Though he has been taken for granted and misused by Hollywood for years, Brendan Fraser is still a damn treasure.
When you hear the name Brendan Fraser, what's the first thing you think of? Is it the rubber-faced, tenderhearted comedian featured in films like Bedazzled or Blast From the Past? Or maybe you think of the brooding intellectual seen in movies like With Honors and School Ties? Or perhaps you fondly remember him as the loveable goofball in comedies like George of the Jungle and yes even, Dudley Do-Right? No, most likely you think of him in the present day: a middle-aged actor, fighting a paunch and hair loss, bouncing back and forth between different kid movies and dad roles, no longer fit for the role of action hero.
And that's a shame. Whatever your opinion of Brendan Fraser might be, there is one fact that is undeniable: he used to be a movie star. That's right, a bondafide, and totally legit movie star. One reason that he attained this status was his incredible aptitude for sincerity that has endeared him to audiences throughout his eclectic career. In his hey day, he played roles as varied as caveman, student (twice), rocker, athlete, war veteran (twice), millionaire set of twins, and a Canadian Mountie.
Sure, some films were more successful than others, but Fraser's unquestionable screen presence made them all watchable. Because of his adaptability, it is difficult to categorize Fraser in any one type of role he looks at ease whether he's playing a Neanderthal or a Harvard man. Ironic that this versatility has proved to be a hindrance instead of an asset in his later years.
Perhaps Fraser would have been better suited to a different era of filmmaking. What if he had be alive during the height of screwball comedies? With his lanky frame, earnest demeanor, remarkable physicality and comedic skills, he would have been the perfect foil for actresses like Barbara Stanwyck and Kathryn Hepburn. Plus, he would have looked great in black and white. After the time for being a matinee idol had passed, he could have easily slipped into character work. But alas, he came of age in Hollywood during the 90s and a creature of the 90s he remains.
During that decade, Brendan Fraser ruled, appearing in films opposite other 90s icons like Pauly Shore, Adam Sandler, Ricki Lake, Joe Pesci and Alicia Silverstone. His first major movie role was in Encino Man in which he played Link, a frozen caveman who gets de-thawed by Shore (playing a character named Stoney ) and Sean Astin. The film could have been a disaster; instead, it was a triumph. Fraser's child-like Link became universally beloved, so much so that he reprised this role briefly in two more movies.
Encino Man is worth a rewatch if only for Fraser's performance. Just watch the scene in which Link mourns for the loss of his people as he looks at remnants of his culture in the History Museum. Being completely non-verbal, Fraser must speak volumes with his eyes, and he manages to convey frustration, confusion and grief in a single glance. The moment, filled with genuine pathos, seems out of place in such an extreme comedy, but it works.
Perhaps Fraser would have been better suited to a different era of filmmaking. What if he had be alive during the height of screwball comedies?
Fraser's next major project that year was School Ties in which he plays David, a Jewish student on a football scholarship to an elite prep school. Fraser's co-stars include Chris O'Donnell, Anthony Rapp, Ben Affleck and, perhaps in the most villainous role of his career, Matt Damon as Charlie Dillon, a jealous anti-Semite who tries to rally classmates against David. In a field of Hollywood's most promising stars, Fraser held his own, commanding the screen as David struggles with difficult choices should he sacrifice his identity to gain intellectual and economic advantages. It's hard to believe that this character is played by same actor who guzzled Slurpee's straight from the nozzle in Encino Man.
The mid-90s proved to be fruitful years for the Fraser as well. He starred in movies like With Honors, Airheads and The Scout, playing a variety of different and difficult roles. In The Scout, co-starring Albert Brooks and Dianne Wiest. Fraser plays Steve Nebraska, an unstable baseball prodigy who has to face his demons in order to be signed by the Yankees. Fraser's natural athleticism, charisma and dramatic range allow him to turn in a remarkable performance.
Other stand out roles included a small part as a nameless Vietnam veteran in in the coming-of-age drama, Now and Then. Fraser seized his moment in a memorable scene in which he briefly encounters the band of precocious young women on the road and evokes hints of dangerous sexuality and deep-seated wounds while harmlessly sharing some orange soda with the troop. In Mrs. Winterbourne, he proved himself to be a capable romantic comedies lead, playing a wealthy man who falls in love with the woman successfully posing as his twin brother's widow. Now, how's that for a screwball comedy plot?
Ironic that Frasers versatility has proved to be a hindrance instead of an asset in his later years.
In 1997, Fraser lost all his baby fat and grew out his hair to play the title role in George of the Jungle, once again playing a man of few words. Perhaps Fraser's facility with at playing wise innocents would later make it difficult for him to be taken seriously in other roles even though his performance in a movie like Gods & Monsters (as an angry ex-veteran) demonstrates that he is capable of much more.
In 1999, Fraser finally entered the action/adventure realm with The Mummy as Rick O'Connell, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion who gets mixed up with a comely librarian and her brother in a quest to find the lost city of Hamunaptra
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Though he has been taken for granted and misused by Hollywood for years, Brendan Fraser is still a damn treasure. 
