“Bedazzled” star Brendan Fraser had a prolific career going for him before suddenly disappearing from the spotlight. After years of speculation from fans, he finally disclosed the reason for his exit, which was not pretty. After retreating to life on the farm where he cared for his autistic son, he returned with an Oscar win and a new love.
“Gods and Monsters” actor Brendan Fraser has had a successful career in film for decades. He made his film debut with his role as a seaman headed to Vietnam in “Dogfight” in 1991 and soon became a Hollywood heartthrob with his roles in “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns.”
He garnered immense recognition in “George of the Jungle,” a film that became a box office success and grossed $174.4 million worldwide. For years following his entrance into the industry, Brendan appeared in numerous other films, making him a Hollywood A-lister.
He landed his first-ever leading role, playing Linkavitch “Link” Chomofsky in 1992’s “Encino Man,” alongside other big Hollywood names such as Pauly Shore playing Stanley “Stoney” Brown, Sean Astin as David “Dave” Morgan, Robin Tunney as Ella, and Megan Ward as Robyn Sweeney.
The actor appeared in an array of other films after, including “School Ties,” “With Honors,” “The Scout,” “The Twilight of the Golds,” “Blast from the Past,” “Now and Then,” and “Escape from Planet Earth,” among others.
His meticulously done roles also saw him bag numerous awards, some of which include a Seattle International Film Festival Award, a ShoWest Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while also being nominated for many others.
Fraser was among the most highly paid Hollywood actors in the ’90s and early 2000s, reportedly earning tens of millions for single movies. He is said to have made an impressive $1.5 million for the 1994 film, “The Scout,” $4 million for “Duddly Do-Right,” the same amount for “The Mummy,” and $10 million for “Bedazzled.”
“The Mummy Returns” earned the actor a startling $12.5 million before he reached the peak of his career with his appearance in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” which earned him a whopping $14 million in 2008.
Despite Fraser’s immense success, he suddenly disappeared from the spotlight. Speculations became rife, with people wondering why such a successful actor would unexpectedly quit work. However, after years of fans theorizing about his sudden disappearance, Fraser came out in 2018, explaining why he left Hollywood.
The actor revealed he was a victim of sexual abuse in Hollywood, naming the culprit in this atrocity as the former President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), Phillip Berk.
He disclosed that the abuse happened in 2003 during an HFPA luncheon where Berk touched him inappropriately. He claimed the abuse left him feeling reclusive and miserable. He shared:
“I became depressed. I was blaming myself, and I was miserable — because I was saying, ‘This is nothing; this guy reached around, and he copped a feel’. That summer wore on — and I can’t remember what I went on to work on next.”
Fraser admitted the encounter left him feeling sick to his stomach, and he felt like he would cry. He vividly remembers rushing out of the room and hurrying past a police officer. He thought about confessing to the lawman but couldn’t quite bring himself to it. Instead, he rushed home and told his wife, Afton Smith.
In the following days, Fraser considered coming out to the public with his story, but after toying with the idea for quite some time, he changed his mind. He did not want his abuse to define him or become part of his narrative.
Even after the story came out and reached HFPA, Berk denied the allegations, and HFPA declined to comment on the issue. What followed was uncertainties for the “The Quiet American” actor as he wondered whether HFPA had blacklisted him.
Fraser’s marriage had fallen apart, and he had lost his mother. He also could not ignore the traumatizing memory of what had gone down in the summer of 2003.
The “Still Breathing” actor was unsure whether he had carried disfavor with HFPA, which oversees the Golden Globes. However, even without them saying anything, Fraser could tell something was amiss after noticing he never got invited to the Globes after 2003.
Meanwhile, Berk denied any retaliation towards Fraser by HFPA and insisted the actor’s career dwindled on its own. At the same time, HFPA claimed they only learned of Fraser’s story after he confessed publicly in 2018.
At the time, the actor made his agents ask for an apology from Berk, but the attempt backfired in his face, and soon after, his career started going downhill. However, trouble was just setting foot in Fraser’s life, and the worst was yet to come.
In 2007, his marriage came crumbling down like a house of cards. The “Younger and Younger” actor and his wife, “Reality Bites” actress Afton Smith met in 1993 and dated for years before tying the knot in 1998.
Sadly, after nine years of marriage and three sons, they decided to split. The divorce was messy, and the court required the actor to pay $900,000 in alimony and up to $30,000 a year in child support.
When Fraser challenged the amount, claiming he no longer earned as much money as he did during the peak of his acting career, his wife accused him of fraud.
While Fraser told his ex-wife he didn’t have the money she wanted, she thought his movies at the time and his net worth were more than enough to justify the amount of money she was asking for.
They eventually came to a consensus and parted ways. To date, the reason for their divorce remains a mystery. Fraser’s publicist did not reveal why the actor and his wife had decided to go their separate ways. Yet Smith also confirmed that they would remain good friends despite the fact that they were no longer a married couple.
In 2016, the star suffered yet another heartbreaking blow when he lost his mother to cancer. It was undoubtedly hard for several years for the “The Affair” actor. In less than two decades, he had to deal with the dimming of his once-rising star, his divorce, and his mother’s demise. He disclosed:
“I was going through things that mold and shape you in ways that you’re not ready for until you go through them.”
Fraser Retreated to a Quiet Life on a Farm
There is only so much a man can take, and Fraser had been through the wringer. His career was failing, and he was starring in movies he was not proud of. To add insult to injury, his health was deteriorating every waking day.
The physical demands for him to do his own stunts in “The Mummy” franchise had taken a toll on him, as he had incurred many injuries, requiring him to undergo several surgeries over seven years.
Fraser’s eventually opted for a life away from Hollywood, where he no longer felt like he belonged. He packed his bags and went to live a quiet life at his New Bedford, New York horse farm, away from all the obscurity.
He moved into a tall, angular house down a dirt road with an expansive lawn descending to a shimmering lake. The serenity of his farmhouse was perfect for him to unwind and forget the challenges he had undergone in the previous years.
The farm grounds were also a perfect spot for his sons as it was laden with facilities for outdoor fun, including a swimming pool, a zipline, a tetherball, a trampoline, and a hammock. There, his sons, who were officially living with their mother in Greenwich Connecticut, had a second home with plenty of fun games.
Fraser adopted a quiet life on the farm, where his son Griffin, who is on the autism spectrum, connected with his horse Pecas. He had brought home the horse from the “Texas Rising” set in Mexico.
Fraser says he knew what he had to do when he saw Pecas getting taunted by other horses. He had just the job for him — taking care of Griffin. And when they wrapped up filming the movie, he put him on a FedEx cargo plane to his farmhouse in New York.
The quiet and serene farm life, away from scrutiny and the pressure of Hollywood, became a source of joy for Fraser. He loved the forests and trees surrounding him, as well as the seasons and the smell of burning wood.
However, the most beautiful sight was that of his son Griffin bonding with Pecas. He shared sneak peeks of the bond between Griffin and the horse, noting that whenever he rode, he also felt better:
“There’s something good that happens between the two of them. Even if [Griffin] doesn’t ride him. Just give him a brush. The horse loves it, the repetitive motion that kids on the spectrum have that they love. And it just works.”
Fraser did his best to ensure that his children were always happy, even keeping a disco lamp in his home because they liked it. He also spent time with his children’s mother despite their divorce, saying spending time as a family had brought love into his life.
Fraser also shared that he stepped back from the spotlight for a while not only because of his Hollywood incident but because he thought it would be good for his children to have him around more often. He has also talked about how important it is to have a great relationship with his children’s mother to make space for his kids.
Asked why he felt he had to get away, Fraser said he needed to sort out things in his life and take stock of who he was, where he was going, and his aspirations. Even though a years-long break did him good, the world was not ready for his big comeback.
Fraser is now enjoying living a quiet and peaceful life in Bedford on the East Coast. He once gave an interview during autumn in which he talked about how beautiful the leaves surrounding his property were. On his new property, Fraser feels like he can be himself instead of an actor whose worth is decided by fans.
After fifteen years of staying silent about his struggles with sexual harassment in Hollywood, when he came out with his story in 2018, he shared that if it was not for the #MeToo movement, he may never have shared his story.
Return to the Spotlight with a New Love
The movie “The Whale” tells the story of Charlie, an English college professor who is reclusive and morbidly obese. He teaches his college students remotely but ensures his webcam is always off as he is ashamed of his appearance..
The movie is a tale of redemption for the protagonist, Charlie, who hopes to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie. However, it is also a redemption story for the man behind the character, Fraser.
For years, Fraser lived away from the spotlight, slowly fading from the big silver screens and from people’s minds. But despite the obstacles and a challenging divorce nearly derailing his promising career, Fraser’s exciting comeback to Hollywood was just what he needed, and it has been felt far and wide. For his performance in “The Whale,” he won his first Oscar for Best Actor.
Moreover, Fraser has attracted the love of a beautiful woman, Jeanne Moore. Fraser and Moore have been incredibly private about their relationship. It was, thus, a pleasant surprise when the two lovebirds came out holding hands during the 79th Venice Film Festival in September 2022.
It remains unclear when the actor and his make-up artist girlfriend began dating. What remains clear, though, is that they are in love. She is the first woman he has been seen publicly with since his divorce, but it appears she has been the missing piece in his life all these years.
When the actor received a 6-minute standing ovation after the showing of “The Whale,” Moore celebrated with him and looked just as emotional as him. During his acceptance speech, Fraser credited his sons with the award, saying he wouldn’t be there without them.
She has also accompanied the actor to numerous high-end events, including the AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards, the 2022 GQ Men of the Year party, the Gotham Awards, and the BAFTA Tea Party, among others.
The romance also seems to have gotten serious, as the star has already introduced Moore to his family. In November 2022, Moore and Fraser’s sons Leland and Holden attended a screening of “The Whale” together.
Fans hope Moore, a former “Let’s Make a Deal” contestant, remains by Fraser’s side. The actor has also publicly shown his appreciation for his girlfriend, noting that without her support, he would not have achieved all he has. He confessed:
“Without the love of the clarion call that is my girl Jeanne, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this. Thank you very much.”
“The Whale” is only the beginning, and as things now stand, Fraser could be paving a path that will see him take Hollywood by storm in years to come, and his fans, old and new, are ready to see what he has in store for them after so much time away.
