Brendan Fraser – biography, photos, personal life, wife and children, height and weight 2021

Biography of Brendan Fraser

Brendan James Fraser is a Hollywood actor, star of the adventure trilogy “The Mummy,” the romantic melodrama “Blast from the Past,” and the thriller “The Quiet American.” Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics' Choice Film Award in the category "Best Cast" (for the drama "Crash").

Pictured: Brendan Fraser

After the release of the adventure comedy “George of the Jungle” in 1997, he became known as a sex symbol and for a long time drove millions of viewers crazy. In the early 2000s, he was considered one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and received $45 million for filming The Mummy.

Over the years, a dramatic change occurred in his appearance - he lost his athletic form, gaining weight beyond recognition. The road to the roles of heartthrobs and pumped-up machos turned out to be closed for him. After that, he began to appear on screen in the role of an exemplary family man and caring father.

Early years, childhood and family

Brendan James Fraser was born on December 3, 1968 in the large and vibrant Indianapolis (Indiana). The father of the future actor worked in the tourism industry. For this reason, our today's hero, his parents and three older brothers traveled constantly. For some time, Brendan's family even lived in other countries and other cities. So, in particular, at certain periods of their lives the Frasers lived in Switzerland, England, Holland, as well as in a wide variety of parts of the United States.

American actor Brendan Fraser began acting in films in England, which is why the acting career of our today's hero began not in his native Indianapolis or even in the USA, but in distant and mysterious London. English directors noticed him and offered him small roles in several productions. So, for twelve-year-old Brendan Fraser, a long road to the heights of show business and acting began.

After appearing in several theatrical productions, Brendan Fraser began to literally dream of creativity and acting. After returning to North America, his family settled in Canada, and therefore very soon our today's hero found himself in one of the theater schools in Toronto. Subsequently, the guy also learned the intricacies of his chosen profession at the Cornish College of Art in Seattle, America. Thus, before starting his professional career, Brendan Fraser managed to get a good education and accumulate the necessary knowledge, which greatly helped him on the set.

Childhood

The future actor was born on December 3, 1968 in the midwestern United States, in the city of Indianapolis, into a Canadian family. His mother, Carol Mary (before Generet's marriage) worked as a sales consultant. Father, Peter Fraser, was a foreign service officer with Tourism Canada.

Brendan Fraser as a child

Due to their father’s occupation, their family, where in addition to Brendan his three older brothers grew up, often moved from place to place. They had the opportunity to live in the USA (Detroit, Cincinnati, Seattle), Canada (Ottawa, Toronto), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Great Britain (London), Italy (Rome). So the youngest son has been accustomed to traveling a lot since childhood.

Left: Brendan Fraser's mother, right: the actor with his father

Like many Canadians, he grew up bilingual - he knew English and French equally well. His ancestry includes Scottish, Irish, Czech, German and French Canadian roots. The actor also has dual citizenship – Canada and the USA.

Brendan studied at the private Upper Canada College, the oldest private boarding school for boys in Toronto. Here the boy began studying in a theater group.

Brendan Fraser in his youth

At the age of 12, Brendan took part in a professional theater performance in London's West End. In particular, he was involved in the production of the play Waiting for Godot by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and in the play based on William Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. Many years later, in 2001, he repeated this experience and played in the West End hit adaptation of the Tennessee Williams drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, receiving many rave reviews.

After school, the young man, having decided from an early age to connect his fate with the changing path of acting, entered the theater department of the Cornwall College of the Arts in Seattle.

As a student, he replaced an ill actor from the Moscow Sovremennik Theater troupe, who came to Seattle on tour as part of the Goodwill Games, in the play “Three Sisters.” He recalled this incident, when feelings and talent overcame the language barrier, with pleasure in 2008 during a meeting with journalists in Moscow. He then flew to the Russian capital to personally present the last part of the trilogy, “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”

Biography

The famous actor was born in 1968 in Indiana.
His mother was a sales consultant, his father worked in the tourism industry. And since his father’s work did not allow him to stay in one place for a long time, the family often traveled and lived in various states and countries: California, Seattle, Washington, Ottawa, Ontario, the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc. Brendan was always considered a bright boy. He studied with interest the culture and characteristics of each country and state. As a result, he became an interesting and inquisitive child. Brendan has many ancestors from different countries. He is of Irish, Scottish, German, Czech and French Canadian descent, officials said.

First roles

In 1990, Brendan graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in performing arts and began acting at a college in New York.
He was planning to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, to pursue his next academic degree, a Master of Fine Arts in Acting. But on the way south, the young man stopped in Hollywood and decided to stay there. At the age of 22, the actor was lucky enough to make his debut on television in the crime drama “Guilty by Suspicion,” where he played the role of the bully Bobby, who was jailed on charges of murder. In the story, his father, played by Martin Sheen himself, tried to get him out of prison because he believed in his innocence.

Brendan Fraser in the movie "Guilty by Suspicion"

In 1992, with the release of the youth comedy “The Frozen Californian,” which gained cult status, the artist gained his first popularity. His brilliant performance as a caveman thawed out and brought to life in the present day earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award in the Most Promising Actor category.

Brendan Fraser in The Frozen Californian

The same year, in the film School Ties, he demonstrated his dramatic talent, playing the main role of a guy from a poor Jewish family who entered a prestigious college where people from wealthy families studied. Future Hollywood stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Chris O'Donnell worked with him on the same set.

Brenda Fraser in the drama "School Ties"

Heyday

In subsequent years, the actor starred in a number of films, including comedies (Younger and Younger, Airheads, With Honors), where he often played silly characters that the audience really liked. The actor gained worldwide fame in 1997 after the release of the comedy adaptation of the Tarzan story “George of the Jungle,” where he played a guy who grew up in the heart of the African jungle.

Brendan Fraser in the movie "George of the Jungle"

In 1998, he moved away from his usual role as a comedic performer and appeared in the dramatic role of former Marine Clay in the biopic Gods and Monsters about the last days of the life of film director James Whale. Proving that he is a versatile actor, Brendan received a Chlotrudis Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His partner on the set was British actor Ian McKellen, who embodied the image of director Whale and was nominated for an Oscar for this role.

Brendan Fraser and Ian McKellen

A year later, Fraser starred in one of the best films in his filmography called “Blast from the Past,” where he played the role of a young man who was born and lived for 35 years in an underground shelter, because his parents were sure that a nuclear apocalypse had happened on earth.

Still from the film “Blast from the Past”

The key role in Brendan Fraser's career is the brave treasure hunter Rick O'Connell in the blockbuster "The Mummy" (1999), which grossed $416 million. His co-stars were Rachel Weisz and Arnold Vosloo.

Brendan Fraser in the movie "The Mummy"

According to the actor, a fantastic story cannot be told with a serious face. Therefore, he liked that his hero was not only capable of feats, but also constantly made the audience laugh. "Mummy". Excerpt While working on the film, Brendan often recalled the Indiana Jones films, which he always considered classics of the adventure genre. He tried to give Rick the features of a legendary treasure hunter. And in principle, Fraser is a big fan of Harrison Ford. The actor often recalled how he presented Ford with an award: In 2001, the sequel to The Mummy Returns was released, breaking the box office record of the first part, collecting $433 million; in 2008, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where he again played the role of the fearless Rick , forced to engage in battle with a mummy that has come to life and wants to rule the world, fight monsters and a witch, and fight with swords. The box office of the third part of the film reached $401 million.

Still from the film “The Mummy-3”

According to the actor, during filming, which reminded him of a struggle for survival, he almost always worked without understudies, and rarely went without injuries. To relieve the pain and continue working, he had to tape ice packs to his body with duct tape. And during the scene of the hanging of his hero, the actor was almost hanged for real. Fortunately, his filming partners managed to revive him.

Shortly after the release of the sequel to The Mummy, Brendan appeared in the first three seasons of the television series Scrubs, played one of the main roles in the comedy melodrama Dudley the Fair (which failed at the box office), and in the fantasy comedy Blinded by Desires (which grossed $90 million against a budget $48 million), as well as in the war film “The Quiet American,” a film adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel of the same name, where his partner was the English actor and writer Michael Caine.

Brendan Fraser in his youth

In 2004, the artist appeared in the box office hit film Clash (which received three Oscars and two BAFTA awards). And in 2008, he played the central character, Professor Anderson, in the film adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel of the same name “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” The film earned 241 million against a budget of 60 million and told the story of a journey into an amazing underground world inhabited by strange animals.

Brenda Fraser in the movie "Crash"

In the same year, in the fantasy Inkheart, based on the book by German writer Cornelia Funke, he played the key role of Folhart, who had the gift of transporting book characters read aloud into the real world. The film's ensemble cast included Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, and Andy Serkis.

Still from the film “Inkheart”

From Encino Man to the baby's return?

Tags: Brendan Fraserafton Smith

Producer Harassment

In 2021, during the heyday of the #MeeToo campaign, Brendan Fraser admitted to experiencing harassment 15 years ago.
Respectable producer Philip Burke, head of the organization that awards the Golden Globes, grabbed Brendan while staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills. Seeing the producer, Brendan extended his hand in greeting, and in response: The actor told only his wife about what had happened, fearing that the scandal would put an end to his career. According to him, this incident left psychological trauma, made Brendan withdrawn, and in addition, he was no longer invited to the Golden Globes ceremony.

Pictured: Philip Burke

When Brendan poured out his soul, many fans took his words with skepticism, because Brendan was 34 years old at that time, he had just starred in “The Mummy” and was at the peak of his physical condition, and Burke was almost 50. The producer himself, having learned about the accusations, completely denied the information.

Recession

In 2007, the actor went through a painful divorce, then developed problems with his spine and, to top off a series of misfortunes, buried his mother. My career didn’t work out either. After the release of the comedy “Revenge of the Furries” in 2010, which was subjected to severe criticism, the actor took a time out. But in 2013 he was involved in five film projects at once. In particular, he voiced the role of astronaut Supernova in the animated film Escape from Planet Earth, and together with Paul Walker and Matt Dillon he played in the black comedy The Pawn Shop Chronicles, playing an Elvis Presley lookalike.

Still from the film “Revenge of the Furries”

During a downturn in his big screen career, the actor decided to try his luck on television. So, in 2015 he played Texas Ranger Anderson in the mini-series Texas Rising, and in 2016-2017 he appeared in a small but noticeable role in the major drama series The Lovers.

Brendan Fraser in the series Texas Rising

A year later, Brendan’s fans have already met three TV projects with his participation: “Trust”, where he was entrusted with one of the main roles of security chief Chase, “Titans” and “Condor”. And in 2021, he returned to his role as Robotman Cliff Steele in the series Doom Patrol, a spin-off of Titans.

Due to problems with his wife, which you can read about below in the “Personal Life” section, health problems and the fallout from the incident with Burke, Brendan lost his athletic form. Viewers who did not follow his career in TV series and last saw him on the big screen in the early 2010s were amazed: the actor had changed a lot and gained weight.

Brendan Fraser in his youth and now

Users of social networks, fans of the artist, decided to support him and created the subreddit SAVEBRENDAN (“Save Brendan”), where they published his photographs and called on directors to give him a good role. And, after a long lull, in 2021 the actor finally got a role in a big movie: he played Dr. Mitchell in the American-Italian thriller with John Travolta and Morgan Freeman called “The Poisonous Rose.”

Brendan Fraser on the set of "The Poison Rose"

Divorce from spouse

He met his ex-wife Brenda many years ago, and in 1998 they got married. The artist's chosen one was actress Afton Smith. The marriage produced three boys. In 2007, they surprised everyone when they announced their divorce. Their luxurious home was sold for three million dollars. This was a big blow for the artist. It even went as far as treatment for depression.

At the beginning of 2013, the world again remembered this couple. Brendan Fraser had to petition the court to reduce the amount of child support obligations. He could not pay his wife 900 thousand dollars a year, as before.

Personal life of Brendan Fraser

For nine years, the actor was married to the little-known actress Afton Smith, whom he met in 1993 at one of Winona Ryder's parties and was surprised to learn that she and Afton were born on the same day. True, the girl was a year older than him. Five years later they got married.

Brendan Fraser with his ex-wife

The couple had three sons - Griffin in 2002, Holden in 2004 and Leland in 2006.

Brendan Fraser with his sons

In 2007, the couple announced their divorce. According to the court's decision, the actor, who was hardly acting at that time, was obliged to pay his ex-wife $900 thousand a year for the children. Taking into account that he earned about 200 thousand dollars a month, he had to give more than a third of his income to his wife, and a fairly large amount was consumed by other expenses: mortgage, income tax, real estate tax and, in a separate column, “gardening expenses.” He had about $90 a month to live on, which was difficult for an actor whose net worth was once $45 million.

Brendan Fraser and Afton Smith

In parallel with problems in his personal life, Brendan faced health problems: after filming Mummies, he needed a laminectomy, a complex operation on the spine. But trouble does not come alone. For about seven years, the actor, in his own words, went from one hospital to another: he had surgery on his vocal cords, had part of his knee joint replaced with a prosthesis, and was treated for a long time for a compression fracture of the spine. The most recent spinal surgery was required after a tree fell on Frazier during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. For a time, Brendan used a wheelchair, and because insurance companies increased the cost of his insurance and prohibited him from performing his own stunts in films, he began to wonder if he could even make a living as an actor.

In 2013, he went to court with a request to reduce alimony, but to no avail.

Despite his problematic relationship with his wife, Brendan is a wonderful father. He loves his sons very much, often spends time with them in his country house, where, by the way, he lives a horse, which he did not want to part with and bought after filming the series “Texas Rising”, to a large extent - for his eldest son, who suffers from autism.

The actor and his horse, which he bought for his son

The actor is not in a relationship. During the filming of The Mummy 3, he was credited with having an affair with his new partner Maria Bello, but he denied it.

What happened to Brendan Fraser?

After Brendan Fraser played the main role in the Mummy trilogy, he gained worldwide fame.

Fraser first appeared in the film Stupid Bet, followed by his first starring role in the comedy The Frozen Californian, where he plays a frozen Neanderthal.

His first big box office success came with George of the Jungle.

Then there's The Mummy, which grossed a whopping $416 million worldwide and led to two sequels: The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Unfortunately, not all of Fraser's films performed well, such as Dudley the Fair, Blast from the Past, Bedazzled, and Monkeybone.

Fraser has established himself as a talented dramatic actor, as well as an action and comedy star, having played in such popular films as Gods and Monsters and Crash.

The physical demands of his action roles resulted in injuries that forced Fraser to undergo a number of different surgical procedures, including a partial knee replacement.

Fraser has three sons with actress Afton Smith, whom he met at a barbecue at Winona Ryder's house in 1993 and married in 1998.

The couple divorced in 2007. Today, most of Fraser's income is spent on alimony payments, leaving the once popular action hero in financial difficulties.

With son

In 2021, Fraser alleged that he was sexually assaulted in 2003 by Philip Burke, president of the Foreign Press Association in Hollywood. According to the actor, a man touched his buttocks at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

His left hand reached towards me and he grabbed my butt. Then he just started pawing me. I felt bad. I was like a little child. I felt a lump in my throat and thought I was going to cry.

Burke defended himself by saying it was only a joke and he "innocently pinched Brendan."

Fraser admitted that the incident, in addition to his divorce and health problems, led to him becoming depressed and also caused the collapse of his career.

So what happened to Brendan Fraser?

— The actor’s wife left him and asked for 900 thousand dollars a year.

“He suffered sexual harassment, which, according to Fraser himself, drove him into deep depression.

“He said that the stunts for the third “Mummy” undermined his health and destroyed his body; for seven years he constantly went to the hospital and even had surgery to restore his vocal cords.

“Apparently, he blamed himself for all this, which increased his depression.

Brandon Fraser has literally been through hell over the last decade.

Fraser's sad interview, which prompted fans to start a Change.org petition called "Bring Brendan Fraser Back to Film."

The actor experienced the loss of his dearly beloved mother. She died of cancer.

works
for 2019-2020
TV series "Trust", "Doom Patrol" and "The Professionals"

Film "Poisonous Rose"

Updated 31/01/21 13:45

Brendan Fraser now

Things have been looking up for the actor lately. In 2021, with the participation of the actor, an ambitious drama about reincarnation, “Behind the Scenes of the Night,” was released, based on the book by the Czech writer and director Dalibor Stach. He noted in an interview that he was amazed at Brendan’s level of skill and intends to continue cooperation.

At the end of the 2010s, Brendan Fraser returned to the screens

In addition, Fraser received a role in the superhero comedy series Doom Patrol, although his hero, a former race car driver resurrected by a brilliant scientist in a metal body, wears an iron mask. Cliff Steele migrated here from the series “Titans”, where he had a cameo role.

Brendan Fraser plays Roboman in Doom Patrol

In October 2021, Internet users were attracted by a message about the autopsy in Egypt of a sarcophagus with a mummy found in the Saqqara necropolis in Giza. Many of them, based on the experience of the heroes of the sensational blockbuster “The Mummy,” believed that the discovery of an ancient burial would not lead to anything good, and jokingly called on Fraser to prepare for a new job to save the world.

In 2021, Steven Soderbergh's crime thriller "No Sudden Movements" is expected to be released with the participation of Fraser, Matt Damon, David Harbour, Benicio del Toro. In addition, Brendan will appear in the series “The Professionals” with Tom Welling, a remake of the American-Russian action film “Tropic Soldiers.” He will play the role of billionaire futurist Peter Swann.