Entertainment

Brendan Fraser Has Done A Lot Since 'George Of The Jungle'

by Allie Gemmill
Disney

It was the Tarzan spoof seen round the world. Twenty years ago, George of the Jungle and its star, Brendan Fraser, made a splash in cinemas. With Fraser's vine-swinging, hunky George, an animatronic talking gorilla named Ape, a not-so-in-distress damsel played by Leslie Mann, George of the Jungle was a spoof squarely targeted at young Millennials that delivered lots of goofy goodness. Now, two decades later, you're probably curious where George of the Jungle's Fraser is nowadays.

The chances of Fraser simply falling off the radar after George of the Jungle were slim to none. A film actor since his early twenties — some of his first film roles include Encino Man and School Ties — Fraser has continued to perform in the 20 years since George of the Jungle premiered. The '90s were perhaps a prime decade for Fraser, with his most notable films being made during this decade. They include George of the Jungle, as well as: Gods and Monsters, The Mummy, Blast from the Past, and Dudley Do-Right.

In more recent years, Fraser's carved out niches primarily in television and independent films, though he has been called up for the occasional big screen adventure. He had a supporting role as in the third season of The Affair; he appeared in adventure epics Journey to the Center of the Earth with Josh Hutcherson and, later, Inkheart; he even reprised his star-making role as Rick O'Connell in two Mummy sequels. See? He's definitely not falling off the radar anytime soon.

It should be noted that, recently, Fraser's personal woes have become just a big a news item as his acting work. Some news outlets have focused on his 2007 divorce from ex-wife, actor Afton Smith. TMZ broke the news that Fraser was allegedly attempting to lower his alimony payments in 2013, with implications being that his financial and personal issues have been preventing him from taking work that is on par with films like George of the Jungle and The Mummy.

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Despite the personal obstacles Fraser has had to overcome since his '90s heydays, the fact that he is still acting and, better yet, acting in some truly notable projects should still be considered a major win. And if you ever forget why he deserves to be remembered fondly, just pop on George of the Jungle and treat yourself with this fun reminder.