy which is set to be released in August 2008 and is titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Filming started in Montreal on July 27, 2007 and the movie will also star Jet Li as Emperor Han. The last Mummy film grossed over $200 million in the USA and over $400 million worldwide.
Fraser also starred in the West End production at the Lyric Theatre of Tennessee Williams's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". The show opened right after 9/11 on September 18, 2001. Anthony Page directed. Fraser and other cast members were asked if they wanted to delay the opening of the show due to the 9/11 attacks, but the cast and producers decided it would be best to open as scheduled. Others in the production included Ned Beatty as "Big Daddy", Frances O'Connor, Australian star of Cashmere Mafia, as Maggie the Cat and Gemma Jones, a British actress who played the mother in Bridget Jones' Diary, played the part of Big Momma. Abigail McKern (daughter of Leo McKern, who played Big Daddy in the original London production many years prior) and Clive Carter rounded out the cast. The show closed on January 12, 2002. Fraser garnered many excellent reviews.[9]
[edit] Personal life
Fraser met Afton Smith while attending a barbecue at Winona Ryder's house after his arrival in Los Angeles.[3] Fraser married Smith on September 27, 1998, and they have three sons: Griffin Arthur,[1] Holden Fletcher, and Leland Francis. On December 27, 2007, Fraser's publicist announced the couple had decided to divorce.[10][11]
He is fluent in French.[12] Fraser also serves on the Board of Directors for FilmAid International.[13]
Fraser is also an accomplished amateur photographer.[2] He has used several Polaroids in movies and on TV shows, most notably on his guest roles on Scrubs. In his first appearance he used a folding pack camera (possibly a Model 450); 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.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Audio book narration
- Dragon Rider (2004)
- Inkspell (2005)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Brendan Fraser's Looney Adventure. CBS (November 13, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ a b c 2006 Inductees - Brendan Fraser. Canada's Walk of Fame (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ a b c Lynch, Lorrie (October 26, 2003), In tune with himself, USA Weekend, <http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/031026/031026brendan_fraser.html>. Retrieved on 2007-12-27
- ^ Brendan Fraser Biography (1968-)
- ^ Brendan Fraser - Profile, Latest News and Related Articles
- ^ Diamond, Jamie (June 21, 1992), UP AND COMING: Brendan Fraser; A Man Schooled for Success, New York Times, <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DE103AF932A15755C0A964958260>. Retrieved on 2008-01-08
- ^ Halpern, Lisa (February 10, 2005), Fraser's Edge, Cornish College of the Arts, <http://www.cornish.edu/news/2005/05/frasers_edge.html>. Retrieved on 2007-12-27
- ^ Gods and Monsters Credits. Gods and Monsters Official site. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ Albemarle - Archive
- ^ Brendan Fraser and Wife to Divorce. The Insider (December 27, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ Mummy Star Brendan Fraser, Wife Split After Nine Years. US Magazine (December 27, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
- ^ BBC - Films - Brendan Fraser. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ filmaid.org Newsletter. FilmAid International (2006). Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
