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“You do a movie, Hollywood loves you for awhile. They love you, they love you, they love you until... Oh, they love someone else now. It’s not cyclical... it’s ficklical.”

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This is a perfect way of describing the career arc of Brendan Fraser, who pretty much dominated the big screens in the 1990s and 2000s. He may not have had the timeless handsome leading-man charm of Tom Cruise or Hugh Jackman, but he made up for it with a bit of goofiness and eager earnestness that gave him top billing on strings of action films, comedies, romantic comedies, and movies that were fun for the whole family, from The Mummy franchise (1999, 2001 and 2008) to George of the Jungle (1997). Though he received acclaim for a more dramatic roles, such as Crash (2005) and Gods and Monsters, (1998) he drew better billing as the ‘everyman in strange, stressful situations’ character. Unfortunately, due to a combination of family commitments, a focus on smaller, less lucrative film projects, and creative differences with several top producers, he largely remained out of the public spotlight for more than a decade other than a few voice roles.

However, in an industry that either forgives, forgets, or is ‘ficklical,’ the 50-year-old began a comeback in 2018 with a role in the TV series Trust, plus several other action projects such as Condor. In the works are several other projects including a role in the much-anticipated film adaptation of DC Comic’s “Doom Patrol.” Let’s take a look at his winding journey, spanning everything from a frozen caveman to a crazy archaeologist.

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It Starts with Art

Brendan James Fraser was born in the last month of 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His Canadian parents—Peter Fraser, a journalist for the Canadian Office of Tourism, and Carol Mary, a sales counselor—traveled and worked around the world. At an early age, the young Brendan had already lived in Indiana, Washington State, Michigan, Ottawa, London and Rome. He was interested in acting at an early age and, after completing high school in the late 1980s, he attended Cornish College for the Arts in Seattle, studying art and theater. This led to his first role as “Sailor” in Dogfight (1991) which earned him his Screen Actors Guild card. Other roles in teen-focused films followed, including School Ties (1992) and Encino Man, (1992) where he played opposite Pauly Shore as a clueless but likable prehistoric teen who was discovered in the ice, thawed out and reintroduced to life in Southern California.

Fraser went on to star in other lightweight roles, often in Pauly Shore-focused comedies like In the Army Now (1994), Son in Law (1993), or Airheads (1994). By then, his repertoire was including drama as well as straight comedy, including opposite Ashley Judd in the quirky The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995).

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His title role in George of the Jungle (1997) as a clumsier but good-hearted Tarzan figure, solidified his status as someone who can have fun yet be serious, plus perform the occasional stunt. This was followed by another live-action adaptation of a favorite cartoon, Dudley Do Right (1999) where he portrayed the forthright Canadian Mountie who rides a horse named Horse (of course). But his action star credentials were firmly established when he was cast as explorer Rick O’Donnell in The Mummy (1999). In the same swashbuckling spirit of Indiana Jones, Fraser fought ancient evil alongside Rachel Weisz. He threw punches, dodged deadly traps, took care of his family, and got the girl; he would reprise the role in 2001 and 2008.

Along with starring in major movie roles, Fraser also had various TV cameos or occasional characters such as part of a three-episode storyline on Scrubs (2004) as the alive and then dead friend of a character, or three roles in King of the Hill. That same year also saw him included in the ensemble cast of Crash, which included Sandra Bullock. This film went on to receive high critical acclaim, but more for its darker themes and pacing than the performance of any particular actor.

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Although he was picked as one of People magazine’s Top 50 handsome people, many larger roles began dwindling around 2005. Plus, at the same time, the action roles were starting to hurt – he later told one writer recently that he probably “was trying too hard, in a way that was destructive” in this period. He had multiple surgeries for injuries, including his back and shoulder.

Fraser still found family-friendly fare like Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) or children’s movies and shows, such as Looney Tunes: Back in Action, (2003) or The Fairly Odd Parents, (2009) where he was the voice of Turbo Thunder. But Hollywood insiders say Fraser was considered and the rejected for prominent roles in everything from Superman to Fantastic Four. A sequel to Journey had former co-star Dwayne Johnson in the lead.

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This shift in fame also took a toll on Fraser’s personal life. He had married his girlfriend in Afton Smith in 1998 and they had three sons, Griffin, Holden and Leland. The couple announced their divorce in 2007, the same year Fraser put his $3.1 million Beverly Hills mansion on the market. Five years later, he requested a change in alimony payments saying he couldn’t afford the monthly amount.

Current Comeback

Over the next decade, apart from minor, supporting or voice roles such as part in animated squirrel caper, The Nut Job, plus the mini-series The Affair, (2016), where he played a prison guard, and Texas Rising (2015), where he rode horses. Fraser has made an effort to focus more on his family. One son has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum which requires more supervision and active parenting. Fraser now lives in upstate New York where he has several horses. His former wife and their sons live in nearby Connecticut.

In 2018, audiences who lost track of Fraser were excited about announcements that he had several projects in the works. They aren’t necessarily family-friendly, such Trust, a dark FX mini-series that shows the real life badly executed kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, and Condor, a fast-paced spy series.

Film fans can see him in new episodes of The Professionals, and playing Robotman in The Doom Patrol. He also has a starring role in Behind the Curtain of Night, a sci-fi romance about past lives. It’s currently in post-production but is slated for 2020. Here's hoping it gets the talented Mr. Fraser's career back on track!