Brendan Fraser
| Brendan Fraser | |
|---|---|
 Brendan Fraser in April 2007 |
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| Born | Brendan Fraser December 3, 1968 , U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | Afton Smith (1998–2007) |
Brendan James Fraser[1] (born December 3, 1968) is a Canadian-American[2][3] actor of stage and screen. He has starred in many major Hollywood films, including The Mummy film series, Crash, Dudley Do-Right, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Encino Man.
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Early life
Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Canadian parents Carol, a sales counselor, and Peter Fraser, a former journalist who worked as a Canadian foreign service officer for the Government Office of Tourism.[2][4][5] His maternal uncle, George Genereux, was the only Canadian to win a gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics.[6] Fraser has three older brothers: Kevin, Regan, and Sean.[7] His ancestry includes Irish, Scottish, German, Czech, and French Canadian.[7] His surname is properly pronounced "Fra-zer".[8] The correct pronunciation of his surname is a running gag in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, in which he has a cameo.
His family moved often during his childhood, living in Eureka, California, Seattle, Ottawa, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Fraser attended the private boys' boarding school,[9] Upper Canada College, in Toronto. While on vacation in London, Fraser attended his first professional theatrical performance at the West End. He graduated from Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts in 1990.[4][10] 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.
Career
Fraser's first film role was a brief cameo in an America's Most Wanted Reenactment (1988) he played friend to Rodney Mark Peterson, who was murdered. He has since appeared in over 30 films. He had his first lead role in Encino Man (1992). That same year, he starred opposite Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O'Donnell in School Ties. In 1994, he co-starred alongside Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler in the comedy Airheads along with playing Steve Nebraska in the movie The Scout. He went on to 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). He got his breakthrough role with the hit comedy film George of the Jungle (1997). He went on to 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),[11] 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 heterosexual gardener and a homosexual, 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 2008, 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 the movie also starred Jet Li as Emperor Han. The last Mummy film grossed over $102 million in the USA and over $400 million worldwide. Fraser has been rumored to be cast in the role of Win Butler in an upcoming film about Butler's band, Arcade Fire.
Fraser also 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.[12]
Personal life
Fraser met actress Afton Smith while attending a barbecue at Winona Ryder's house on July 4, 1993, after his arrival in Los Angeles.[4] Fraser married Smith on September 27, 1998, and they have three sons: Griffin Arthur Fraser,[1] born September 17, 2002, Holden Fletcher Fraser, born August 16, 2004, and Leland Francis Fraser, born May 2, 2006. On December 27, 2007, Fraser's publicist announced the couple had decided to divorce.[13][14]
He is fluent in French.[15] Fraser also serves on the Board of Directors for FilmAid International.[16]
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
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Dogfight | Sailor #1 | as Brendon Fraser | |
| 1992 | Encino Man | Link | ||
| School Ties | David Greene | |||
| 1993 | Twenty Bucks | Sam Mastrewski | ||
| Son in Law | Link | uncredited | ||
| Younger and Younger | Winston Younger | |||
| 1994 | With Honors | Montgomery 'Monty' Kessler | ||
| Airheads | Chester 'Chazz' Darvey | |||
| In the Army Now | Link | uncredited | ||
| The Scout | Steve Nebraska | |||
| 1995 | The Passion of Darkly Noon | Darkly Noon | ||
| Now and Then | Vietnam veteran | uncredited | ||
| 1996 | Brain Candy | Placebo patient | Cameo – uncredited | |
| Mrs. Winterbourne | Bill/Hugh Winterbourne | |||
| Glory Daze | Doug | |||
| 1997 | George of the Jungle | George of the Jungle | ||
| The Twilight of the Golds | David Gold | |||
| Still Breathing | Fletcher McBracken | |||
| 1998 | Gods and Monsters | Clayton Boone | Nominated - Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1999 | Blast from the Past | Adam Webber | ||
| The Mummy | Richard 'Rick' O'Connell | |||
| Dudley Do-Right | Dudley Do-Right | |||
| 2000 | Bedazzled | Elliot Richards / Jefe / Mary | ||
| Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists | Sinbad | voice | ||
| 2001 | Monkeybone | Stu Miley | ||
| The Mummy Returns | Richard 'Rick' O'Connell | |||
| 2002 | The Quiet American | Alden Pyle | ||
| 2003 | Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star | Himself | uncredited | |
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action | DJ Drake / Himself / Voice of Tasmanian Devil and She-Devil |
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| 2004 | Crash | Rick Cabot | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Black Reel Awards – Best Ensemble |
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| 2005 | Beach Bunny | Beach bum | voice | |
| 2006 | Journey to the End of the Night | Paul | ||
| The Last Time | Jamie | |||
| 2007 | The Air I Breathe | Pleasure | ||
| 2008 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | Prof. Trevor Anderson | ||
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Richard 'Rick' O'Connell | |||
| 2009 | Inkheart | Mortimer Folchart | ||
| G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Sgt. Stone | Cameo | ||
| 2010 | Extraordinary Measures[17][18] | John Crowley | ||
| Furry Vengeance | Dan Sanders |
Audio book narration
- Dragon Rider (2004)
- Inkspell (2005)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Brendan Fraser's Looney Adventure". CBS. November 13, 2003. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/12/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main583274.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "2006 Inductees – Brendan Fraser". Canada's Walk of Fame. 2006. http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/brendan-fraser. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ Beale, Lewis (November 1, 1998). "In The Know Brendan Up To Buff In 'Gods And Monsters'". NY Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1998/11/01/1998-11-01_in_the_know_brendan_up_to_bu.html. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lynch, Lorrie (October 26, 2003). In tune with himself. USA Weekend. http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/031026/031026brendan_fraser.html. Retrieved 2007-12-27
- ↑ "Brendan Fraser Biography (1968–)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/22/Brendan-Fraser.html. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ↑ "Daily Highlights – January 10 – Brendan Fraser Interview". Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/clips/brendan-fraser-interview-12210/1196094/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rota, Kara (2010-01-22). "Brendan Fraser on playing the real John Crowley in 'Extraordinary Measures'". Irish Central. http://www.irishcentral.com/IrishAmerica/Brendan-Fraser-on-playing-the-real-John-Crowley-82105462.html. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ↑ Dougherty, Margot. "Brendan Fraser Comes Up For Air". LA Mag. http://www.lamag.com/article.aspx?id=8966. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ↑ 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 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 2007-12-27
- ↑ "Gods and Monsters Credits". Gods and Monsters Official site. http://www.godsandmonsters.net/credits.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ "Albemarle – Archive". Albemarle-london.com. http://www.albemarle-london.com/Archive/ArchiveShow.php?Show_Name=Cat%20on%20a%20Hot%20Tin%20Roof. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ↑ "Brendan Fraser and Wife to Divorce". The Insider. December 27, 2007. http://www.theinsideronline.com/news/2007/12/14896/index.html. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ "Mummy Star Brendan Fraser, Wife Split After Nine Years". US Magazine. December 27, 2007. http://www.usmagazine.com/brendan_fraser_wife_split_after_nine_years. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ↑ "BBC – Films – Brendan Fraser". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/01/30/brendan_fraser_looney_tunes_interview.shtml. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ↑ "filmaid.org Newsletter". FilmAid International. 2006. http://filmaid.org/gala.newsletter.html. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ↑ "Extraordinary Measures". IMDb.com, Inc.. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1244659/. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ↑ "News and Culture: Brenden Fraser’s Untitled Crowley Project Now Has (Another) Terrible Title". Willamette Week. September 24, 2009. http://blogs.wweek.com/news/author/amesh/. Retrieved 2009-09-29.