Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP

Real Name: Benton Fraser

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Police officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, attached to Canadian Consul in Chicago

Affiliations: Ray Vecchio, Stan Kowalski (partners), Diefenbaker (wolf companion), Harding Welsh, Louis Gardino, Jack Huey, Francesca Vecchio, Margaret Thatcher (his superior officer, not the former British Prime Minister), Robert Fraser, Buck Frobisher

Enemies: Various criminals

Known Relatives: Robert Fraser (father, deceased, now a ghost)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Chicago, formerly the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada

First Appearance: Due South Episode 1

Powers/Abilities: Benton is a superb physical specimen, exceptionally fit, fast and strong for a normal human. His tracking skills and wilderness survival abilities are second to none, and he is incredibly observant. He can identify things by scent or taste (often to the accompanying "Eeuuh!" from his partner). Couple this with a photographic memory and a childhood spent with his librarian grandparents means that Benton is surprisingly knowledgeable about a vast range of subjects. Benton is an expert shot, but does not carry a gun while in the U.S. as he is not licensed to do so.

Benton is haunted by the ghost of his dead father, who tends to offer unwanted advice and commentary. He wondered if this was him hallucinating, but the ghost has been seen by two other people. His father's ghost is in turn haunted by Benton's grandmother, so it might be a family thing.

History: Benton Fraser is the stereotypical mountie, honest and true and one who will always get his man. His father was a mountie too, until he was murdered to prevent him exposing a scheme one of his superiors was involved with. Benton pursued his father's killer to Chicago, where he met wise-cracking American cop Ray Vecchio. After successfully bringing the murderer to justice, Benton was advised that he had rocked the boat a little too much in Canada, and that for the time being at least, he would be assigned to the Canadian Embassy in Chicago.

He and Ray became close friends and worked together on a number of cases over the next couple of years, usually accompanied by Benton's wolf Diefenbaker. Although the rest of Ray's department at first treated Benton with skeptical amusement, they soon came to value his contributions to local law-enforcement. After a couple of years Ray went into deep undercover work, posing as a member of the mob; in order to cover his absence another officer was assigned to pass themselves off as Ray, Detective Stanley Kowalski. Again Benton's honest and open nature ensured a solid friendship.

Comments: Benton Fraser was played for three or four seasons (depending on how you count them - in the UK the last two half seasons were combined into one) of Due South by Paul Gross.

CLARIFICATIONS: None

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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