MADE IN CANADA
Constable Benton Fraser (born 1962) is a fictional character in the television series Due South. He is a constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who works in the American city of Chicago, Illinois, living in a dangerous neighbourhood at the fictional address of 221 East Racine. The character is portrayed by Canadian actor Paul Gross. Fraser's seemingly strange habits, such as tasting evidence and holding the door for anyone and everyone, add hilarity and whimsy to the show.
As Fraser often explains, "I first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture I have remained, attached as liaison with the Canadian Consulate." Fraser is a strait-laced Northerner, and his faith in the honour and goodness of others tends to lead to interesting and humorous moments. His behaviour often leads to the frustration of his de-facto partner, Chicago detective Raymond Vecchio, played by David Marciano. His other "best friend," a deaf half-wolf named Diefenbaker after Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, reads lips in both English and Inuktitut, and often assists in the capture of criminals. In the third and fourth seasons of the show, Fraser teamed up with Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski, after Ray Vecchio went undercover in the Las Vegas Mafia.
He is usually called "Fraser" by his friends and colleagues - some old friends will call him "Benton" at times. Ray occasionally calls him "Benny", but usually calls him "Fraser" (often mispronouncing it "Fray-sure" as in the NBC sitcom Frasier).
Fraser grew up in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Alert, Nunavut, and Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. He was raised by his grandparents, who were traveling librarians. His mother, Caroline, was killed when he was a boy, and his father, Bob Fraser, played by Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, was murdered in the pilot episode. Fraser Sr., as he is sometimes known, was a legend in the RCMP and often appears to his son as a ghost throughout the series to offer help and advice.
Fraser has had a recurring relationship with Victoria Metcalf, a bank robber who he fell in love with while the two helped each other survive during a snowstorm. After the storm was over, Fraser turned Victoria in to the authorities and she was sent to prison. She later resurfaced in Chicago, blackmailing Fraser into helping her use the money from the bank robbery to buy jewels on the black market, threatening to have Ray Vecchio framed for corruption. She left Chicago soon after her plot unraveled, and has not been seen again.
Fraser eventually discovered he had a half-sister, Maggie MacKenzie, in the season four episode Hunting Season, the result of an affair his father had with another RCMP officer. Because Bob Fraser is her father, she can also see his ghost. Just like her father and half-brother, Maggie is a member of the RCMP. She arrived in Chicago pursuing the killers of her husband, under circumstances similar to Fraser's own arrival in the city, though she soon returned to Canada, unlike Fraser.
Fraser would eventually return to Canada, and along with Ray Kowalski, set out on an adventure to find the hand of Sir John Franklin, an explorer who disappeared while trying to discover the Northwest Passage. As the series ended with the beginning of their expedition, it is unknown what has happened to Fraser or Kowalski since then. His closing remarks: "If we find it...we'll let you know."
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