Fraser made a brief 1988 appearance in a reenactment on the television series "America's Most Wanted", as a friend of murder victim Rodney Mark Peterson. In 1991, Fraser made his film debut as a sailor headed to Vietnam in "Dogfight". He got his first leading film role in the 1992 comedy film "Encino Man" where he played a frozen pre-historic caveman who is thawed out in the present day. The film was a moderate box office success and is considered a cult film. That same year he starred with Matt Damon and Chris O'Donnell in "School Ties". In 1994, he played Steve Nebraska in "The Scout" and Montgomery "Monty" Kessler in "With Honors" as well as co-star with Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi in "Airheads". He went on to star in films such as Philip Ridley's "The Passion of Darkly Noon" (1995) and "The Twilight of the Golds" (1997). He also had a small part in the movie "Now and Then" (1995).