Brendan Fraser

Fraser in 2009, photo by PrPhotos

Birth Name: Brendan James Fraser

Place of Birth: Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, U.S.

Date of Birth: December 3, 1968

Ethnicity: Irish (one quarter), Scottish, French-Canadian/French, English, German, Austrian, Slovenian

Brendan Fraser is a Canadian and American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Whale (2022). His roles also include Encino Man, School Ties, Son in Law, Airheads, Mrs. Winterbourne, The Twilight of the Golds, George of the Jungle, Gods and Monsters, Blast from the Past, The Mummy and its sequels, Dudley Do-Right, Bedazzled, The Quiet American, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Crash, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, Inkheart, Furry Vengeance, and Killers of the Flower Moon, and television’s Trust (2018), The Affair, and Doom Patrol.

Brendan was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Canadian parents. His mother, Carol Mary (Genereux), was a sales counselor, and his father, Peter Joseph Fraser, Jr., was a former journalist who worked as a Canadian foreign service officer for the Government Office of Tourism. His father was born in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, of Austrian/German/Slovenian, descent on one side; and of mostly Scottish, and some English and French, descent, on the other. His mother was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, of one half Irish, one quarter French-Canadian, and one quarter English, ancestry.

Brendan has three children with his former wife, actress Afton Smith.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2024) stated that Brendan’s genetic ancestry consists of:

*29% Ireland
*25% Scotland
*18% Eastern Europe & Russia
*17% England & Northwestern Europe
*3% Sweden & Denmark
*3% The Balkans
*3% Baltics
*2% Germanic Europe

Brendan’s paternal grandfather was Peter Joseph Fraser (the son of Daniel Murdock/Murdoch “Dan” Fraser and Annie/Anne Jobe). Peter was born in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, Canada. Daniel was the son of Murdoch Fraser, whose parents were Scottish, from Gairloch, Ross and Cromarty; and of Mary Ann MacLean, whose father was Scottish, from Isle of Skye, and whose mother was also of Scottish descent. Brendan’s great-grandmother Annie was the daughter of Peter Jobe, whose father was English and whose mother likely had French ancestry; and of Isabelle/Isabella McLean/MacLean, whose parents were Scottish emigrants, from Barra, Inverness.

Brendan’s paternal grandmother was Anna/Ann Marie Drobesch (the daughter of Herman Drobesch and Anna Marie/Maria Pollanz). Brendan’s grandmother Anna was born in Essen, Germany, and moved to Canada c. the late 1910s, as a small child. Herman was born in Sankt Peter, Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria. Brendan’s great-grandmother Anna Marie was born in Eibiswald, Deutschlandsberg Bezirk, Styria, Austria, the daughter of Josef Pollanz/Polenc and Johanna. Many of Brendan’s grandmother’s ancestors were vintners, with roots in Feisternitz, Wutschenberg, and Sterglegg. Brendan has also mentioned having Czech ancestry; though his roots are likely Slovenian, and come from this line.

Brendan’s maternal grandfather was Arthur George Genereux (the son of Jean/John Horace-Horatio Genereux and Daisy Anne/Ann Sanders). Arthur was born in Lathbridge, Alberta, Canada. Jean was of French-Canadian ancestry, the son of Joseph Antoine Edouard Genereux and Phebee/Phebe Elizabeth Gazaille dit St Germain. Daisy was English, born in Essex, the daughter of Richard Sanders and Rosa Eliza Clark.

Brendan’s maternal grandmother was Catherine/Cathryn Mary Devine (the daughter of Patrick F. Devine and Mary Ellen McClaven). Catherine was born in Pennsylvania, U.S. Patrick was born in Centralia, Columbia, Pennsylvania, the son of Patrick Devine and Margaret Murphy, and all four of his grandparents were Irish. Brendan’s great-grandmother Mary Ellen was born in Pennsylvania, to Irish parents, James McClaven and Catharine.

Sources: Genealogy of Brendan’s paternal grandfather, Peter Joseph Fraser (focusing on his own mother’s side) – https://sites.rootsweb.com

Obituary of Brendan’s paternal grandfather, Peter Joseph Fraser – https://freepages.rootsweb.com

Genealogy of Brendan’s paternal grandmother, Anna/Ann Marie Drobesch – https://www.findagrave.com

Obituary of Brendan’s paternal grandmother, Anna/Ann Marie (Drobesch) Fraser – https://canadianobits.com

Genealogy of Brendan Fraser (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Brendan’s maternal grandmother, Catherine/Cathryn Mary Devine, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Brendan’s maternal great-grandfather, Patrick F. Devine, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Interview where Brendan mentions his heritage – http://www.irishcentral.com