Jim Carrey

Info

Jim Carrey is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. The actor is known for his energetic slapstick performances. Although largely typecast as a comedic actor, Carrey has had success in dramatic roles. He has gained a massive fan following for himself. Jim is famous for several of his roles like The Mask, Ace Ventura, and The Grinch.

Bio

Jim Carrey’s first stand-up comedy experience took place in 1977 at the age of 15 with his father trying to help the youngster put together a stage act, driving him to downtown Toronto to debut at the Yuk Yuk’s comedy. His family’s financial struggles made it difficult for them to support Carrey’s show business ambitions. Eventually, the family’s financial situation improved, and they moved into a new home.

With more domestic stability, Carrey returned to the stage in 1979 with a more polished act that led to his first paid gig: a 20-minute spot at the Hay Loft club on Highway 48 in Scarborough In a short period, the seventeen-year-old went from open-mic nights at the club to regular paid shows, building his reputation in the process.

Parallel to his increasing local Toronto-area popularity as an impressionist stand-up comic, Carrey tried to break into sketch comedy, auditioning to be a cast member for the 1980–81 season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Teenage Carrey ended up not being selected by the show’s new executive producer Jean Doumanian.

Decades later after establishing himself as a Hollywood movie star, Carrey would host the show in May 1996, January 2011, and October 2014. After not getting Saturday Night Live, Jim took a voice acting job performing Clutch Cargo-inspired bits on The All-Night Show, an overnight program.

Continuing to perform his stand-up act of contortionist impressions in the city of Toronto and surrounding towns, in 1981, Jim Carrey was booked as the opening act for the rock band Goddo at The Roxy Theatre in Barrie for two shows on consecutive nights; the rock crowd booed him offstage and he refused to return for the second night.

In 1981, he also appeared in an episode of the televised stand-up show An Evening at the Improv. That summer, he landed one of the main roles in Introducing… Janet, a made-for-TV movie that premiered in September 1981 on the CBC drawing more than a million viewers for its first airing in Canada. The CBC promotion the movie had received as well as its subsequent high nationwide viewership further solidified the youngster’s comedic status in the country.

Making more comedy club appearances in the United States, Jim Carrey was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield who signed the young comic to open his tour performances. By December 1981, a well-known comic in Canada, Toronto Star reported about the youngster waiting for a United States work permit having received interest from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.

Touring venues throughout North America as the opening act for Rodney Dangerfield, Carrey performed two sold-out shows at Massey Hall.

Jim Carrey played the lead role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which was released in February 1994 and went on to gross $72 million in the United States and Canada. Following its success and before the release of his next film, The Mask, which was anticipated to be another hit, Morgan Creek Productions paid him $5 million to reprise his role as Ace Ventura and New Line Cinema offered him $7 million to make a sequel to The Mask and paid him $7 million to appear in Dumb and Dumber, a nearly tenfold increase on his salary for Ace Ventura.

The Mask, released in July 1994, grossed $351 million worldwide, and Dumb and Dumber, released in December 1994, was another commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide. Jim Carrey received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Mask and was voted second on Quigley’s Top Ten Money-Making Stars Poll, behind Tom Hanks.

The actor portrayed the Batman villain The Riddler in the Joel Schumacher-directed superhero film Batman Forever (1995). The film received mixed reviews but was a box office success. He reprised his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls which was also released in 1995.

Like the original film, it was well-received by the public but poorly received by critics. It was a huge box-office success, earning $212 million worldwide in addition to breaking records, with a $40 million opening weekend. Jim became the first actor to be paid $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy in 1996.

Carrey also starred in the music video of the film’s closing song, “Leave Me Alone” by Jerry Cantrell. Despite the reviews, The Cable Guy grossed $102 million worldwide. He soon bounced back with the critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar in 1997. Jim Carrey was praised for his performance, earning a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor.

The following year he decided to take a pay cut to play the serious role of Truman Burbank in the satirical comedy-drama film The Truman Show (1998). The film was highly praised and brought Carrey further international acclaim. The Truman Show was a commercial success, earning $264 million worldwide against a budget of $60 million.

That same year, Jim Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling’s The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling’s character. In 1999, Carrey had the lead role in Man on the Moon. He portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman to critical acclaim and received his second Golden Globe in a row.

In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly brothers, who had previously directed him in Dumb and Dumber, for the black comedy film Me, Myself & Irene, a film that received mixed reviews but enjoyed box office success. That same year, Jim Carrey starred in the second highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, playing the title character, for which he received both praise and criticism from critics.

For his next feature film, Carrey starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in Tom Shadyac’s international hit comedy Bruce Almighty in 2003. The film received mixed reviews upon release but despite this still became a financial success, earning over $484 million worldwide, and going on to become the seventeenth highest-grossing live-action comedy of all time.

In 2004, Carrey starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film received overwhelming acclaim upon release. Critics highly praised Jim’s portrayal of Joel Barish, in addition to the performance of his co-star Kate Winslet, who received an Oscar nomination. He received another Golden Globe nomination and his first BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor.

Carrey’s next appearance was in the 2004 black comedy fantasy film Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children’s novels of the same name. The film was positively received, and so was Jim’s performance.

That same year, Carrey was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame. In 2005, Carrey starred in the remake of Fun with Dick and Jane with Tea Leoni, which grossed $200 million with a profit of $100 million.

Jim Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher for The Number 23 in 2007, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. The film was panned by critics. The following year Carrey provided his voice for Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! in 2008. Carrey voiced the elephant for the CGI-animated feature, which was a box office success, grossing over $290 million worldwide.

Carrey returned to live-action comedy, starring opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes Man. Despite reviews being mixed, Jim’s acting was praised. The film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide. Since 2009, Carrey’s work has included a leading role in I Love You Phillip Morris. The film received largely positive reviews.

For the first time in his career, Jim Carrey portrayed multiple characters in Disney’s 3D animated take on the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol (2009), voicing Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film also starred Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, and Cary Elwes. The film received decent reviews and was a financial success.

Carrey landed the lead role in Mr. Popper’s Penguins in 2011. The film received a mixed reception upon release. He starred alongside former co-star Steve Carell in the Don Scardino-directed comedy film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone in 2013. The film was released to mixed reviews and underperformed significantly at the box office.
Around the same time, he appeared in Kick-Ass 2 as Colonel Stars and Stripes. He retracted support for the film two months before its release. He stated his Twitter account that, in light of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, “Now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence.”

Peter Farrelly said in April 2012 that Carrey and Jeff Daniels would return for a Dumb and Dumber sequel, Dumb and Dumber To, with the Farrelly brothers writing and directing and a planned September 2012 production start. In June, however, Carrey’s representative said Carrey had left the project because the comedian felt New Line and Warner Bros. were unenthusiastic toward it.

However, a report stated that the script was complete and that the original actors, Carrey and Daniels, would be reprising their roles. The plot involved one of the characters having sired a child and needing to find them to obtain a kidney. Dumb and Dumber To was released in November 2014. In 2013, Carrey announced that he had written a children’s book titled How Roland Rolls, about a scared wave named Roland.

On 25 March 2013, Carrey released a parody music video with Eels through Funny or Die, with Jim Carrey replacing Mark Oliver Everett on vocals. The actor was a producer on Rubble Kings, a 2015 documentary film that depicts events preceding and following the Hoe Avenue peace meeting.

In 2014, Carrey was honoured by Canada Post with a limited-edition postage stamp with his portrait on it. In 2017, Showtime began airing the dramedy I’m Dying Up Here, for which Carrey served as the executive producer. In September of that year, that same network announced that he would be starring in a comedy series titled Kidding, which will reunite Carrey and director Michel Gondry.

By the end of 2017, it was announced that Catherine Keener would star opposite Carrey in Kidding. Jim was also the subject of two documentaries in 2017. The first, a short subject entitled I Needed Color about his lifelong passion for art, was released online in the summer

Later that year another documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton, premiered at The Venice Film Festival and was later picked up by Netflix. In 2018, Carrey was cast to play Dr. Robotnik, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, in a film based on the video game franchise. Jim’s portrayal of Robotnik was praised by critics and audiences alike, with some considering it one of his best performances in years.

In 2020, Carrey published Memoirs and Misinformation. In September, during the final stages of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, it was announced that Carrey would portray Presidential nominee Joe Biden on the 46th season of Saturday Night Live, taking over the role from Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson, and John Mulaney. However, Carrey’s high-energy comedy style clashed with real-life Biden’s low-key persona, producing an imitation that lacked authenticity, and failed to impress viewers and critics.

On 19 December 2020, Jim Carrey announced that he would step down from playing Biden on Saturday Night Live, stating that he had a six-week deal. Now the actor is rumoured to star as the MCU character M.O.D.O.K, making it his Marvel debut.

Stats

Date of Birth:  17th January 1962
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 86 kg

Filmography

1983: The Sex and Violence Family Hour, All in Good Taste
1984: Finders Keepers
1985: Once Bitten
1986: Peggy Sue Got Married
1988: The Dead Pool, Earth Girls Are Easy
1989: Pink Cadillac
1991: High Strung
1992: Itsy Bitsy Spider
1994: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber
1995: Batman Forever, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
1996: The Cable Guy
1997: Liar Liar
1998: The Truman Show, Simon Birch
1999: Man on the Moon
2000: Me, Myself & Irene, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2001: The Majestic
2003: Pecan Pie, Bruce Almighty
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
2005: Fun with Dick and Jane
2007: The Number 23
2008: Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Yes Man
2009: I Love You Phillip Morris, A Christmas Carol
2011: Mr. Popper’s Penguins
2013: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Kick-Ass 2, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
2014: Dumb and Dumber To
2016: The Bad Batch, Dark Crimes
2020: Sonic the Hedgehog

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, 2 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Male Performance, 5 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Comedic Performance, 2 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Best Villain, People’s Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture, People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedy Star

Latest Articles

Jim Carrey Birthday Special: From Liar Liar To The Mask – 5 Roles No One Else Could’ve Aced!

Jim Carrey To Make His Marvel Debut By Taking Up The Role Of This Captain America Villain?

Deadpool 3: Jim Carrey To Be The Bad Guy Opposite Ryan Reynolds?

Controversy

Many celebs were jumping on the anti-vaccination conspiracy bandwagon, and Jim Carrey was among them. In particular, they campaigned to have the so-called “toxic substances” removed from vaccines and touted the supposed link between vaccines and autism. This led to him receiving criticism from fans.

FAQs

Q. What is Jim Carrey’s real name?
A. Jim Carrey was born as James Eugene Carrey.
Q. Did Jim Carrey attend college?
A. Jim Carrey started attending Agincourt Collegiate Institute before dropping out of school on his sixteenth birthday.
Q. What is Jim Carrey’s net worth?
A. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jim Carrey’s net worth is $180 million.