Brendan James Fraser (born December 3, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a American-Canadian actor.
His Gods and Monsters co-star Ian McKellen once remarked that he wished to one day be as good an actor as Fraser. However, Fraser established his career starring in blockbuster films, sometimes seeming to prefer them over "serious" pictures.
Fraser experienced breakthrough success through his inaugural leading role in Encino Man and went on to star in various comedies (George of the Jungle, Dudley Do-Right, Blast from the Past, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Airheads, Furry Vengeance), additionally solidifying his profile as a star in the action genre (The Mummy Trilogy, Journey to the Center of the Earth). He also appeared in some lesser-known and more serious films such as Gods and Monsters, The Air I Breathe, The Quiet American, and School Ties.
Between the two extremes lie films like Inkheart and Monkeybone, and his role as Ben Sullivan on Scrubs. He also voices Robotman (and plays his pre-Cyborg self) in the DC Universe series Doom Patrol and was quickly adopted by DP fans as THE voice of Cliff. He has additionally dabbled in theater a few times, including an acclaimed turn as Brick in a West End production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2001.
Fraser's career slowed in the early 2000s
due to a combination of chronic injuries from performing his own stunts (necessitating extensive surgery and physical rehabilitation), emotional trauma stemming from a sexual assault and industry backlash after he spoke out against his assaulternote , a divorce, the death of his mother, and depression resulting from these factors collectively.
Around the late 2010s, Fraser resumed work taking on supporting roles in smaller films and television productions. The public reaction was one of shock and pleasure; he'd faded away so quietly, many hadn't noticed he'd withdrawn from the entertainment industry, and now that he was back, audiences realized how much of a hole he'd left and were delighted that he was rebuilding his career. This led to him getting meatier roles in high-profile projects, like Darren Aronofsky's The Whale and Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Fans affectionately dubbed this new phase of his career "the Brenaissance". To put a cherry on top of everything, he eventually won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''The Whale".
His surname is pronounced with an "S" sound (rhyming with "razor"), not like Frasier, as he explained in a Comedy Central bumper ("If you say 'Frasier', I know where you live"). He speaks French fluently (as you can see in Blast from the Past), and is an avid photographer and camera collector outside of acting; the cameras he used as Ben on Scrubs were from his personal collection.
Other roles
- Dogfight as a sailor
- Twenty Bucks as Sam Mastrewski
- The Scout as Steve Nebraska
- Bedazzled (2000) as Elliot Richards
- Crash as Rick Cabot
- George of the Jungle as George
- Texas Rising as Billy Anderson
- The Affair as John Gunther
- Trust as Fletcher Chace
- No Sudden Move as Doug Jones (no, not that one)
