An American actress, Afton Smith has been in the limelight for long, following her numerous stints in movies. The actress became popular for her earliest roles in comedy films, including Reality Bites and Fried Green Tomatoes.
She earned her breakthrough while starring in the 1997 comedy film George of the Jungle alongside Brendan Fraser who later became her better half. Interestingly, the iconic couple was together for nine years before their blossoming relationship hit the rocks. Following their divorce, the duo embarked on an acrimonious settlement which has become somewhat of folklore in Hollywood.
Career Timeline of Afton Smith
Afton Smith celebrates her birthday on the 3rd day of December every year. Her birth took place in Northport, Long Island City of New York, in the United States, in 1967. While growing up, Afton completed her basic education in Los Angeles after which she moved to Upper Canada College to pursue further studies. Upon graduation, she began her acting career in 1987. Finding her way in the American entertainment industry wasn’t an easy one and she had to get by on small roles at the onset.
Smith made her acting debut in a bit part in the 1987 movie Less Than Zero. Her wonderful performance in the movie paved the way for her to land bigger roles in future projects, including the 1991 drama-comedy film, Fried Green Tomatoes, where she starred as Leona Threadgoode. After that, the Long Island native went on to garner a string of movie appearances, including A Reason to Believe, Pig Sty, Pyrates, and Once Again before landing her big break in the acclaimed 1997 comedy, George of the Jungle.
George of Jungle chronicled the adventures of George, a boy who grew up amongst animals after surviving a plane crash in the jungle. He later comes in contact with Ursula, a stranded heiress, and moves back to civilization with her. George of the Jungle featured the duo of Brendan Fraser (as George) and Leslie Mann (as Ursula) while Afton Smith portrayed Ursula’s friend. The movie was a commercial and critical success and helped propel her to the spotlight. Unfortunately, she was not able to take advantage of that fame and her acting career basically tapered off following that particular movie.
How Much Is She Worth?
Afton Smith has made her mark as an actress as she starred in a good number of movies and television series. She is currently living a lavish lifestyle with a net worth that is currently pegged at $3 million. She made her wealth from her acting career and other business endeavours.
Additionally, following her divorce from Brendan, the court ordered him to be paying a good sum in spousal support annually. That generous payday undoubtedly contributed to her overall net worth over time.
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Afton with her former husband Brendan Fraser and kids
Afton Smith’s Marriage To Her Co-Star
The actress was formerly the spouse of Canadian-American movie star, Brendan Fraser. Fraser is a Hollywood heartthrob and is known for his top-notch performances in movies such as George of the Jungle and The Mummy trilogy, among others. Afton and Fraser first met each other during an elaborate barbecue held at the house of their mutual friend, actress – Winona Ryder, in July 1993. The two got talking and eventually kicked off a romantic relationship. Their relationship grew from strength to strength, buoyed by the fact that they both understood the peculiar nature of a Hollywood career.
After four years of a successful relationship, Smith and Fraser got engaged in October 1997. The following year, they walked down the aisle in a ceremony held at the popular Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles. After their wedding, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Griffin Fraser, in September 2002, and two years later, their second son, Holden Fraser, was born. In May 2006, the couple welcomed their third son named Leland Francis Fraser. All in all, they had a total of three children together and made their home in Beverly Hills.
Their Messy Divorce And The Aftermath
Having welcomed their third child in 2006, many people assumed that the couple’s union was on a sound footing and would go on to last forever. That illusion was however shattered a year later when both parties filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The succeeding statement released by them maintained that they would continue to pursue a close and caring friendship but this turned out to be empty words as the couple embarked on a drawn-out two-year divorce battle.
The main bone of contention was the amount that Fraser was going to pay as spousal and child support and the couple disagreed on aspects such as earnings and total net worth. At the end of the day, it was agreed that the actor would pay his wife $50,000 monthly spousal support, as well as $300,000 annual child support. The courts also granted the couple joint legal and physical custody of the kids but the children decided to pitch their tent with their mom.
Following the finalization of their divorce settlement, Afton and Fraser continued co-parenting their children. The erstwhile couple pursued amicable relations up until 2013 when the actor went back to court to ask for a reduction of the alimony he was paying. Fraser contended that he was not making enough income from his acting career to keep up with the payments. His wife, however, maintained that he still had a thriving career; made as much as $3 million per annum; and had a net worth of $25 million. The court eventually saw reasons with Fraser and subsequently reduced the amount of future alimony.
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Afton with son, Griffin, mother, Miriam and sister, Margo Image Source
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Riding on Solo
Afton Smith now resides in Greenwich, Connecticut, and has concentrated all her efforts on raising her kids, including Griffin who has autism. She has also scaled back her acting career in favour of writing. The long Island native has so far authored two books – Hollywood Picks The Classics: A Guide for the Beginner and the Aficionado (2004) and Point To Happy: For Children on the Autism Spectrum (2011).
The former is a movie guide book that contains suggestions on the classiest Hollywood movies in every genre while the latter is a picture book for persons on the autism spectrum. The picture book was co-authored with her mother, Miriam Smith (a media consultant and publication designer) and her sister, Margo Smithwick (a photographer).
When it comes to her personal life, there is no credible report to suggest that Afton has moved on with another man. It is however quite possible that she is in a relationship that has been overlooked by the media, thanks to the fact that she is no longer as famous as she used to be.
Meanwhile, her ex is also not faring any better in the love department. Fraser has not embarked on any confirmed romance since his divorce and in 2018, he revealed that he had suffered sexual assault at the hands of another man in the summer of 2003. The trauma of the assault severely affected his professional and personal life going forward.
