Biography of Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser is a Hollywood actor best known for starring in the adventure trilogy "The Mummy," the romantic comedy "Blast from the Past," and the thriller "The Quiet American." He's also won Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Film Awards for "Best Cast" in the drama "Crash."
Over the years, his life changed dramatically and those alpha-male heartthrob roles dried up. Instead, he started appearing mostly as devoted family men and caring fathers.
Childhood
Brendan James Fraser was born on December 3, 1968 in Indianapolis. His parents are Canadians. His mother, Carol Mary, worked as a sales consultant. His father, Peter Fraser, worked for the Canadian State Tourism Administration's diplomatic service. Brendan also has three older brothers.

Brendan attended Upper Canada College, Toronto's oldest private boarding school for boys. There, he joined the theater program.
At 12, Brendan appeared in professional theater productions in London's West End. He performed in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Years later in 2001, he returned to the West End in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," earning rave reviews.

First roles
In 1990, Brendan graduated from college with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. He was going to study acting further, but ended up in Los Angeles and decided to stay there. At 22, Fraser made his acting debut in the crime drama "Guilty Until Proven Innocent," playing Bobby, a bully imprisoned on murder charges. In the story, his father (played by Martin Sheen) believes in Bobby's innocence and fights to free him from prison.


The heyday of the career
Over the next few years, the actor appeared in numerous comedies ("Younger and Younger", "Empty-headed", "With Honors"), where he often played goofy characters that really connected with audiences.


Incidentally, Fraser is a massive fan of Harrison Ford. The actor often recalled how he presented Ford with the award:
The 2001 sequel "The Mummy Returns" shattered the original's box office record, pulling in $433 million. 2008 brought "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." Fraser returned as the fearless Rick, this time battling a resurrected mummy bent on world domination. The adventure pitted him against monsters, a sorceress, and sword-wielding enemies. The third installment earned $401 million worldwide.I was asked to the Spike TV Awards Ceremony and it was my obligation and duty and pleasure to present Harrison with the Brass Balls Award. I later asked him what he did with the Brass Balls. He told me he sold it for scrap metal. That's when we first met. After that, it was reading scenes together over coffee or a drink or something like that. I don't know.
The actor revealed that filming felt like a real survival struggle - he did almost all his own stunts and rarely went a day without getting hurt. To manage the pain and keep working, he'd duct-tape ice packs to his body. During his character's hanging scene, the actor nearly died for real. Thankfully, the crew managed to revive him.


Victim of harassment
In 2018, at the height of the #MeToo movement, Brendan Fraser revealed he'd been sexually assaulted 15 years earlier. Philip Berk, the powerful head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (which presents the Golden Globes), assaulted Brendan at a Beverly Hills hotel.When Brendan extended his hand for a handshake, Berk responded by:
Fraser only told his wife about the assault, afraid that speaking out would destroy his career. He says the incident left him psychologically scarred and withdrawn, and he was subsequently blacklisted from Golden Globes events.His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry.
When Fraser went public with his story, many fans reacted skeptically - after all, he was 34, fresh off "The Mummy," and in peak physical condition, while Berk was nearly 50. Berk denied all allegations when confronted with the accusations.
Decline
In 2009, the actor went through a painful divorce; soon after, he developed serious back problems and lost his mother to cancer. After the 2010 comedy "Furry Vengeance" was savaged by critics, the actor stepped away from Hollywood.
As his film career stalled, the actor turned to television. He landed the role of Texas Ranger Anderson in 2015's mini-series "Texas Rising," then scored a small but memorable part in the acclaimed drama "The Affair" from 2016-2017.



Revival
Fraser's fortunes have been turning around. He joined the superhero comedy series "Doom Patrol" as a former race car driver brought back to life in a metal body by a mad scientist – though his character hides behind an iron mask. Cliff Steele migrated here from the TV series "Titans".Personal life of Brendan Fraser
For nine years, the actor was married to an obscure actress, Afton Smith. They first met in 1993 at one of Winona Ryder's parties. Brendan was amazed to discover they shared the same birthday (though she was a year older). Five years later, they tied the knot.

His final spinal surgery came after a tree crashed down on him during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. For months, Brendan was confined to a wheelchair, and with insurance companies hiking his premiums and banning him from doing his own stunts, he wondered if he could even make a living as an actor. In 2013, he petitioned the court to reduce his alimony payments, but was denied.What I've been through... you can't prepare for this, you can only personally go through it. But such things harden, form character.
Despite his rocky relationship with his ex-wife, Brendan remains a devoted father. He adores his sons and frequently retreats with them to his country house. By the way, the actor keeps a horse there. He couldn't bear to part with it and bought the horse after filming the TV series "Texas Rising." The main reason, of course, was his son who has autism.
The actor remains single. During Mummy 3 filming, he was accused of having an affair with co-star Maria Bello, but he denied it.
Brendan Fraser now
In September 2022, audiences at the Venice Film Festival gave a standing ovation to Darren Aronofsky's film "The Whale", starring Brendan Fraser in the lead role. The plot focuses on a man named Charlie, who abandoned his family for a lover many years ago. Now weighing nearly 600 pounds, he tries to reconnect with his daughter (Sadie Sink).
Fraser won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie in "The Whale." In his acceptance speech, he thanked his sons and director Aronofsky for "throwing him a creative lifeline."