Brendan James Fraser ( FRAY-zər; born December 3, 1968) is an American and Canadian actor. Fraser had his breakthrough in 1992 with the comedy Encino Man and the drama School Ties. He gained further prominence for his starring roles in the comedies With Honors (1994) and George of the Jungle (1997) and emerged as a star playing Rick O'Connell in The Mummy films (1999–present). In 2023 he starred in Darren Aronofsky's drama film The Whale (2022). For his role as an obese gay man in the latter he received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the first Canadian to win an Oscar in that category.He also received nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. He also starred in the films Gods and Monsters (1998), The Quiet American (2002), and Crash (2004), and further fantasy roles in Bedazzled (2000), Inkheart and Journey to the Center of the Earth (both 2008). Fraser's film work slowed from the late 2000s to mid-2010s due to poor box office performances and various health and personal issues, including the fallout from a sexual assault allegedly committed against him in 2003 by Philip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Fraser branched out into television with roles in the Showtime drama The Affair (2016–2017), the FX series Trust (2018). and the HBO Max series Doom Patrol (2019–2023).He also had starring roles in Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move (2021) and Rental Family (2025).