Who is Brendan Fraser and why did he stop acting?
BRENDAN Fraser's career was booming in the 90s and early noughties, but he suddenly disappeared from screens.
The esteemed actor has now made an incredible comeback with his latest starring role - which even earned him his first Oscar.
Who is Brendan Fraser?
Brendan James Fraser was born on December 3, 1968, and is a Canadian-American actor.
He was at the top of his game in the mid-90s and early noughties.
Brendan is best known for playing Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy (1999, 2001, 2008), and for his comedy and fantasy films, such as Encino Man (1992), George Of The Jungle (1997), Bedazzled (2000), Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003) and Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008).
He's also starred in Gods And Monsters (1998), The Quiet American (2002) and Crash (2004).
His TV work includes playing Peter Swann in Professionals and Cliff Steele/Robotman in Doom Patrol.
He slowly started to withdraw from the limelight in the early noughties, before returning from his hiatus for his incredible lead role in the Darren Aronofsky-directed film, The Whale.
Brendan piled on the pounds to star as a 600lb reclusive English teacher who desperately tries to restore his relationship with his teen daughter.
His incredible and emotional performance earned the dad his first-ever Oscar for Best Actor at the ceremony on March 12, 2023, which he described as an "honour".
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What is Brendan Fraser's net worth?
Despite not starring in a box office smash since the mid-noughties, Brendan still has quite a fortune - and it has been bolstered by his latest role.
As well as resurrecting his career, The Whale is said to have earned him £10million.
Brendan has been open about his former money struggles after work dried up and his divorce.
But according to Celebrity Net Worth, the Hollywood A-lister is worth an estimated £18million.
The majority of his riches come from his big movie roles, such as The Mummy franchise.
Why did Brendan Fraser stop acting?
Despite being one of the most famous faces to hit the big screens, Brendan's movie career took a dramatic slump.
His body had begun to feel the toll of performing his own stunts and he was forced to undergo several surgeries - halting his status as a hot commodity in Hollywood.
However, Brendan claims there was a much darker issue at play behind the scenes.
In a GQ interview on February 23, 2018, Brendan claimed he was "blacklisted" from films after being molested by the former president of the Golden Globes.
The actor was a household name in the 1990s and 2000s with a series of box office hits.
But he claims his movie opportunities dried up after allegedly being sexually assaulted by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk.
The 49-year-old claimed the alleged incident occurred after they shook hands at a California hotel in 2003.
He said: "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around.
"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."
Brendan said the alleged incident left him a "reclusive" and ultimately led to his lengthy pause from acting.
He said: "The phone does stop ringing in your career, and you start asking yourself why.
"There's many reasons, but was [this incident] one of them? I think it was."
The HFPA launched an internal investigation into the claims and concluded that Berk had "inappropriately touched" him, but said Berk’s actions were "intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance."
Berk denied the allegations and branded Brendan's account a "total fabrication".
GQ quoted him as saying: "My apology admitted no wrongdoing, the usual 'If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologise'."
Berk discussed the incident in his 2014 memoir, claiming he pinched Fraser's behind in jest, according to reports.
Brendan announced he would not attend the 2023 Golden Globes despite receiving a nomination for Best Actor due to the alleged incident.
He skipped the ceremony due to his complicated "history" with the HFPA, saying: "My mother didn't raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that."
Berk remained a member of HFPA until he was given the boot in 2021 after he called Black Lives Matter "a racist hate movement".
Is Brendan Fraser married?
Brendan met his first wife, actress Afton Smith, at a barbecue at Winona Ryder's home in the summer of 1993.
They married on September 27, 1998, and lived in a $3million Beverly Hills mansion.
In December 2007, the couple announced that they had decided to divorce, sparking a series of fiery legal showdowns over child support payments.
Brendan later found love again with Jeanne Moore, a professional make-up artist and hairstylist based in Los Angeles and New York.
She accompanied him to the 2023 Oscars after debuting their relationship on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in September 2022.
Does Brendan Fraser have any children?
The actor shares three children with his former wife Afton.
They co-parent their sons Griffin Arthur, born September 17, 2002, Holden Fletcher, born August 16, 2004, and Leland Francis, born May 2, 2006.
In a February 2018 interview with GQ, Brendan shared that Griffin is on the autism spectrum.
He said: "Griffin's rated on the autism spectrum. Um, and so he needs extra love in the world, and he gets it."
Brendan previously revealed that while their sons live with Afton in Greenwich, Connecticut, they visit him often.
His sons said they were "unbelievably proud" of their father scooping his first Oscar after accompanying him to the prestigious ceremony.
They also revealed the Best Actor winner's tendency to crack some dad jokes as they teased him during a chat with Laverne Cox on the red carpet.
Holden said: "At the end of a conversation, we’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, right.’ And he’ll say, ‘Left."
Leland added: "I think my personal favourite has always been when we’re kids and I’d say, I don’t like broccoli,’ and he says, ‘Broccoli loves you.’"