Few actors have experienced the inspirational career resurgence that Brendan Fraser has. A former action star who first broke into the industry in the early 1990s, Fraser’s career began to wane by the late 2000s, resulting in a near-decade break from mainstream entertainment. By the end of the 2010s, however, Fraser managed to make his successful return to the forefront of pop culture, landing roles in more well-known movies and TV series like Doom Patrol, No Sudden Move, Killers of the Flower Moon, and The Whale, among others.
A versatile performer able to alternate between comedy, action, drama, and suspense, Fraser has also won renown for his likable personality and sympathetic life story. Having overcome tremendous personal and professional obstacles over the course of his lifetime, Fraser’s favorable reputation among mainstream audiences speaks for itself, along with the actor’s recent accolades like the Academy Award for Best Actor.
A light-hearted adventure film based on the 1960s Saturday morning cartoon of the same name, one can also describe George of the Jungle as a comedic spoof of Tarzan, right down to its rugged, mountainous settings and the presence of its loincloth-clad lead character. One of the earliest starring roles for Fraser, George of the Jungle delivers a nonstop supply of humorous moments, appealing to viewers of every prospective age group.
One of Fraser’s earliest breakthrough roles came with the 1992 period film, School Ties. Appearing opposite fellow fledgling talents like Matt Damon and Chris O’Donnell, Fraser showed himself able to handle more dramatic roles with his largely underrated portrayal here. Exploring the more problematic aspects of 1950s American culture, School Ties handles its main thematic issues with delicate sensitivity, from its depiction of differing social classes to its adept depiction of historical antisemitism.
Gods and Monsters may not be Fraser’s most universally recognized role, but it once again proved his far-ranging adaptability as an actor. Two years after he solidified his place as a bankable comedy star with George of the Jungle, Fraser hands in an otherwise remarkable dramatic portrayal opposite the acting heavyweight, Ian McKellen. A humanistic portrait of the man who created one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, Gods and Monsters leaves viewers a newfound appreciation for director James Whale, as well as the proficient acting skills Fraser possessed by the close of the 1990s.
As with his performance opposite Ian McKellen in Gods and Monsters, 2002’s The Quiet American saw Fraser holding his own against another silver screen in Michael Caine. An engrossing adaptation of Graham Greene’s cherished political novel, The Quiet American explores American involvement in Vietnam from the early 1950s onwards – roughly a decade before the infamous war that tore the nation in two. Occupying a more ambiguous role that blurred the lines between hero and villain, Fraser’s performance in The Quiet American continues to illustrate his profound range as a performer, able to appear mild-mannered and meek one moment and intensely relentless in the next.
Almost certainly Fraser’s most universally recognized film, 1999’s The Mummy acts as a swashbuckling remake of Universal’s 1932 horror film of the same name. Merging milder scares with a buoyant sense of adventure, The Mummy delighted audiences in the same manner as Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, sweeping viewers away with its epic storyline and romanticized portrayal of Ancient Egyptian mythology. Over 20 years since the movie’s release, most people still remember Fraser for his role as the handsome, chisel-jawed adventurer Rick O’Connell, a character Fraser returned to twice more in the decade that followed.
After roughly 10 years of relative obscurity, Fraser began his slow rise back to the top of the entertainment industry by the tail end of the 2010s, accomplishing this historic feat with supporting roles in No Sudden Move and Max’s Doom Patrol series. In the end, though, Fraser solidified his return to form with his Academy Award-winning performance in 2022’s The Whale. Buried beneath a mound of prosthetic makeup, Fraser somehow manages to let his emotions bleed through to the surface as the ailing English professor, Charlie. A dark, depressing, somewhat uneven movie, The Whale nevertheless pairs Fraser with one of his most captivating performances yet.
