From Griffin’s autism journey to Holden’s “raining petals” moment and Leland’s playful “fireplug” spirit, Brendan Fraser’s three sons have stayed close through his comeback and major milestones.
When Brendan Fraser stepped onto the red carpet with the people who matter most. it wasn’t just Hollywood spotlight—it was family. His sons. Griffin Fraser. Holden Fraser. and Leland Fraser. were by his side ahead of the March 2023 Academy Awards event in Los Angeles. joining Brendan and his girlfriend. Jeanne Moore. as he returned to the awards conversation.
Fraser’s comeback momentum had been building around his 2022 feature The Whale. directed by Darren Aronofsky. which earned him an Oscar nod. But the story that ran alongside the nomination was older than any press cycle: the way his sons have shown up for him—at screenings and other awards stops—over the years.
The night carried emotion he didn’t keep hidden. After the Oscar nomination landed. Fraser told Extra that his kids surprised him with “cake and balloons.” He said they “sneaked into the house” and had “a plan. ” and then admitted what those details mean to him now: sharing it with his loved ones became “a core memory.”.
Fraser has shared his children with his ex-wife, Afton Smith. Brendan and Afton were married from 1998 to 2008. In 2018, Fraser told GQ that his sons live with their mother in Greenwich, Connecticut, a short distance from his home in Bedford, New York. “They’re here all the time,” he said.
Griffin Fraser is the oldest. Griffin Arthur Fraser was born in 2002. In a 2018 interview with GQ. Fraser said. “Griffin’s rated on the autism spectrum. ” adding that he needs “extra love in the world. ” and that his brothers support him in their own ways. Fraser described one brother as “always the spokesperson” and the other as “the enforcer.”.
In the same portrait, Fraser credited Griffin with changing the mood around him—calling him “a curative on everyone who meets him.” He said people often have “rough edges,” and that Griffin helps “put things into sharper relief” and find more “compassion.”
Griffin also drew deeper personal reflections from his father in an Interview magazine chat with Freddie Prinze Jr. Fraser said Griffin has special needs and is autistic. and that Griffin “just turned 20.” He added that Griffin is “a big kid. ” “six foot five. ” with “big hands and feet. ” and a “big body.” Fraser spoke about understanding his son’s experience with obesity and said. “And because of the beauty of his spectrum—call it a disorder if you will. I disagree with you—he knows nothing of irony.”.
Fraser said Griffin can’t be insulted and can’t insult. and that he’s the “happiest person.” He called Griffin “the manifestation of love. ” and said being close to his children and their mother gave him a kind of clarity that he could bring back to his The Whale character. Charlie. “I didn’t have to look far,” Fraser said.
Holden Fraser follows, born in 2004. Holden Fletcher Fraser accompanied Brendan to a New York City screening of The Whale in November 2022, and Fraser noted he was already taller than his famous father.
Even before Holden became part of The Whale-era spotlight. Fraser remembered a line the then-young boy delivered that stayed with him. In 2008, Fraser told Redbook about something Holden said when Holden was just 4. Fraser recalled: “The other day. when my 4-year-old saw a flowering tree and said. ‘Daddy. it’s raining petals. ‘” and he described it as poetry that “melted my heart into a mushy. yummy Fudgsicle.”.
Fraser also said at the time his kids didn’t yet understand what his career meant. “They don’t know,” he told Redbook. He said they were “5, 4, and 2,” mostly focused on SpongeBob SquarePants. When he told them he was going to work. Fraser said. he’d show them a picture of himself “flying through the air with a monster.” Their response was simple: “Cool. ” and Fraser said to them he was “just the guy who brings them Pirate Booty when they’re hungry.”.
Leland Francis Fraser is the youngest, born in 2006. Like his brothers, Leland has grown up away from the public eye. Fraser once described him as a “professional fireplug” during a 2010 appearance on The Rachel Ray Show, per PEOPLE. He said, “He goes through brushes and briers and comes out on the other side scratched and smiling. It’s all good!”.
In a 2010 interview with Parade magazine. Fraser talked about being physically affectionate with his youngest as a kind of everyday ritual. He said. “I always hug and kiss them whether they like it or not. ” and then explained the scene: he tells them. “Come here. you. ” and they blow raspberries on him.
The love in that routine came with a fear Fraser admitted openly. He said. “It makes my heart stop beating for a moment to think it were true that my children might be in any kind of jeopardy.” He added that it frightens him. and that he would do whatever it takes. “What parent wouldn’t?. I’d throw myself in front of a train if I had to for their well-being.” Fraser said. “That doesn’t mean you can protect them from everything. but you have to try.”.
That’s the through-line tying Griffin. Holden. and Leland to Fraser’s biggest nights and toughest hours—no matter how far the spotlight swings back toward him. On the awards carpet in March 2023, with The Whale shaping the moment, the strongest detail wasn’t the camera-ready storyline. It was the way his sons and his family kept showing up. turning achievements and surprises into something they could all hold onto together.
Brendan Fraser Griffin Fraser Holden Fraser Leland Fraser The Whale Darren Aronofsky Oscar nomination Jeanne Moore Afton Smith 95th Academy Awards red carpet