Tracing Brendan Fraser's gradual transition from silver screen's 'Encino Man' to playing Robotman on DC's 'Doom Patrol'
If you are a kid of the 90s Brendan Fraser ought to be a familiar name. He was in 'Encino Man' and 'School Ties' in 1992, 'Airheads in 1994, 'George of the Jungle' in 1997, 'The Mummy' in 1999 but towards the end of this past decade you'd notice he'd been missing from films, his gorgeous smile and pale eyes lost in the margins somewhere. He used to be there on posters and then suddenly he wasn't. He was in movies and then he wasn't. Soon after he was more of a regular face on television than on the silver screen. And now it seems like he's taken a liking for the small screen for we see him soon as Robotman in DC's new TV series titled 'Doom Patrol'. But before we head onto Doom Patrol, let's take a look back at Fraser's slow transition from Hollywood to television.
Fraser was the youngest of the four siblings in his family, and he was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Canadian-American parents, but his family moved around quite a bit during his childhood, so he claims to not be from one place, a citizen of the world if you will. It was during one particular move to London that Fraser attended his first professional theatre show in the West End where had found an affinity towards theater, and his exposure toward the arts saw him joining Seattle's Cornish Institute (Cornish College of the Arts) to study acting. We never would have got 'George of the Jungle' if Brendan decided to attend graduate school, we're pretty lucky he made that pitstop in Hollywood and decided to stay there.
Fraser's career kicked off with a bit role in River Phoenix's 'Dogfight', where he played a minor role as a sailor. The years ahead has seen Fraser playing many bit parts, and always usually as the charming funnyman. 1992, we saw him playing the lead in 'Encino Man' as a caveman named Link (a play on the concept of the missing link), who got flash frozen in the past, and thawed out in the future.