What's up with Brendan Fraser?

Brendan Fraser has always struck me as the sweet good-natured, all-american boy next door. Good looking, but in a generic, non-descript kind of way. A hero, but humbly so and with good humor. His characters don't sleep around with the hottest vixens, rather he always portrays a loving husband or dedicated father (or both). Couldn't meet a nicer guy on the silver screen really. Definitely the type of action hero you'd want to bring home to meet your family.

I first saw him in Encino Man with Pauly Shore in the early 90's. His unfrozen cro-magnon talent pretty much summarizes his character in all his movies...hunky, naive, misunderstood, kind, magnetic and a caveman. Can't go wrong with that. His best selling movies, The Mummy series, has him successfully re-invent the Indiana Jones franchise for the next generation of idol worshipers. Makes sense that his latest movie pairs him up with the cranky man himself, Harrison Ford. By the end of the movie Brendan Fraser wins all by not only saving his children from certain doom, but turns the cantankerous Ford into a soft-hearted puppy dog.

I did some poking around online to find out more about this affable fellow and despite what many people assume he is NOT from Canada (his parents were). He was born in Indiana and, much like myself, moved around his whole life. He's also an amateur photographer, with a particular affinity towards classic, instant-cameras (Polaroids and Holgas). In 2004, Brendan's work was on display at the Leica Gallery on Broadway that featured over 80 of his black+white prints.

Since I never see Brendan in any of the sleezy celeb rags at the supermarket, I figured he must be of similar character in real life. Well, yes and no. Although he was married to the same woman for many of his salad days, having 3 kids to boot, they divorced at about the same time as Mummy III was released (married about 10 years, which in Hollywood-time is closer to 22 or so). There are also rumors that, like Matthew McConaughey (who, unlike our man Fraser, seems like a first-class jerk), Brendan was losing his hair and got plugs. Not sure if this is even true and it doesn't really matter anyway. At any rate, I was sorely disappointed to hear of his divorce, since that tarnishes the image a bit, but oh well. Nobody's perfect.