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All About Brendan Fraser's 3 Kids

Leland Fraser, Brendan Fraser and Holden Fraser
Leland Fraser, Brendan Fraser and Holden Fraser

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Brendan Fraser is a proud father of three.

The actor, who has recently made headlines for his comeback film role in The Whale, shares three sons with his ex-wife Afton Smith.

The couple first met in 1993 at the start of Fraser's career and eventually tied the knot on Sept. 27, 1998.

Fraser and Smith welcomed their first child, Griffin Arthur Fraser, a few years later in 2002. They then welcomed two more children: Holden Fletcher Fraser in 2004 and Leland Francis Fraser in 2006.

Fraser and Smith split in December 2007, and the former couple has continued to co-parent their children together, with Fraser noting in a 2018 GQ interview that his children visit him "all the time."

Though Fraser doesn't share much about his kids, he has talked about them from time to time in interviews. In November 2022, his sons Holden and Leland made a rare public appearance as they joined Fraser for a screening of his film The Whale. Fraser also shared that his kids surprised him with cake and balloons following his Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

"They sneaked into the house, they had a plan," he told Extra with a laugh. "That and the feeling that sharing that moment with my loved ones is now a core memory of mine."

In March 2023, Holden and Leland supported their dad at the Oscars.

"We are unbelievably proud. Over the moon," Holden told Laverne Cox on the E! red carpet, referring to Fraser's Oscar nomination for his role in The Whale.

Later that evening, Fraser took home the award for Best Actor and mentioned his three sons in his acceptance speech.

"It's been like I've been on a diving expedition to the bottom of the ocean, and the air on the line [has come from] some people in my life like my sons Holden and Leland and Griffin — I love you, Griffey," he said.

Here's everything to know about Fraser's kids.

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Griffin Arthur Fraser

Griffin is Fraser and Smith's firstborn son, whom they welcomed on Sept. 17, 2002. In his interview with GQ in 2018, Fraser revealed that Griffin is on the autism spectrum. "He needs extra love in the world, and he gets it," he said of his then-15-year-old son.

"[He is] a curative on everyone who meets him, I noticed," the actor continued of his son. "People have some rough edges to them. Or he just makes them, I don't know…put things into sharper relief and maybe find a way to have a little bit more compassion. They don't put themselves first so much around him."

Fraser spoke about Griffin again during a February 2023 interview with Howard Stern, revealing why he makes an effort to reach out to fans with autism at public events.

"Because my oldest son is autistic, and I know how meaningful it is to their families and to them. It means a lot to feel like you can gratify someone just by showing up, it means a lot," he explained.

The father of three also spoke about the struggles many parents face while advocating for their children with autism. "You're going to encounter a lot of really colorful people, and how you navigate that comes down to how much you know that everything's going to be okay," he explained. "You must believe that in spite of it."

Holden Fletcher Fraser

Fraser and Smith welcomed their son Holden on Aug. 16, 2004. In his interview with GQ, Fraser opened up about his youngest sons' special bond with Griffin. "Ever since they were small, one was always the spokesperson and the other was the enforcer."

While speaking with PARADE in 2010, Fraser admitted that his film Extraordinary Measures, which follows a man on the verge of losing his critically ill children, gave him a newfound appreciation for his "very healthy" children.

"I always hug and kiss them whether they like it or not. I'm like, 'Come here, you,' and you blow raspberries on them. That's what I do," he said. "I'd throw myself in front of a train if I had to for their well being. That doesn't mean you can protect them from everything, but you have to try."

In November 2022, Holden made a rare public appearance with his father as he stepped out for a screening of The Whale in N.Y.C.

In February 2023, Fraser spoke about another rare appearance: when he visited Holden's film studies class. "They'd all gone out to see The Whale, and they're whipsmart kids," he told Willie Geist of Sunday TODAY. "They understand the craft of filmmaking in a way that's so impressive."

Leland Francis Fraser

Leland is Fraser and Smith's youngest son, whom they welcomed on May 2, 2006. During an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show in February 2010, Fraser described his youngest as "a professional fire plug." "He goes through brushes and briers and comes out on the other side scratched and smiling. It's all good!"

During an interview with OK! in January 2009, Fraser said that fatherhood teaches him "how to love more and more every day." He also mentioned that he hopes to show his kids his films when they grow older.

"I know a satisfying experience at the movies with your family is a positive experience," he explains. "There are other films that I've made, and when those kids grow a little bit older, then I'll show them that work or they'll find it themselves."

In November 2022, Leland was by his brother Holden's side as they walked the red carpet with Fraser at a screening of The Whale at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.