| Brendan Fraser | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||
| Born | December 3 1968 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
|||||
| Years active | 1991—present | |||||
| Spouse(s) | Afton Smith (married 1998, separated 2007) | |||||
| Official site | http://www.brendanfraser.com | |||||
|
||||||
Brendan James Fraser[1] (born December 3, 1968) is a Canadian film and stage actor. He is known for having starred in several major Hollywood films, including The Mummy film series, The Quiet American, and Crash.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana,[1] the son of Canadian-American parents. His father was a former journalist who worked as a foreign service officer[2] for the Canadian Government Office of Tourism[3] and his great-grandfather was a Royal Canadian Mountie.[4] He has three older brothers; Kevin, Regan, and Sean. His family moved often as a child, living in Eureka, California, Seattle, Ottawa, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Fraser attended the private boys school, Upper Canada College in Toronto. Fraser attended his first professional theatrical performance in London's West End. He graduated from Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts in 1990.[3][5] 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. Once during a Comedy Central promo, Fraser joked about the pronunciation of his last name by saying, "Hi, I'm Brendan Fraser and you're watching Comedy Central. That's 'Fray-zer', not 'Frasier'. If you say, 'Frasier,' I know where you live".
Career
Fraser's first film role was a brief cameo in Nancy Savoca's Dogfight (1991) and 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 also played supporting roles such as 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's George of the Jungle he played a fish out of water character similar to his role in Encino Man. After this he often played many fish out of water characters in films such as Blast from the Past (1999) and Monkeybone (2001). Brendan also starred in Gods and Monsters (1998),[6] a film where he displayed his ability to perform in dramatic roles along with Ian McKellen. The film was based on the life of the filmmaker James Whale (McKellen) - who made 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. He demonstrated his ability to play an action hero role in the action adventure horror film The Mummy (1999) where he played adventurer Richard "Rick" O'Connell who was modeled on Indiana Jones. He reprised the role in the sequel The Mummy Returns (2001). Both films were huge box office hits. In 2000 he starred in the comedy film Bedazzled, a remake of the 1967 film of the same name. 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 2008 and is titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Filming starts in Montreal on July 27th 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 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.[7]
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.[8][9] He is fluent in French. Fraser also serves on the Board of Directors for FilmAid International. 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.
Filmography
Audio book narration
- Dragon Rider (2004)
- Inkspell (2005)
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
- ^ http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=7a6d2663-76cf-442f-bebc-125900691dd2
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.albemarle-london.com/Archive/ArchiveShow.php?Show_Name=Cat%20on%20a%20Hot%20Tin%20Roof
- ^ 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.
