James Eugene Carrey

Famous as : Actor
Birth Name : James Eugene Carrey
Birth Date : January 17, 1962
Birth Place : Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Spouse : Melissa Womer (former waitress, 28-Mar-87 - 11-Dec-95), Lauren Holly (actress, 23-Sept-96 - 29-Jul-97)
Claim to Fame : As Ace Ventura in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994)

Comedian and actor Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, on January 17, 1962. Carrey relocated to Los Angeles to pursue comedy, eventually landing a spot on the sketch comedy show In Living Color. He went on to huge box office success in comedies, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask, and delivered acclaimed dramatic performances in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon. Recent films include Kick Ass 2 (2013) and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

Early Life and Career

Actor and comedian James Eugene Carrey was born on January 17, 1962, in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Carrey got his start with a spot doing stand-up at a Toronto comedy club when he was just 15 years old. By 1979, he had left the factory job as a janitor he had taken in 1978 to help support his family and was making his living as the opening act for successful comics Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield.

In 1983, Carrey headed west to Hollywood where he starred in a made-for-television movie called Introducing...Janet. Carrey's appearances on TV in programs such as The Duck Factory and Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act (1991) led to a regular role on the hit comedy In Living Color.

Big Break

Carrey's big screen debut came with 1984's Finders Keepers, but he didn't find success until he played the titular role in the 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. From there, Carrey's expressive face, expert mimicry skills and physical brand of comedy kept the hits coming. He followed with The Mask (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), Batman Forever (1995), The Cable Guy (1996) and Liar Liar (1997).

Commercial Success

Carrey took a successful dramatic turn as Truman Burbank in Peter Weir's The Truman Show (1998), for which he won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor. He teamed up with legendary director Milos Forman for the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon (1999), co-starring Courtney Love. For his dead-on portrayal of Kaufman, Carrey took home his second Golden Globe. Despite his Golden Globe success, he didn't earn a nomination for an Academy Award. Carrey has become one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, with an reported asking price of $20 million.

In the summer of 2000, Carrey portrayed a character with two dueling personalities (both in love with the same woman) in the comedy Me, Myself and Irene. That fall, wearing pounds of green fur and makeup, he starred as the titular curmudgeon in the long-awaited big budget film version of Dr. Seuss' holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, directed by Ron Howard. In 2003, the actor starred as a man endowed with God-like powers in Bruce Almighty with Jennifer Aniston. The following year, Carrey starred opposite Kate Winslet in Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Carrey continued to take on a variety of comedic roles, starring such films as Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), A Christmas Carol (2009) and Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011). He also enjoyed supporting parts in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) with Steve Carell and Kick Ass 2 (2013). In 2014, Carrey reteamed with Jeff Daniels for Dumb and Dumber To.

Personal Life

Carrey has a daughter, Jane, from his marriage to Melissa Womer (from 1987 to 1995). He was married briefly to Dumb & Dumber co-star Lauren Holly before entering a yearlong romance with his Me, Myself and Irene leading lady, Renee Zellweger. He was later involved with actress/model Jenny McCarthy.
The laughter however took a blow when Percy lost his safe job as an accountant when he was 52, plunging the family into dire financial straights. This was a huge blow for the mild mannered Percy who had given up musical dreams in favour of family security. They lost their home and when Jim was in 8th grade the family was forced to enter one of their bleakest periods, as they agreed to work as factory caretakers and cleaners, in return for secured accommodation. This meant Jim too, who struggled with working an 8 hour evening shift with schoolwork. Inevitably the A grade student began to fail and this showed in his behaviour in the community. He decided he had no option but to leave school.

Eventually the family decided the hostility between fellow factory workers and their general unhappiness was too much to bear and they moved into a VW camper van. Despite the cramped space the family was happier again and Percy and Jim began to explore Jim's comedic talents. At 15 he appeared at Toronto's Yuk Yuk's in a bright yellow suit made for him by Kathleen. He went down badly and it took time and perseverance, but soon he was performing regularly on the Toronto club circuit, whilst supporting the family.

His early routine comprised mainly of impressions and along with the positive feedback he was receiving he took the brave step of moving to Los Angeles in 1979. The Comedy Store soon had him on the bill and he found himself spotted by Rodney Dangerfield who booked Jim to be his support act, leading to Vegas gigs.
Despite these achievements Jim felt things weren't moving as quickly as he would like. Low budget movies were filtering through however. "All in Good Taste", "Rubberface", "The Sex and Violence Family Hour" and "Copper Mountain" were learning experiences for the young Jim but he was becoming more and more disillusioned with impressionism.
Then came along "The Duck Factory" in 1984 and for a while it seemed as though stardom had arrived and Jim moved his parents to LA, but Jim played a straight character in the series and it's scheduling up against "Cheers" led it to fail.

Jim knew things had to change and above all he realised he wanted to make people laugh and heading back to the comedy circuit, began to explore new material, often bombing in front of the audience but never giving up. However the money did and with no option he was forced to ask his parents to leave, Therein followed a bleak period in Jim's life. During this time he wrote himself the now legendary cheque for $10 million for services rendered, which he kept in his wallet and subsequently and poignantly placed in his fathers pocket at Percy's funeral.
Capable to accomplish the same accolade in two contrasting film genres of comedy and drama, Jim Carrey, without doubt, has scored such an excellent attainment that only few thespians can match. Not only skilled in generating people's laughs, he also consistently demonstrates convincing portrayals of the dramatic roles he enacted, proving the rare talent he possesses within which enabled him to be one of the greatest stars in Hollywood film industry. More celebrated as a comedian, he has been lauded for displaying his elastic features, slapstick performances, and zany comedies in such unique ways, so that every character he played has its own quirkiness to linger in the audience's mind. What probably goes unnoticed is that behind all of the kudos and acknowledgement he has received, the road to this point had been indeed rocky also hard to pass through, not to mention his sorrow to deal with poverty in his early life.

The youngest child of four children in the family of some French Canadian roots, Jim was born as James Eugene Carrey on January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada to Percy and Kathleen Carrey. His interest in entertaining people has been apparent since he was still a kid, starting from his desire to comfort his mother who at that time was afflicted with hypochondria, an extreme depression of mind or spirits often centered on imaginary physical ailments. "She laid in bed and took a lot of pain pills," he recalled. "I used to go in there and do impressions of praying mantises, and weird things, and whatever. I'd bounce off the walls and throw myself down the stairs to make her feel better." Later extended the funny performance to his classmates at Aldershot School in Burlington, he even obtained the teacher's permission to regularly carry out a stand-up comedy in class few minutes before the end of school day.

Jim's life made a significant turn by the time he entered the 9th grade when Percy lost his job as an accountant, forcing the family to sell their house and relocate to the eastern part of Toronto where all of them conducted the work of either security guard or janitor at Titan Wheels factory in Scarborough. Continued his study at the town's Agincourt Collegiate Institute while also worked in the factory for eight hours every day after school, Jim, who intended to support his family's life, eventually left
James Eugene Carrey was born to parents Percy, an accountant, and Kathleen, a housewife. The youngest of four children, Jim was an extroverted child who performed his early comedy routines for his parents and family.

At the age of 10, Jim mailed his resume to the Carol Burnett Show, and, at junior high school, his teachers quelled his boisterous behaviour by giving him a few minutes at the end of the day to do stand-up routines for his classmates.

Percy lost his job as an accountant when Jim was 14 and the family fell on hard times. They were forced to move to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, with Percy taking on the job of janitor in the Titan Wheels Factory which had a house on site. Carrey, formerly a good student, took to working eight-hour shifts after school and his grades suffered. The family eventually gave away the factory work and moved into a VW campervan parked on a relative’s lawn.

Jim made his comedy debut at age 15 at Toronto’s Yuk Yuk’s club, wearing a yellow suit his mother had made for him. Unfortunately, he bombed badly. Undeterred, Carrey persisted and was soon playing comedy clubs in Toronto regularly. He eventually dropped out of school at 16 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comedian.

In 1979, Jim moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. Gaining a regular gig at The Comedy Store, he caught the eye of veteran comic Rodney Dangerfield who signed him as his opening act for a season. Carrey began pursuing television and film work, auditioning for the likes of 'Saturday Night Live' and 'D.C. Cab'. In 1984, Carrey gained his first lead role in the short-lived series 'The Duck Factory', playing a young cartoonist. The show was pitted against comedy favourite 'Cheers' and consequently only lasted four months. Carrey persisted with the silver-screen though and scored roles in the film 'Once Bitten' with Lauren Hutton in 1985 and a supporting role in 'Peggy Sue Got Married' in 1986. That year, the struggling actor met Melissa Wormer, an aspiring actress who was working as a waitress at The Comedy Store. The pair fell in love and married in 1987, having a daughter, Jane Erin Carrey, later that year.
Carrey’s real breakthrough came in 1994 when he was given his first starring role in in 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'. Playing a swaggering goof-ball detective who specialised in pet mysteries, Carrey connected with audiences around the world. The critics were not so kind, nominating Carrey for a 1995 Raspberry Award for Worst New Star, but the film caught on and grossed over $70 million at the box office.

Carrey followed this up with another two commercial successes in 'The Mask', where he played a mild-mannered clerk transformed into an extravagant cartoonish superhero when he puts on a magical mask, and 'Dumb and Dumber' where he and Jeff Daniels played idiotic brothers who find a suitcase full of money. The films grossed $120 million and $127 million, respectively, and firmly established Carrey as a star.

1995 saw the Carrey juggernaut continue with the blockbuster 'Batman Forever', where he played The Riddler, before he reprised his Ace Ventura role in the sequel, 'When Nature Calls'. Sadly, Carrey’s marriage to Wormer broke up that year in a particularly messy divorce. Carrey soon took up with 'Dumb and Dumber' co-star Lauren Holly. Holly and Carrey tied the knot the following year but the marriage lasted less than a year amid allegations of infidelity.

Carrey pocketed $20 million for his next film which, surprisingly, was his first disappointment. 1996’s 'The Cable Guy', directed by Ben Stiller and co-starring Matthew Broderick, was a dark comedy that saw only mediocre returns at the box office.

He bounced back in 1997 though, with a return to his trademark light comedy in 'Liar Liar', which grossed over $180 million. In 1998, Carrey showed a new side of his acting, starring in the semi-serious 'The Truman Show', about a man whose life is, unbeknownst to him, a gigantic television show. The film won several Oscars and Carrey won a Golden Globe for his performance. Another semi-serious role was to follow with Carrey starring in the Andy Kaufmann biopic 'Man on the Moon', which earned him another Golden Globe.
2001 saw Carrey in the poor-performing drama 'The Majestic', but 2003 was another return to form, with 'Bruce Almighty' portraying Carrey as a man given God’s powers. The film, which co-starred Friends actress Jennifer Aniston, was another massive success, grossing over $200 million at the box office.

In 2004, still trying to make his mark as a serious actor, Carrey took a role in the critically-lauded art-house film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. Written by acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann and directed by the innovative Michael Gondry, Carrey starred opposite Kate Winslet as a man pursued through his memories as they are erased. The film earned an Oscar for Kaufmann and a nomination for Winslet, but Carrey was again overlooked by the Academy. The same year, Carrey appeared in the children’s film 'Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events', playing the villain, the murderous Uncle Olaf.

2005 saw a remake of the 1977 Jane Fonda and George Segal movie, 'Fun With Dick And Jane', with Carrey starring opposite Tea Leoni. He continued his dalliance with dramatic roles in the psychological thriller 'The Number 23' in 2007. The film once again returned less-than-impressive figures for a Carrey drama, grossing only $35 million.

In December 2005, he began dating actress and model Jenny McCarthy, but they separated in 2010.

Jim's latest roles include 'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone' (2013), 'Kick-Ass 2' (2013) and 'Dumb And Dumber To' (2014).

Carrey’s appeal seems to be inexhaustible and, with his star power and his pull at the box office, Jim Carrey looks set to be a fixture on the Hollywood stage for many years to come.
After the black comedy The Cable Guy (1996)—which fared poorly at the box office—Carrey scored a hit with Liar Liar (1997). In that film he played a fast-talking lawyer forced—by a magic spell invoked by his young son’s birthday wish—to tell the truth for one day. Carrey received Golden Globes for his work in The Truman Show (1998), a tale of a man who discovers that his apparently ordinary life is really a popular television show, and Man on the Moon (1999), in which he portrayed the comedian Andy Kaufman. In 2000 he appeared in the film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After receiving mixed reviews for The Majestic (2001) and Bruce Almighty (2003), Carrey earned critical acclaim for his performance as a man who decides to have his memories of a former girlfriend erased in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He subsequently starred in such films as Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), the mystery-thriller The Number 23 (2007), and Yes Man (2008).
Aiming to find larger chance in U.S., Jim headed for Los Angeles in 1979 and managed to impress American people through his shows at The Comedy Store, including Rodney Dangerfield who shortly thereafter signed him to be the opening act of his tour. With this early success, he began to venture into screen production which first conducted through an appearance in a 48-minutes Canadian TV-movie entitled "Introducing... Janet" a.k.a. "Rubberface" (1983), followed by the release of two other film features, "Copper Mountain" a.k.a. "Club Med" and "All In Good Taste" in the same year. A hope to encounter his breakthrough in his next two roles quickly vanished when the airing of his comedy series "The Duck Factory" (1984) was cancelled by NBC after 13 episodes while his 1985 movie project, "Once Bitten", in which he acquired a major role, did not result as expected.

Disappointed but not devastated, Jim then took part in Julien Temple's sci-fi comedy, "Earth Girls Are Easy" (1989), to star alongside Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, and Damon Wayans who not only became his good friend afterwards, but also suggested his brother Keenen Ivory Wayans to include him in their sketch comedy show, "In Living Color" (1990-1994). Portraying various characters, most notable the psychotic Fire Marshall Bill, Jim successfully garnered attention from TV audience through his wacky comical expressions along with outrageous acts, subsequently led him to have his own show time comedy special, "Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act" in 1991 and the lead role in Tom Shadyac's "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994). Much to his delight, the picture turned out to be a box-office hit with a great domestic income of over 72 million U.S. dollar, therefore propelled him to wide exposure besides brought him to receive more propitious film offers in Hollywood.

Throughout the rest 1994 up to the year 1995, Jim, with his manic antics, fantastically led his movies to commercial success as seen in "The Mask" (1994), "Dumb & Dumber" (1994), "Batman Forever" (1995), and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" (1995) which all scored above $108 million. Granted various prestigious honors,
He played the lead in the 1994 comedy film The Mask, which was the big screen debut for future Hollywood star Cameron Diaz.