Benton Fraser

Benton Fraser

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 as Deputy Liaison Officer. He lives in a dangerous neighbourhood at the fictional address of apartment 3J at 221 East Racine and later at the consulate itself. 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. Described as an "outdoors Sherlock Holmes", 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, Diefenbaker, named after the 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 or Ben at times. Ray calls him Benny or Fraser, (often mispronouncing it "Fray-sure" as in the NBC sitcom Frasier).