Paul and Rosalie Walken immigrated to America as adults. They met in New York, married and had three children: Ken, Glenn and Ronald (who later changed his name to Christopher). Ronnie was born on the opening night of Oklahoma! on March 31, 1943. The family resided in Queens and Paul owned and ran a bakery. When the boys were tots, Rosalie would bring them to television show auditions and photography shoots. She belonged to an organization called The Stage Mother’s Society and was very involved with her sons′ young careers. By the early 1950s, all three boys were enrolled in tap dancing classes and were performing regularly on television shows such as Ernie Kovacs, Philco TV Playhouse and The Colgate Comedy Hour. Ronnie appeared on a television series called The Wonderful John Acton, playing the part of Kevin Acton. As the boys got older, they would take the subway by themselves to Manhattan to work in television and theatre. Ronnie attended PCS (Professional Children’s School) and was friends with the world-renowned composer, Marvin Hamlisch, Brandon de Wilde, and Gypsy Rose Lee’s son, Eric. In their free time, Ken, Glenn and Ronnie would help their father out in the bakery.

Ronnie made his off-Broadway debut at age fifteen in Archibald MacLeish’s J.B. and around that time, he took a brief stint acting as a lion tamer’s son in a circus. Ronnie’s job was to bring out an old, extremely docile lion and “tame” him. Ronnie graduated from PCS and attended Hofstra University for about one year. In the spring following his first year at college, Ronnie’s tap instructor, Danny Daniels cast him and his brother, Glenn in the off Broadway musical he was directing and choreographing; Best Foot Forward. Ronnie suggested that Daniels also audition young girl he was taking acting lessons with. That girl was Liza Minelli and she got the part. Over the next two and a half years, Ronnie worked mostly in musical theater. He worked in a touring production of West Side Story and danced opposite Georgianne Thon.

The two were married later in 1969. At age 22, Ronnie was renamed Christopher by Monique Van Vooren, a singer he was working with. He decided to keep it and was billed as Christopher for the first time when he performed in the1965 musical Baker Street in which he danced next to Tommy Tune. Later he came to do numerous dramatic roles, his first being The Lion In Winter, in which he played the part of King Phillip. This was his first speaking (not singing) role and he has noted that he wrestled with extreme stage fright, nervous shakes and broken concentration. Christopher nearly got fired, but begged the show’s producer to give him a chance. He was given three days to find a solution to these dilemmas. Somehow, someway, he overcame his fears and actually went on to win the Clarence Derwent Award for that performance. He was then cast for many other Shakespearian roles and more dramatic stage roles in plays such as The Unknown Soldier. In 1966, he won the Theatre World Award for his performance in the revival of Tennessee Williams′ The Rose Tattoo.

At about age 25, Walken began his film career, with small roles in the films Me And My Brother, the Sidney Lumet-directed The Anderson Tapes, and his first starring role in The Happiness Cage. Christopher then had a small but memorable role in Woody Allen’s classic Annie Hall, in which he played Annie’s brother, Duane. Shortly after that, Christopher was cast as Nick in Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the New York Film Critic’s Circle Award. Soon after, he appeared in Cimino’s critically trashed follow-up picture, Heaven’s Gate with Kris Kristofferson. It was shortly after returning to New York after filming Heaven’s Gate that Christopher was assaulted on the street on which he and Georgianne lived. He had asked two men on the street to turn down their music. The men, in turn, attacked him and broke his nose. But, Walken’s career carried on without a break. He continued to get roles in films such as the western with Margot Kidder, Shoot The Sun Down and the last MGM musical movie, Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin and choreography by Danny Daniels, Walken’s former tap teacher. Christopher received rave reviews from critics regarding his dancing scene in Pennies From Heaven- and compliments from toe-tapping legends Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley.

Name: Christopher Walken
Height: 6′
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Date: March 31 1943
Birth Place: Queens New York USA
Occupation: actor
Education: Professional Children’s School
Hofstra University Hempstead New York (majored in English; attended for one year)
Husband/Wife: Georgianne Walken (casting agent; met while touring with West Side Story; married in 1969)
Father: Paul Walken (baker)
Mother: Rosalie Walken (baker)
Brother: Glenn (actor; born on November 18 1945) and Kenneth Walken (older)
Claim to fame: as Nick in The Deer Hunter (1978)

Actor - filmography
Gigli (2003)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Plots with a View (2002) …. Frank Featherbed
… aka Plotz with a View (2002) (UK)
Down and Under (2002)
Country Bears, The (2002) …. Reid Thimple
Stuart Little 2 (2002) (voice) …. Falcon
Inside Job (2001) …. Jack
Jungle Juice (2001)
Papp Project, The (2001) …. Himself
Poolhall Junkies (2001) …. Mike
Affair of the Necklace, The (2001) …. Count Cagliostro
Chelsea Walls (2001)
MTV Video Music Awards 2001 (2001) (TV) …. Presenter
America’s Sweethearts (2001) …. Hal Weidmann
Joe Dirt (2001) …. Clem
Scotland, PA. (2001) …. Lt. Ernie McDuff
Opportunists, The (2000) …. Victor Kelly
Prophecy 3: The Ascent, The (2000) (V) …. Gabriel
… aka God′s Army III (2000) (V) (Europe: English title: video title)
Cast and Crew (1999) (V)
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary (1999) (TV) …. Himself
Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999) …. Max
Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter’s End (1999) (TV) …. Jacob Witting
Sleepy Hollow (1999) …. The Hessian Horseman
Madonna: The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) (V) …. Guardian Angel (segment “Bad Girl”)
Vendetta (1999/I) (TV) …. James Houston
Blast from the Past (1999) …. Calvin Webber
New Rose Hotel (1998) …. Fox
Antz (1998) (voice) …. Colonel Cutter
Trance (1998/I) …. Uncle Bill Ferriter
… aka Eternal, The (1999) (USA)
Illuminata (1998) …. Bevalaqua
Prophecy II, The (1998) (V) …. Gabriel
… aka God′s Army II (1998) (V) (Europe: English title: video title)
Mouse Hunt (1997) …. Caeser, the Exterminator
Suicide Kings (1997) …. Carlo Bartolucci/Charlie Barret
Excess Baggage (1997) …. Raymond ‘Ray’ Perkins
Touch (1997/I) …. Bill Hill
Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996) (VG) …. David Hassan
Ripper (1996) (VG) …. Det. Vince Magnotta
Last Man Standing (1996) …. Hickey
Funeral, The (1996) …. Ray
Basquiat (1996) …. The Interviewer
… aka Build a Fort, Set It on Fire (1996)
Celluloide (1996)
Things to Do in Denver When You′re Dead (1995) …. The Man With The Plan
Nick of Time (1995) …. Mr. Smith
Wild Side (1995) …. Bruno Buckingham
Addiction, The (1995) …. Peina
Prophecy, The (1995) …. Gabriel
… aka God′s Army (1995) (Europe: English title)
Search and Destroy (1995) …. Kim Ulander
… aka Four Rules, The (1995) (Australia: video title)
Pulp Fiction (1994) …. Captain Koons
Business Affair, A (1994) …. Vanni Corso
… aka Astucias de mujer (1994) (Spain)
… aka D′une femme à l’autre (1994) (France)
… aka Liebe und andere Geschäfte (1994) (Germany)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993) …. Bobby Cahn
True Romance (1993) …. Vincenzo Coccotti
Scam (1993) (TV) …. Jack Shanks
Skylark (1993) (TV) …. Jacob Witting
… aka Sarah, Plain and Tall: Skylark (1993) (TV) (USA)
All-American Murder (1992) (V) …. P.J. Decker
Grand pardon II, Le (1992) …. Pasco Meisner
… aka Day of Atonement (1992)
Batman Returns (1992) …. Maximillian ‘Max’ Shreck
Mistress (1992) …. Warren Zell
McBain (1991) …. McBain
Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991) (TV) …. Jacob Witting
Comfort of Strangers, The (1990) …. Robert
… aka Cortesie per gli ospiti (1990) (Italy)
King of New York (1990) …. Frank White
Communion (1989) …. Whitley Strieber
Cannon Movie Tales: Puss in Boots (1988) …. Puss
Milagro Beanfield War, The (1988) …. Kyril Montana
Homeboy (1988) …. Wesley Pendergass
Biloxi Blues (1988) …. Sergeant Toomey
… aka Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues (1988)
Deadline (1987) …. Don Stevens
… aka Witness in the War Zone (1987) (International: English title)
At Close Range (1986) …. Brad Whitewood, Sr.
View to a Kill, A (1985) …. Max Zorin
Dead Zone, The (1983) …. Johnny Smith
Brainstorm (1983) …. Dr. Michael Anthony Brace
Shoot the Sun Down (1981)
Who Am I This Time? (1981) (TV) …. Harry Nash
Pennies from Heaven (1981) …. Tom
Dogs of War, The (1980) …. Shannon
Heaven’s Gate (1980) …. Nathan D. Champion
… aka Johnson County Wars (1980)
Last Embrace (1979) …. Eckart
Deer Hunter, The (1978) …. Nikanor Chebotarevich
Roseland (1977) …. Russel
Annie Hall (1977) …. Duane Hall
Sentinel, The (1977) …. Detective Rizzo
Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) …. Robert
Valley Forge (1974) (TV)
Happiness Cage, The (1972) …. Private James H. Reese
… aka Demon Within, The (1972)
… aka Mind Snatchers, The (1972)
Anderson Tapes, The (1971) …. The Kid
Me and My Brother (1968)
Barefoot in Athens (1966) (TV)
… aka George Schaefer’s Showcase Theatre: Barefoot in Athens (1966) (TV) (USA: series title)
“Guiding Light, The” (1952) TV Series …. Michael ‘Mike’ Bauer #1 (1954-56)
… aka “Guiding Light” (1978) (USA: new title)
“Wonderful John Acton, The” (1953) TV Series (as Ronnie Walken) …. Kevin Acton

A gregarious actor with a smile that lights up the screen, Cuba Gooding Jr experienced the highs and lows of show business growing up as the son of his famous singer father. As he explained to the LOS ANGELES TIMES (January 5, 1997): “We lived in a big house and had chauffeurs, we’d go backstage at the concerts and then in the fifth grade . . . bang! Rock bottom.” When his parents divorced, he moved with his mother, brother and sister out of the limelight and began facing financial hardships, which included stretches of being evicted and living in a car, as well as time on the welfare rolls. While the family was staying in a cheap motel in suburban Orange County, Gooding befriended future personal assistant Shawn Suttles and production company partner Derek Broes, and the three perfected their breakdancing moves, christening themselves the Majestic Vision Breakdancers. Their routine was “phat” enough to get them into the breakdancing extravaganza that was part of the closing ceremonies at the 1984 Olympic Games, and the gig landed Gooding an agent, opening the door a crack to the world he had known as a child.
Gooding landed his first professional role as a thug in an episode of NBC’s “Hill Street Blues”, then stole some hubcaps when guesting on “Jake and the Fatman” (CBS). Other series appearances (i.e., “The Bronx Zoo” and “Amen”, both NBC) and commercials followed before he made his feature acting debut as Boy Getting Haircut in “Coming to America″ (1988). His breakthrough came with a starring role in John Singleton’s celebrated directorial debut, “Boyz N the Hood” (1991). Playing the troubled Tre Styles, who finds the strength to rise above the self-destructive violence of the ghetto, Gooding sensitively conveyed the pressures and contradictions attendant upon young black men growing up in South Central Los Angeles. He was on top of the world, a media darling, and then the offers started to come in. As he told Entertainment Weekly in February 1997: “The scripts I got were Boyz N the Hood 2, 3, Boyz N the Hood Goes to Heaven, Boyz N the Hood Goes to the Laundromat, Boyz at the Supermarket. ‘Can I help ya? Yes’m. I’ll take two loafs of bread, cuz.’ I wasn’t into it.” After landing in the high-powered supporting cast of the blockbuster court-martial drama “A Few Good Men” (1992), Gooding stumbled as the star of that year’s “Rocky” wannabe “Gladiator″ (1992) and as the mute sidekick of Paul Hogan in “Lightning Jack” (1994, in a role that purportedly was intended for a dog). Having managed to stand out in “Judgment Night” (1993) as part of the youthful ensemble forced to battle for their lives after witnessing a crime in Chicago’s inner-city, he kept his career on life-support with small roles in “Losing Isaiah” and “Outbreak” (1995) as well as one of the titular “The Tuskegee Airmen” (HBO, 1995). When Damon Wayans left the producers of “Jerry Maguire” (1996) scrambling for a last-minute replacement for the role of Rod Tidwell, Gooding stepped into the breach and delivered what Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly called a “ferocious star-making performance.” As the strutting but ultimately principled pro-football player, he provided a highly sympathetic, multi-faceted portrayal of an egomaniacal but insecure athlete. The part earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and cries of “Show me the money!” his catchphrase to the titular agent played by Tom Cruise, greeted him wherever he went.

Gooding had finally delivered on the promise of “Boyz”, and though good supporting roles as Greg Kinnear’s gay buddy in “As Good As It Gets” (1997) and as Robin Williams’ tour guide in “What Dreams May Come” (1998) followed, it was sobering to learn that Columbia, which had released “Boyz”, “Jerry Maguire” and “As Good As it Gets”, still considered Martin Lawrence more bankable when it came to casting “Blue Streak” (1999). To raise his profile farther, he appeared in a series of Pepsi One commercials showcasing his high energy and neon-bright smile. Some critics faulted him for doing them, but the pesky ads certainly increased his exposure, helping with that all-important name recognition that powers Hollywood clout. In his first leading role since his Oscar win, Gooding broke out of the rut of outgoing, flamboyant characters with a much more cerebral turn as an ambitious psychiatrist trying to draw out Anthony Hopkins’ psychotic killer (equal parts Hannibal Lecter and Lear). Thrilled by the color-blind casting, he earned positive reviews, though the thriller itself left little else to recommend it. That year he also portrayed a small-town guy trying to prevent a chemical weapon from detonating in “Chill Factor″ and took his first crack at producing with “A Murder of Crows”, an independent feature broadcast on Cinemax. A further sign of his growing clout came when he was cast opposite Robert De Niro in “Men of Honor″ (2000), the biopic of the US Navy’s first black salvage-and-retrieval expert.

Chris Klein, Posessing the sort of apple-cheeked, translucent-skinned All-American wholesomeness that has made him a natural for the pretty boy jock roles which began his career, Chris Klein started a minor sensation after appearing in only two films. The actor, who is a testament to both good PR and the American appetite for all that is young, athletic, and bearing no discernible acne scars, was born in Chicago on March 14, 1979. After spending the first thirteen years of his life there, he moved with his family to Nebraska. It was while he was in high school that Klein was discovered by director Alexander Payne, who was busy casting his upcoming film, Election (1999). Klein won the role of Paul Metzler in Payne’s film, which opened to enthusiastic reviews. As Paul, Klein played the dim but sweet football player persuaded by Matthew Broderick’s Jim McAllister to run against the unopposed Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) in the school’s student council election. Klein played a similar character in his next film, the 1999 summer smash American Pie. As Chris “Oz” Ostreicher, Klein was again seen as a sweetly dim high school jock, who, rather than wanting to win an election, channeled his energies toward losing his virginity. The success of the film was great enough to lead Klein to drop out of Texas Christian University (where he had been a freshman) to follow an acting career that had certainly gotten off to a serendipitous beginning. Filmography
United States of Leland, The (2002) …. Allan Hughes
We Were Soldiers (2002) …. 2nd Lieutenant Jack Geoghegan
Rollerball (2002) …. Jonathan Cross
… aka Rollerball (2002) (Germany)
American Pie 2 (2001) …. Chris ‘Oz’ Ostreicher
Say It Isn’t So (2001) …. Gilbert Noble
2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) (TV) …. Presenter
Here on Earth (2000) …. Kelvin ‘Kelley′ Morse
Spotlight on Location: American Pie (1999) (TV) …. Himself
… aka Making of ‘American Pie’, The (1999) (TV) (USA: DVD title)
American Pie (1999) …. Chris ‘Oz’ Ostreicher
“WWF Smackdown!” (1999) TV Series …. Himself
… aka “Smackdown! Xtreme” (1999) (USA)
… aka “Vince MacMahon’s SmackDown!” (1999) (USA)
… aka “World Wrestling Federation Smackdown!” (1999) (USA)
Election (1999) …. Paul Metzler

Although he is most often recognized nowadays for his portrayal of one of the ‘grunts’ in Saving Private Ryan, Barry Pepper is hoping to use his newfound fame to cement himself a place in the Hollywood landscape.

Pepper was born in British Columbia, Canada, in 1970, but the family didn’t stick around for too long. The Peppers were an eccentric brood, and they had been building a ship in their backyard for years. When Barry was five years old, the ship was done and the family set sail. Christened “The Moonlighter″, the 50 ft. ship would be their home for the next five years. They navigated through the Islands of the South Pacific, using only a sextant and the stars as guides. While visiting such exotic locales as Fiji and Tahiti, Barry was educated through correspondence courses and sometimes enrolled in public schools. He grew up around Polynesian children and credits them for his love of dance, music and other expressive arts. Barry had plenty of time to practice his newfound loves too. Without television as entertainment on the ship, the family relied on games and sketch acting for fun.

When the five year cruise was over, the Peppers returned to their native Canada, where they set up shop on a small island off the West Coast near Vancouver. They built a farm on the outskirts of a small artist’s town, which was populated mainly by hippies, poets, musicians and other craftsmen. Barry enrolled in college and majored in Marketing and Graphic Design, but after getting involved with the Vancouver Actors Studio, he changed his course. Once again, he was using the stars to navigate…Pepper landed a role on Madison (think 90210 - Canadian style) and then moved on to slightly more prestigious roles south of the border. Television movies followed, most notably the mini-series Titanic, which co-starred George C. Scott. Still, Barry’s career really wasn’t taking off. He was a hard working actor, but not a star. That all changed in 1998. After a string of big screen duds, the highpoint of which was Firestorm, Pepper secured himself a role in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan.

The film would captivate the world with its gruesome but realistic depiction of the carnage of WWII. Pepper portrayed a deeply religious sniper and played out that inherent contradiction well - quoting the bible as he calculatingly took aim on enemy after enemy. With the success of the film came sudden stardom for its cast - complete with photo spreads, interviews, and even some Oscar buzz. Pepper followed it up with a small but noteworthy role in the summer blockbuster, Enemy of the State opposite Will Smith and Gene Hackman. He will soon be seen once again with his SPR co-star Tom Hanks in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Green Mile.

Filmography
Knockaround Guys (2002) …. Matty Demaret
25th Hour, The (2002) …. Frank Slattery
We Were Soldiers (2002) …. Joseph Galloway
61* (2001) (TV) …. Roger Maris
… aka 61 (2001) (TV) (USA)
We All Fall Down (2000)
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) …. Jonnie Goodboy Tyler
… aka Battlefield Earth (2000) (USA: short title)
Green Mile, The (1999) …. Dean Stanton
… aka Stephen King’s The Green Mile (1999) (USA: complete title)
Into the Breach: ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998) (V) …. Himself
Enemy of the State (1998) …. Detective David Pratt
Saving Private Ryan (1998) …. Private Daniel Jackson
Firestorm (1998) …. Packer
Dead Silence (1997) (TV) (uncredited) …. Airport Officer
Urban Safari (1996) …. Rico
Titanic (1996) (TV) …. Assistant Marconi Operator Harold Bride
Johnny’s Girl (1995) (TV) …. Jimmy Zee
Killer Among Friends, A (1992) (TV) …. Mickey

Brendan Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 3rd, 1968, to Peter and Carol Fraser and is a dual Canadian-American citizen. His father is a retired Canadian Tourism Commission official and his mother is a sales counselor. As a child, Fraser and his three older brothers, Kevin, Sean, and Regan, moved about every two or three years due to their father’s job, living in cities around Canada, the United States, and Europe. Some stops included Amsterdam, London, Ottawa, Cincinnati, and Detroit. He mentioned to Cindy Pearlman in Seventeen, ” In London, I was 12 or 13, and I would go off on my own and see plays. The stage just fascinated me. I couldn’t get enough.

“When he was 14, Fraser and his family were in Seattle, Washington, and he began working with the Laughing Horse Summer Theater in Ellensburg, Washington, appearing in repertory classics such as Waiting for Godot and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After that, he attended high school at Upper Canada College Preparatory School in Toronto, where he was an average student in all but his theater courses, then moved back to Seattle to study drama at the Cornish College of the Arts, where he received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Soon, he was landing parts with the local Intiman Theater and planned to pursue a master of fine arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. However, before he made it to graduate school, Fraser and landed a one-line role in a Hollywood film. That movie never hit the theaters, but he managed to make a good impression and continued to go on auditions. Unlike most would-be actors, Fraser never waited tables or parked cars; he went straight to the screen. He soon snagged a role playing ” Sailor No.1 ” in the Vietnam-era drama Dogfight, 1991, with River Phoenix and Lili Taylor, which was filmed in Seattle. Through this project, he met a casting agent who sent him to read for another role and introduced him to more contacts. Fraser and then made two television movies that year and soon won a major role of Link in Encino Man, 1992, about a pair of high schoolers who thaw out a caveman (Fraser) on and introduce him to the wonders of the modern era.

Even though Encino Man was roundly panned, it established Fraser’s place as a new Hollywood hunk, and he soon mailed a note to Southern Methodist University letting them know he would not be enrolling. After Encino Man, Fraser really turned heads as the lead in the 1992 picture School Ties, one of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s early movies. He actually filmed this picture before Encino Man, but it came out later in the year. In it, he played David Green, a Jewish boy who conceals his ethnicity and fellow students at a prep school in the 1950’s. Next he reprised the character of Link in the Pauley Shore duds, Son In Law, 1993, and In the Army Now, 1994. He continued to run the gamut of roles, playing another preppie part in With Honors, 1994. In that project, his character is a Harvard student who befriends a homeless man. That same year, he also played one of the three rocker dudes who try to commandeered a radio station Airheads. Although Fraser’s roles in Encino Man and Airheads led to many offers that he described as ” Hey dude, let’s party!’ stuff, ” he was outstanding in a more challenging role in the The Scout, co-starring Albert Brooks, as an eccentric baseball player and his mentor. For this film, at the age of 25, he commanded a reported 1.5 million salary. Unlike his character, however, Frazer had little aptitude for baseball in real life, as fans soon discovered: ” I was asked to pitch the opening pitch of a Mariners game, “he told Rebecca Escher-Walsh in Entertainment Weekly, ” and it was miserable. I pitch the worst slider you’ve ever seen. ”

Off the field and back on camera, Fraser was impressive once again in The Passion of Darkly Noon, playing an orphan who tries to balance his religious beliefs with his lust for a woman (Ashley Judd). This allowed him to display his range even further. His next project, Mrs. Winterbourne, in which Fraser played a set of twins, fare poorly with critics and audiences, but he was singled out for praise. A reviewer for the New Republic noted that in the film, Fraser ” suggests Robert Montgomery, the debonair charmer and skillful light comedian of the 30’s and 40’s. Montgomery later tried his hand at darker roles, as Fraser May, too, but in the lighter ones month, could always rely on our chuckling along with him, and Fraser has much the same gift.” Fraser’s next big project was anything but a dark, however, as he tackled the dim yet lovable title character in George of the Jungle, based on the animated cartoon from the 1960’s. ” I′ve always been a fan of Tarzan films, ” Fraser remarked in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. ” I′ve seen what I think must be the original pact was made in 1918.

It was Tarzan the Ape Man, starring Elmo Lincoln, who was rather potbellied but still one of my favorites.” Unlike Lincoln, Fraser buffed up for the part which required wearing a loincloth through out. He had to go on a diet and spent six months working out. ” I guess George’s jungle had a StairMaster in it, ” he mentioned to Chuck Arnold in People. Though this built Fraser’s image as a sex symbol, the film was geared toward kids. Continuing to avoid typecasting, Fraser also played a gay opera director in a 1997 cable movie, the acclaimed The Twilight of the Golds, and was also cast as the romantic lead in Still Breathing, for which he earned a Best Actor or award at the 1997 Seattle International Film Festival. In 1998, he showed up in the highly lauded Gods and Monsters, opposite respected British Shakespearean actor Ian McKellen. The movie is a fictionalized account of the last days of real-life Hollywood director James Whale, the creative force behind 1931’s classic horror film Frankenstein, as well as Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. McKellen as Whale be friends Fraser as Clay Boone, a course-mannered lawn care contractor whose sensitive side is revealed. The film draws obvious parallels between the misunderstood Frankenstein monster and Fraser’s character. Both McKellen and Fraser were roundly applauded for their work, as was Lynn Redgrave, who played Whale’s dowdy housekeeper.

After the critical hit of Gods and Monsters, in early 1999 Fraser appeared in Blast from the Past, in which he emerges in the 1990’s after dwelling in a bomb shelter with his odd parents since 1962. Many reviewers drew parallels between this role and his early Encino Man, which also cast him as a newcomer to the modern age. For his ” gee-whiz ” attitude, Fraser modeled his performance on the style of Dick Van Dyke with his clean-cut, old-fashioned sensibility but his unselfconscious ability for physical comedy as well. Later that year, he had a smash hit with The Mummy, as part of a team of archaeologists that unearth a malevolent ancient Egyptian body. Although many critics were not appreciative of The Mummy, others dubbed Fraser as the next Harrison Ford due to his swashbuckling leading man antics, and audiences made it one of the year’s blockbusters. For this project, Fraser endured 130-degree heat while filming in Morocco, but as he mentioned to Jim Slotek in the Toronto Sun, he was ready for ” a straight-ahead action picture ” and “relished the adventure of it all, being in the Sahara Desert.” He was also excited about the film because, as he told Liz Smith in Newsday, it is ” true to the original [Boris] Karloff version. It’s ‘monster’ movie, yes, but also it is a love story. The Mummy drew $44.6 million in its first weekend, the most ever for a non-summer opener, thus lifting Fraser’s profile in the industry. Subsequently, his salary was boosted to an estimated $10 million per film.

Also in 1999, Fraser landed in another real-life cartoon role as the lead in Dudley Do-Right an appropriate part, considering that his great-great-grandfather was a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman in the late 19th century. Fraser is a stocky 6 ft., 3 in. tall with dark brown hair. Most interviewers note his unassuming, polite manner, almost to the point of shyness. He met fellow actor Afton Smith at Winona Ryder’s Fourth of July barbecue in 1993, and they married on September 27th, 1998, after a romantic yet bungled proposal on the river Seine in Paris. Too shy to ask her outright, he popped the question in a creative way: He secretly pinned a note that read, ” Will you marry me, Afton? ” inside his jacket and then set a Polaroid camera on the edge of the bridge with a timer to capture a picture of the two of them as he flashed open his coat. Once the image developed, though, the sign was too small to read. Afton asked if it was a price tag, and opened Fraser’s coat to check at which time she saw the sign. ” I was at such a clumsy clodhopper I dropped something, ” he related to Jan Stuart in Newsday. ” I figured [since] I was already on bended knee I might as well say in the words and come out with the ring. She wept. I wept.” Fraser and his wife have a contemporary home in Los Angeles, and he remains an avid snapshot taker with his collection of vintage Polaroids.