Ahead of Brendan Fraser’s Potential Oscar Win, His 10 Best Performances
Oscars season isn’t the only thing coming back to shake things up. Brendan Fraser is falling right back into his prime, and his return has been met with love, admiration, and many, many nominations.
The actor has made a resurgence with his role as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, with multiple nominations and wins already ahead of his bid for Best Actor in a Leading Role from the 95th Academy Awards. He is up against other big names for one of the most prestigious awards of the season: Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (Aftersun), and Bill Nighy (Living).
Fraser most recently won Male Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 26. Filled with tears and trying to contain his bewilderment during his acceptance speech, Fraser said, “I never would’ve believed that I would’ve been offered the role of my life in this character, Charlie, in The Whale. He’s someone who is on a raft of regrets, but he’s in a sea of hope. I’ve been at that sea and I’ve rode that wave lately.”
He fell off for a few years after the mid 2010s because of personal issues and an alleged 2003 sexual assault committed against him by Phillip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Fraser refused to attend the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, even though he was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in The Whale. To GQ, the same publication to which he publicly revealed his sexual assault, he said, “I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. No, I will not participate.”
Fraser is also set to star in Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. The Martin Scorsese directed crime drama, which was initially set to release in May 2023, follows the mysterious murders of oil-wealthy members in the 1920s.
Below, we take a look at his best performances, from oldest to most recent.
2023 Oscars, Sunday, March 12, 8/7c, ABC
School Ties (1992)
In this 1992 coming of age film, David Greene (Fraser) must deal with keeping his Jewish identity separate from the football star he’s perceived as at a 1950s New England preparatory school. He’s faced with anti-Semitic threats and public ridicule from his Evangelical friends when his secret comes out.
Fraser gives his all as a young man battling a war within himself and delivers a performance that has stayed impactful to this day. He worked on School Ties at the same time he starred in the comedy Encino Man. His depth as a young actor showed in his ability to flip his inviting, determined demeanor between the two roles.
Fraser was nominated for a Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor in 1993.
Still Breathing (1997)
Fraser enters his very brief stint with rom-coms in Still Breathing. The feel-good film takes the idea of having a dream partner literally. A street performer, Fletcher McBracken (Fraser), tries to convince con-artist Rosalyn Willoughby (Joanna Going) she’s the love of his life, while she takes advantage of his illusion.
Fraser delivers a splendid performance of being the golden-retriever boyfriend: easygoing, eager to please, and innocent. Although he is out of his usual element in his role as Fletcher, he still knows how to bring his quirky attitude into a simplistic environment.
Putting Crash (2004) and The Whale (2022) aside, Still Breathing is the only film Fraser has been rewarded based on his own merit. In 1997, he won Best Actor from the Seattle International Film Festival.
George of the Jungle (1997)
No, George of the Jungle is not a rip-off of Disney’s animated Tarzan, as it was released two years prior by Walt Disney Pictures. However, the two films do follow similar plots: A man raised in the jungle meets a civilian woman, they go back to her home where he can live with other humans, and he returns on a rescue mission to save the animals he calls family.
The adventure film stars Fraser as George. His athleticism allows him to live up to the belief of the role and swing around, occasionally crashing face first into trees and even vehicles. His comedic sense also lends well to the family film, as he’s allowed to be as goofy as he wants to be while playing a character that hasn’t had any human interaction. Fraser does not disappoint.
He was nominated in 1998 for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor/Actress – Family. Maybe if they would’ve had Phil Collins on the soundtrack, the film and Fraser would’ve received more recognition.
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Ian McKellen does what he does best in the 1992 film Gods and Monsters: commands a room of viewers. The film follows a retired Hollywood director who tries to find something beyond a casual fling in his new gardener.
Fraser plays the challenging role of the young gardener, Clayton Boone. It’s not the subject matter that makes this performance difficult, but rather having to hold his own against the great McKellen. Fraser spent most scenes with James Whale (McKellen) listening to the old director, but he’s never lost in the background. He delivers his lines with conviction, honesty, and heart. Fraser reminds us once again he knows how to be dramatic when a character calls for it.
Fraser’s delivery of humanity gained him a 1999 nomination for a Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Mummy (1999)
In the case of The Mummy trilogy, the first is the best and worth garnering many rewatches.
The Mummy brings together terror, action-packed scenes, romance, and grit through treasure-hunting explorers. They have to find a way to escape with their lives — and the treasure — after they release a hidden curse in the Sahara Desert.
Fraser turns into a full-on hunky explorer in the trilogy that lasted nine years. No one else could’ve been casted better for Rick O’Connell. Fraser knows how to smolder without making it look cheesy and deliver quip remarks with ease while he fights the undead.
Fraser was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor in 2000 and a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Action in 2000 for his portrayal of O’Connell.
Scrubs (2002, 2004)
Most people may not remember that Fraser guest starred in the sitcom Scrubs three times as Jordan (Christa Miller) and Danni’s (Tara Reid) brother, Ben Sullivan. The TV show centers around an ever-changing group of medical students at Sacred Heart Hospital.
While he’s only present for three episodes, Fraser brings out the best in John C. McGinley’s Dr. Cox. He makes jokes about incest and horrific nail gun accidents roll off the tongue with ease. He’s once again in his element, before being killed off.
Fraser was nominated for Online Film & Television Association Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002 and 2004; he won the latter.
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (2008)
Journey 3-D delves deeper into the legend of another world hiding far beneath our feet. Our fearless explorers, consisting of a professor, his nephew, and their guide, must quickly find their own way out before they are engulfed by volcanic activity.
The 2008 film was the first live-action feature to be released in Digital 3D, having been shot with the earliest Fusion Camera System. No critique at the time of the CGI cutting corners can take that accolade away.
Fraser goes into full-on dad and professor mode as Trevor Anderson in Journey 3-D — except he’s the cool dad with whom we’d all want to travel to the center of the earth. Well-planted jokes, scholarly instincts, athleticism, what more could you want? His character brings us further into this new dimension of adventure.
Doom Patrol (2019-present)
Doom Patrol is a TV show based around a team of disadvantaged, disfigured superheroes who come together to save a world that doesn’t want them because of their weird oddities.
Fraser plays Cliff Steele and voices his character’s evolved form, Robotman. The reimagined Frankenstein cyborg monster can’t feel pain, but has found a place with Doom Patrol. Fraser brings his classic comedic timing into a role we aren’t used to seeing him in.
Maybe Fraser should keep dabbling in comic book roles, as he was nominated for a Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Superhero Series in 2022 and 2023.
Professionals (2020)
The CW’s Professionals consists of a ragtag group of veteran security professionals helping a tech icon investigate which of his rivals is attempting to bring him and his company to their demise.
Professionals receives a shoutout on this list because it’s different from roles we’re used to seeing Fraser in. And yet, it still feels like him at his most authentic. He’s convincing as the scared billionaire Peter Swann trying to be brave alongside those he hired to protect him.
With only one season that premiered in August 2020, there is discussion on whether Fraser will be the one to lift the show out of the ashes.
The Whale (2022)
Rounding out the list is Fraser’s most recent role as Charlie in The Whale. The film, based on the play with the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, tells the story of a 600 pound man who is giving himself one last effort to connect with his daughter on a personal level.
This is Fraser’s most important role thus far, delivering depth and humanity to a character that desperately needs the two from those around him. He beautifully tells the story of family, redemption, and making one’s legacy live on.
Fraser has received multiple nominations and a couple wins so far. While the actor he channels in The Whale has always been there, both in small roles and the career defining ones, Fraser deserves all the accolades he has received for Charlie.
