Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American actor known for his numerous blockbuster successes, including The Mummy, George of the Jungle, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and the Academy Award-winning movie Crash.
After rising to fame in the mid of the 1990s and enjoying stardom throughout the 2000s, the actor suddenly disappeared from the limelight by the end of the decade.
There were many factors involved in Fraser’s downhill, one of the major was his messy divorce from wife Afton Smith.
Brendan married Afton in 1993 after falling for her at a Barbeque party at Winona Ryder’s house. The now ex-couple has three children together – Griffin Arthur, 18, Holden Fletcher, 16, and Leland Francis, 15.
Fraser and Smith worked together in a movie called, ‘George of the Jungle’ in 1997; that was the only project they worked together.
In 2007, the star couple decided to call it quits. According to Fox News, the duo agreed to part ways with each other but continued to maintain a friendship.
“They continue to maintain a close and caring friendship,” Fraser’s publicist shared with the outlet.
After their divorce was finalized, Smith took the custody of their three kids from court and Brandon was asked to pay a heavy amount of $900, 00 on a yearly basis – the divorce deeply affected The Mummy actor both emotionally and financially.
During the same time, while Brendan decided to work hard in his career, he suffered a series of physical injuries due to the stunts he performed in his films.
The Whale actor didn’t just struggle with his failed marriage and health issues but he also suffered a great deal mentally.
In a 2018 interview with GQ, Brendan revealed that he was inappropriately touched and humiliated by Philip Berk, a former president of HFPA – according to Brendan, he was invited to an event organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills.
“Am I still frightened? Absolutely. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely,” he told GQ in 2018.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Berk denied all the accusations made by The Mummy star and instead of looking into the matter, the HFPA blacklisted Brendan and stopped inviting him to the Globes.
“Withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me,” Fraser told GQ.
All these aforementioned incidents took a toll on the 90s hot favorite actor’s mental health and he went into depression.
After years of remaining absent from all the news and publicity, Fraser decided to rise above the ashes and get back into action.
In September, the actor officially made a comeback in the film industry with his movie, ‘The Whale.’
Fraser along with the cast of the movie attended the Venice Film Festival in Italy and received a six-minute-long standing ovation from the audience.
“If the Sunday night world premiere of The Whale at the Venice Film Festival is any indication, Brendan Fraser’s return to Hollywood will be met with plenty of cheers — and even more tears. When the credits rolled on the Darren Aronofsky drama, in which Fraser plays a 600-pound gay man confined to a wheelchair, the actor was overcome with emotion,” wrote Vanity Fair.
According to the outlet, The Mummy star teared up when he received a long standing ovation from the audience.
“Fraser sobbed throughout the six-minute standing ovation, which will likely put him at the forefront of this year’s best actor Oscars race.”
“Among those spotted inside the Sala Grande Theatre were Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Nick Kroll, and Hillary Clinton staffer Huma Abedin, who was seated a few rows behind Fraser and shed as many tears as he did. Many others inside the theater also broke out a handkerchief during the film’s heartbreaking final scenes.”
According to Daily Mail, Fraser looked dapper in a dark grey suit, paired with a vivid blue tie and black dress shoes.
After his footage from the ceremony went viral on social media, fans shared lovely messages of appreciation for Brendan and congratulated him on making a huge comeback in the industry.
“I love the fact that the world as a whole has decided Brendan Fraser must be protected at all costs and deserves every bit of happiness. And if that includes being in films and shows again, then we’re in. If not, we’re still in. If he’s happy, we’re happy.”
“Not me sobbing my whole face off watching Brendan Fraser finally receive the respect and recognition and absolution he’s been denied all this time. Bully for him, he’s one of the greats. Truly.”
“Man, this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career.”
“Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky.”
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Sources: Fox News – GQ – Vanity Fair – Daily Mail
