Oscars 2023: Brendan Fraser gives a shoutout to autistic son Griffin, 20, after winning Best Actor award

Brendan Fraser has three sons, Griffin, Holden and Leland, with his ex wife Afton Smith

PUBLISHED MAR 13, 2023

Brendan Fraser attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Brendan Fraser bagged the award for the best Best Actor at the 95th Annual Academy Awards. During his acceptance speech, Fraser thanked everyone and gave a special tribute to his autistic son, Griffin.

Fraser arrived at the event with his two other sons, Holden, 18 and Leland, 16 but did not forget about Griffin, 20. Winning the award, Fraser said with a smile, "Griffin, love you, buddy." Fraser has three sons with his ex-wife Afton Smith. Fraser and Smith were married for nine years before filing for divorce in 2007.

Oscars 2023: 'Emotional' Brendan Fraser wins Best Actor for 'The Whale', fans call it 'greatest comeback'

Brendan Fraser accepts the Best Actor award for 'The Whale' onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California (Getty Images)

What did Brendan Fraser win an Oscar for?

Fraser won the Oscar for 'The Whale', in which he essayed the role of an overweight father trying to reconnect with his daughter. He put on 600lbs for his character, Charlie, and wore a bodysuit that weighed 300lbs every day.

Brendan Fraser as Charlie in a still from 'The Whale' (A24) — Brendan Fraser played Charlie in 'The Whale' (A24)

The actor has said that for his role in the film, he reflected on his relationship with his 20-year-old son Griffin. He told Interview Magazine, "I have three kids of my own, my oldest son Griffin has special needs - he's autistic. He just turned 20, he's a big kid, he's six foot five, he's got big hands and feet, a big body. I understand intimately what it is to be close to a person who lives with obesity."

(L-R) Holden Fletcher Fraser, Leland Francis Fraser, Brendan Fraser and Jeanne Moore attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. — Holden Fletcher Fraser, Leland Francis Fraser, Brendan Fraser and Jeanne Moore attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

Brendan Fraser's favorite son

Calling Griffin the "happiest person" in his life, he added, "And because of the beauty of his spectrum - call it a disorder if you will, I disagree with you - he knows nothing of irony. He doesn't know what cynicism is. You can't insult him. He can't insult you. He's the happiest person and is, in my life and many others, also the manifestation of love. Being with my kids and their mom and our family has given me such love that if ever I needed to hold something of value up to try and translate that to what was important to Charlie [Fraser's character in 'The Whale'], I didn’t have to look far."