The Story Behind Brendan Fraser’s Comeback as “The Mummy” Star Returns to Hollywood Totally Transformed

Known for his versatility, good looks, and charm, Brendan Fraser has left a mark on everyone’s hearts. We remember him from his amazing performances in The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and so many more movies. He did disappear once during his career, but now he is back on the big screen and it’s got us excited all over again.

That being said, 5-Minute Crafts wishes to celebrate this excitement by sharing his acting career with you.

Early life and family

Brendan Fraser was born in Indiana to Canadian parents named Carol Mary and Peter Fraser. He is the youngest of 4 siblings. His father worked as a Canadian foreign service officer for the Canadian Government Office of Tourism and his mother was a sales counselor. He has Scottish, Irish, Czech, German, and French Canadian roots and also holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.

Filmography

During his childhood, Fraser’s family moved to different cities, but when they were on a vacation in London, he visited a professional theater for the first time, and the experience got him hooked on acting. Fraser graduated from Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts in the ’90s before moving to Hollywood. In 1991, his debut was in a movie called Dogfight, in which he acted as a sailor going to Vietnam.

Then, in 1992, he got his first leading role in a comedic flick called Encino Man where he portrayed a frozen pre-historic caveman who was thawed from a block of ice. In the same year, he starred in School Ties with Matt Damon and Chris O’Donnell. He also worked in not-so-well-known movies, like The Scout, With Honors, Airheads, The Passion of the Darkly Noon, and The Twilight of the Golds.

He did his own stunts in George of the Jungle.

It wasn’t until 1997 that he had his major box office success in the comedy, George of the Jungle, where he played Tarzan. The actor went through a rigorous workout and diet to prepare for the role and be able to swing on the vines. In Fraser’s words: “I was like a walking steak.” He was on a rigid high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet and worked out an hour a day with weights.

He also did all the stunts in the movie himself. He was hoisted on a crane 60 feet in the air and had to swing down at the speed of 30 mph at a 300-ft swoop. Eventually, he got injured.

Some significant performances made him a big star in Hollywood.

In 1998, he starred in a movie called Gods and Monsters alongside Ian McKellen and received critical acclaim for his performance. The movie was shot in 24 days. McKellen is Fraser’s childhood icon. He used to watch Acting Shakespeare videotapes back in his younger years and is still stunned and honored that he got to work with him.

In 1999, he received his biggest break in an adventure movie called The Mummy where he played Rick O’Connell. And, of course, he reprised the role in the sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001), as well.

He kept getting better with time and then starred in an Oscar-winning movie.

Before The Mummy Returns, he acted in a handful of movies, like Dudley Do-Right and Blast From the Past. In the latter, Fraser had admirable comedic timing and great dance moves that brought the character up nicely. After this, Fraser’s performances on the big screen kept getting better with time.

After this, he starred opposite Michael Caine in a movie called The Quiet American, and then he introduced himself to the world of live-action and animation in a movie called Looney Tunes: Back in Action. After that, he starred in a movie called Crash, which won 3 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

He had cameos in many TV shows and starred in a movie based on a young adult book series called Inkheart.

He made guest appearances on many shows, like King of the Hill, Scrubs, and The Simpsons. Later, he starred in a 3D movie called Journey to the Center of the Earth and a fantasy movie known as Inkheart.

The movie Inkheart is based on a book series by Cornelia Funke, which features a father-daughter duo. The father (Fraser) has a magic skill where he reads books out loud and brings the words to life. His performance in the movie is simply unforgettable, as it brings out his character’s maturity and makes watching the story a relatable and enchanting experience.

He also starred in a Bollywood movie and continued working on various TV shows.

In 2019, Fraser made an appearance in a Bollywood thriller, Line of Descent. He then continued starring in TV shows, like The Affair, where he played a guard named John Gunther. He also played a Getty family fixer in the FX series known as Trust, and he now has secured a place in DC’s TV series, Doom Patrol, in which he portrays Clifford “Cliff” Steele, also known as Robotman.

For a more recent project, he underwent a huge transformation, and his future moves are highly anticipated.

More recently, he played a 600-pound man in a movie called The Whale where he plays a man living with severe obesity striving to connect with his estranged teenage daughter. He also wore prosthetics to make his character more convincing.

In 2022, he’ll also play the role of Firefly in the movie, Batgirl, and will also star in Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon in the year 2023.

His personal life hasn’t been a smooth ride.

In his personal life, Brendan Fraser met an actress named Afton Smith at Winona Ryder’s house back in 1993. 5 years later, the couple got married and had 3 sons, Griffin Arthur Fraser, Holden Fletcher Fraser, and Leland Francis Fraser. In 2007, they got a divorce but continue to maintain a close and caring friendship.

Fraser is back to the big screen after being through a lot, scoring his first leading role in nearly a decade.

The actor has been through multiple injuries from the stunts he performed in the past, a painful divorce, and an unpleasant event in 2003 that involved a conflict with an influential person, which is why he disappeared from the Hollywood limelight and his career declined as a result. As The Whale will mark his first leading role in nearly a decade, Fraser is back to shining his light and charm on the big screen.