Brendan Fraser

Brendan James Fraser (born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor. He played Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy, and is known for his comedy and fantasy film leading roles in films, such as Encino Man (1992), The Scout (1994), George of the Jungle (1997), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) and Inkheart (2009). He also starred in numerous dramatic roles, such as Gods and Monsters (1998), The Quiet American (2002), Crash (2004) and Gimme Shelter (2013).

Early life
Fraser was born December 3, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Canadian parents. His mother, Carol Mary (née Genereux), was a sales counselor, and his father, Peter, was a former journalist who worked as a Canadian foreign service officer for the Government Office of Tourism. His maternal uncle, George Genereux, was the only Canadian to win a gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Fraser has three older brothers: Kevin, Regan, and Sean. His surname is properly pronounced, not. The correct pronunciation of his surname is a running gag in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, in which his character's surname is pronounced. His ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, German, Czech, and French Canadian. His family moved often during his childhood, living in Eureka, California, Seattle, Ottawa, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Fraser attended the private boys' boarding school, 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. 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 to work in film productions.

Career
Fraser made a brief appearance in the reenactment of America's Most Wanted, as a friend of murder victim Rodney Mark Peterson. After his film debut Encino Man, he starred with Matt Damon and Chris O'Donnell in School Ties. In 1994, he played Steve Nebraska in The Scout and Montgomery "Monty" Kessler in With Honors. He went on to play supporting roles, such as Philip Ridley's The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) and The Twilight of the Golds (1997). He went on to appear in several comedy films, such as Blast from the Past (1999), Bedazzled (2000) and Monkeybone (2001). He also starred in two films based on Jay Ward creations, George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right, but did not reprise his role in the former's sequel.

He also starred in Gods and Monsters (1998), which was based on the life of James Whale (Ian McKellen) who directed Frankenstein. The film was written and directed by Bill Condon, and follows 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 adventure fantasy film, The Mummy (1999) and its sequel The Mummy Returns (2001), both of which were hugely successful at the box office. He lent his voice for the unreleased animated film Big Bug Man. 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, the first American-born actor to receive the honor. However, as of 2014, 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 also starred Jet Li as Emperor Han. His other releases in 2008 were the 3D film adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and the fantasy film Inkheart (chosen personally for the lead role by the novel's author Cornelia Funke). In 2010, he starred in Extraordinary Measures with Harrison Ford.

Fraser 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. In 2010, Fraser starred in a Broadway production of Elling, but the play closed after 9 performances due to lackluster reviews. After appearing in the critically panned Furry Vengeance in 2010, Fraser moved from being represented by William Morris Endeavor to the Creative Artists Agency. He starred in Whole Lotta Sole directed by Terry George and in 2011 was set to play William Tell in The Legend of William Tell: 3D, directed by Eric Brevig, with whom Fraser had also worked on Journey to the Center of the Earth. Filming was delayed and late in 2011, Fraser sued the producer Todd Moyer for promised wages. Moyer later countersued. Fraser dismissed the accusations as an attempt by Moyer to avoid paying his debts. The film is in development limbo. In 2016, Fraser replaced Ray Liotta in the upcoming Bollywood thriller, The Field.

Personal life
Fraser met actress Afton Smith while attending a barbecue at Winona Ryder's house on July 4, 1993, after arriving in Los Angeles. Fraser married Smith on September 27, 1998, and they have three sons: Griffin Arthur Fraser, born in 2002, Holden Fletcher Fraser, born in 2004, and Leland Francis Fraser, born in 2006. After their Beverly Hills home sold in April 2007 for $3 million, Fraser's publicist announced on December 27, 2007, that the couple had decided to divorce. In early 2013, Fraser petitioned the courts for a reduction of his alimony and child support payments, asserting that he was unable to meet the annual obligation of $900,000; his ex-wife, in turn, accused Fraser of hiding financial assets.

Fraser speaks fluent French, and serves on the board of directors for FilmAid International. He is an accomplished amateur photographer, and 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; 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.