Brendan Fraser was one of the biggest names in Hollywood in the ’90s. We know all about his onscreen exploits, but what do we know about his romantic life? Did you know he and his former wife Afton Smith co-starred in one of his biggest hits?
Fraser’s Romance With Fellow Actor Afton Smith
Fraser started acting in the early ’90s, and his career quickly took off. In 1993, the actor attended a Fourth of July barbecue at Winona Ryder’s house. It was there that he met Afton Smith, an actress who had appeared in the hit movie Less than Zero, and alongside Ryder in Reality Bites.
The couple began dating and even appeared in a movie together: 1997’s George of the Jungle. Fraser played the titular role, while Smith played one of co-star Leslie Mann’s friends. The pair tied the knot a year later, and share three sons: Griffin, Holden, and Leland.
Even though Smith had previously said that acting was always her dream, she soon lost interest in her career, saying, “The passion kind of died for me in the acting world, and I thought best leave it to people who are really great at it.”
The Couple’s Split
In 2007, Fraser and Smith announced that they were getting a divorce. “They continue to maintain a close and caring friendship,” Fraser’s publicist said in a public statement. The former couple sold their Beverly Hills home and the actor moved to Bedford, New York.
Fraser was ordered to pay alimony and child support, but in 2013, the actor petitioned the courts for a reduction in his payments; he was previously ordered to pay Smith $900,000 a year, along with $30,000 in child support.
At the time, Fraser was not regularly working as an actor, and he claimed he could no longer afford to pay that amount. Smith accused her ex-husband of hiding financial assets and claimed he hid $9 million in new film contracts while they were settling the details of their divorce.
Fraser’s Career Resurgence
The child support was lowered due to the fact that Fraser had no upcoming acting gigs. However, in recent years, the actor is experiencing a resurgence in his career. The once-struggling actor now boasts starring roles in upcoming projects like Batgirl and the Martin Scorsese project Killers of the Flower Moon.
Fraser’s marriage to Smith might not have worked out, but it’s nice to see that the beloved actor is continuing to be recognized for his work years after his Hollywood beginnings.
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