Brendan Fraser has made a major acting comeback in recent years. After years of being out of the spotlight and detailing the sexual harassment he endured as a younger actor, the much-loved actor has slowly taken on more roles. A long-awaited performance is the recent film The whale, where he plays a 600-pound man who struggles to reconnect with his estranged daughter. The film has already received critical acclaim for the actor and even received a 6-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
While this new role is already causing Oscar buzz for the actor, Fraser’s previous filmography is full of gems and moments when the actor has shown he knows how to get the job done. This article looks at just some of Fraser’s best roles.
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The 1992 comedy film Encino Man (known as California Man outside the US) is the role Brendan Fraser shot into the public eye. Starring Pauly Shore as Stoney Brown, Sean Astin as Dave Morgan and Fraser as ‘Link’, the film follows Stoney and Dave, perpetual losers in high school, who find a caveman frozen in Dave’s backyard while trying to dig a puddle. . They thaw the cro-magnon specimen and immediately decide to incorporate it into their world.
Fraser shows off his great comedic timing, something he often doesn’t get enough credit for. He perfectly portrays a frightened, confused and wonderfully anachronistic man, bringing a surprising amount of warmth and vulnerability to a character who doesn’t say much except ‘nuggs’. Is Encino Man a good movie? No, but it’s a fun one and has become a cult favorite.
Airheads was much maligned in its day, but has found an appreciative audience in the following years. The movie has a great cast with Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler taking on the lead roles of the band ‘The Lone Rangers’. In addition to the main trio are Chris Farley, Judd Nelson, Ernie Hudson, Joe Montegna and David Arquette. It even features cameos from Rob Zombie and Lemmy Kilmister. The Lone Rangers are tired of being a nothing band and not getting any attention, so they do what anyone would do. They kidnap a radio station to have their demo play on the air.
Fraser stars as deadpan and desperate bandleader Chazz, while Buscemi stars as a new star as vaguely nihilistic bassist Rex. As time goes by at the radio station, the band forges friendships with the staff, including the cynical and laid-back DJ “The Shark” (Montegna). Share similarities with Empire Recordsthey discover that the station is being turned into an easy listening station, leading to rebellion from everyone and they see employees joining The Lone Rangers in an act of mutiny.
In The passion of the dark afternoon, Fraser plays the eponymous Darkly Noon, a man who grew up in an extremely Christian cult. He is now left alone and wanders through the woods after violence descends on the cult and his parents are murdered. On the brink of exhaustion, he is rescued by box seller Jude (Loren Dean) and his friend Callie (Ashley Judd). Callie takes it upon herself to restore Darkly to health, a confused Darkly, unaccustomed to women, begins to develop an attraction to Callie that he cannot understand or handle.
The situation is made worse when Callie’s stupid friend, Clay (Viggo Mortensen) returns home. Clay’s mother Roxy doesn’t help matters by expressing her displeasure at Clay and Callie’s relationship. Despite becoming good friends with Jude and agreeing to leave him, after Roxy commits suicide, Darkly begins to believe that his parents are telling him to kill Callie from beyond the grave. This leads to a final act in which Fraser plays a man with a completely broken psyche who is overcome by his past.
The incredibly popular long-running sitcom scrubs featured many notable cameos, but one that is most remembered is Brendan Fraser’s appearance as Ben. Jordan’s brother and Dr. Cox, Ben is a funny yet irresponsible man, one of Dr. cox. Ben was introduced when he arrived at Sacred Heart with his hand nailed to a board. During routine tests, JD discovered that Ben had leukemia, something neither Ben nor Dr. Cox would initially accept.
Although he only appeared in three episodes, Ben has left an indelible impression on the show and the audience. He was a funny and eccentric character, enjoyed causing mischief and irritating Jordan. Despite his diagnosis, he remained optimistic and continued his nonchalance. This refusal to accept his diagnosis eventually led to his death and the shaking of Dr. cox.
DC TV Series Doom Patrol marked Fraser’s real return to screens. While he had a few roles here and there for the 2019 series, it was his role as Cliff Steele that really put him back on the radar. While Fraser doesn’t voice the physical version of Cliff for most of the series, his voice acting is an incredible testament to his skills. Cliff Steele is a troubled NASCAR driver who, after a terrible car accident, has his brain implanted in a robotic body by The Chief (Timothy Dalton).
It turns out Chief has a house full of “special” patients. These include Rita (April Bowlby), a former Hollywood actress whose body becomes a gelatinous pile of meat; Jane (Diane Gurrero), the main personality of a woman with many, many personalities with different abilities; and Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), a former Air Force pilot who is disfigured and has a negative energy in him. Fraser’s turn as Cliff Steele is often funny and heartbreaking as he struggles with his humanity, his daughter’s existence, and his longing for his old life.
Brendan Fraser’s career cannot be discussed without mentioning his most famous and beloved role to date as Rick O’Connell in the 1999 adventure film. the mummy. The film is often hailed as one of the best action-adventure films ever made and continues to stand the test of time. Fraser stars alongside Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Kevin J. O’Connor and Arnold Vosloo. Librarian and Egypt enthusiast Evelyn (Weisz) is presented with a map of the fabled city of the dead, Hamunaptra. After convincing grumpy adventurer Rick to accompany them, they find the site, and in where Evil Dead style, Evie finds the Book of the Dead and reads from it, awakening the titular Mummy, Imhotep (Vosloo).
From there, it becomes a frenetic race to save the world from the vengeful mummy, as Rick is put in charge of protecting Evie and her brother as he tries to stay one step ahead of the undead terror. Fraser is charming, funny and a true action hero of yesteryear in the role, sweet and believable with genuine courage that could easily be lost with any other lead.
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