Brendan Fraser was born to Canadian parents in Indianapolis, Indiana. The youngest of four, he moved around frequently during his childhood. His father was a Canadian tourism executive, and he has dual American-Canadian citizenship. Relocating every few years for his father’s job, Fraser first discovered theater while living in London. It was there that he started to attend shows.
In his early teens, Fraser began performing in Seattle, Washington. He worked with the Laughing Horse Summer Theater. After attending the Upper Canada College Preparatory School in Toronto, he returned to Seattle for college. Fraser continued to catch his first break there, landing a bit part in 1991’s Dogfight. Soon after, Fraser’s career started to take off with roles in Encino Man, School Ties, Airheads, George of the Jungle, Gods and Monsters, Dudley Do-Right and the popular The Mummy franchise.
In 2010, Fraser made his Broadway debut in the comedy Elling. Unfortunately, the show only lasted a short time because of poor reviews and weak ticket sales. Fraser had signed up for a film about William Tell, but he ended up in a legal dispute with the filmmakers over production delays. He also dropped out of a television pilot for a series over creative differences in 2012.
