It's Hard To Believe How Much Brendan Fraser Has Changed Since He First Swung Onto Our Screens
Brendan Fraser was absolutely everywhere in the ’90s and early ’00s. He starred in beloved kids’ classics like George of the Jungle and hit blockbusters such as The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. And let’s not forget Oscar-winning fare like Gods and Monsters. His movies made millions… for a while. Unfortunately, after that, he did just about the worst thing a person in Hollywood can do: he got older and stopped being hot. So what does he look like now? And can we expect a comeback anytime soon? The world of movies is a fickle place, but surely it can’t be that fickle. Right?
Breaking into Hollywood
As a fresh-faced young actor, Fraser had a couple of tiny TV roles before making it in the movies. His first film was the 1992 comedy Encino Man, but it was the sports movie School Ties that same year that really marked him out as a talent. Acting opposite future stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, he played a Jewish high school student facing antisemitism from his peers.
Becoming a sex symbol
But it was 1997’s George of the Jungle that established Fraser as not just a good actor, but as a sex symbol, too. It's safe to say that the buff physique he showcased while playing the Tarzan-like George set many hearts aflutter back in the '90s! And the movie was a financial success to boot, reaping $174.4 million at the worldwide box office.
Getting physique-cal
Fraser showed off his fit physique once again in 1998’s Gods and Monsters, a film based on the life of Bride of Frankenstein director James Whale and one which won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. This accolade could very well have furthered both Fraser’s career and his prospects as a “serious” actor as a consequence, but things weren't quite as smooth sailing as the years went by.
Catapulted to stardom, but only briefly
Despite potentially wanting to branch out into grittier films, it soon became clear that film audiences had other plans. They wanted to keep seeing Fraser strutting his stuff in comedy and action roles. And luckily for him, his performance as the ultra-charming Rick O’Connell in 1999’s The Mummy finally made him a bona fide superstar — albeit only for a rather short time.
