Brendan Fraser
Canadian-American actor Brendan James Fraser is best known for his roles in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001). For the original film he earned four million dollars and for The Mummy Returns he earned over twelve million dollars, the maximum amount he’s made on any of his films to date. Fraser has also starred in 2001’s Bedazzled, with Elizabeth Hurley, and 1999’s Dudley Do-Right, with Sarah Jessica Parker.
Fraser is the son of a journalist and foreign service officer for the Canadian Government Office of Tourism, and as a result moved around often as a child. Even though he was born on December 3, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana, he has lived all over the world including in Detroit, Seattle, Ottawa, the , and .
While living in the at the age of seven, he dubbed himself “Brochure Brat” so that he could compare travel itineraries with the kids who were lucky enough, in his mind, to be called Army Brats.
Fraser studied at Toronto’s Upper Canada College and later received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts. He had plans to continue on in graduate school in Texas, but decided instead to move to Los Angeles and work in movies.
Although Fraser has some experience acting having made his first professional theatrical performance in London’s West End , he didn’t receive his first film role until 1991 when he played the role of a sailor in Dogfight, starring River Phoenix.
Since then he has appeared in more than thirty films alongside stars such as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O’Donnell, Viggo Mortensen, and Ashley Judd.
In 1997 Fraser landed his breakout title role in the family comedy George of the Jungle. He has also made guest appearances on the television shows King of the Hill, Scrubs, and The Simpsons.
In 1998 Fraser was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. On September 27 of the same year he married Afton Smith. The couple has three sons: Griffin Arthur, born September 17, 2002; Holden Fletcher, born August 16, 2004; and Leland Francis, born May 2, 2006.
In March of 2006 Fraser was granted a star on ’s Walk of Fame, becoming the first American-born actor to receive the honor; he holds dual citizenship in and the .
Fraser is ambidextrous, speaks French fluently, and is an aspiring photographer. His last name is properly pronounced FRAY-ZER, and is often incorrectly pronounced as Frasier, the way Kelsey Grammer’s television character pronounces his name.
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