Jim Carrey

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Jim Carrey

Carrey at the Yes Man premiere in 2008

Born James Eugene Carrey

January 17, 1962 (age 55)

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

Citizenship Canadian (1962present)

American (2004present)

Actor
Occupation
stand-up comedian

screenwriter

film producer

Years active 1980present

Spouse(s)
Melissa Womer
 (m. 1987;div. 1995)

Lauren

Holly (m. 1996;div. 1997)

Children 1 daughter

Website jimcarrey.com

Comedy career

Medium Stand-up

film

television

Genres Observational comedy

physical comedy

surreal humor

Subject(s) Everyday life

popular culture

politics

celebrities

Signature

James Eugene Carrey (/kri/; born January 17, 1962)[3] is a Canadian-American

actor, comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for his
highly energetic slapstick performances.[4]
Carrey first gained recognition in 1990 after landing a recurring role in
the sketch comedy television series In Living Color. His first leading roles in
major productions came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and
Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), as
well as a supporting role in Batman Forever (1995) and a lead role in Liar
Liar (1997). He then starred in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the
Moon (1999), with each garnering him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
 In the 2000s, he gained further recognition for his portrayal of the Grinch in How
the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), as well as Bruce Almighty (2003), Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) for which he was nominated for the BAFTA
Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Lemony Snicket's A Series of
Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Yes
Man (2008), Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and A Christmas Carol (2009).
In the 2010s, he has starred in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011) and The Incredible
Burt Wonderstone (2013). In 2013, he appeared in Kick-Ass 2 as Colonel Stars
and Stripes. He retracted support for the film two months prior to its release. He
issued a statement via his Twitter account that, in light of the shootings
at Sandy Hook Elementary, "[N]ow in all good conscience I cannot support that
level of violence."[5] Carrey reprised his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and
Dumber To (2014).[6][7][8]

Contents
[hide]

1Early life

2Career

o 2.1Early work

o 2.2Rise to fame

o 2.3Critical acclaim

o 2.4Continued success

3Personal life

o 3.1Health

o 3.2Relationships

o 3.3Citizenship

o 3.4Beliefs

4Filmography

5Discography

o 5.1Singles
 6Bibliography

o 6.1Books

o 6.2Forewords

7See also

8References

9Further reading

10External links

Early life
Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada,[3] to Kathleen (ne Oram; 1927
1991), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey (19271994), a musician and accountant.
[9][10]
He has three older siblings: John, Patricia, and Rita. He was raised a Roman
Catholic.[11][12]His mother was of French, Irish, and Scottish descent and his father
was of French-Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carr).[13][14][15]
According to his own testimony, at age ten, Carrey wrote a letter to Carol
Burnett of the Carol Burnett Show pointing out that he was already a master
of impressions and should be considered for a role on the show; he was, as a
child, overjoyed at receiving the semblance of a formally written reply.[16]
Carrey lived in Burlington, Ontario, for eight years, and attended Aldershot High
School. In a Hamilton Spectator interview (February 2007), Carrey said, "If my
career in show business hadn't panned out I would probably be working today
in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill." When looking across the
Burlington Bay toward Hamilton, he could see the mills and thought, "Those
were where the great jobs were."[17]

Career
Early work
While Carrey was struggling to obtain work and make a name for himself, his
father tried to help the young comedian put together a stage act, driving him
to Toronto to debut at comedy club Yuk Yuk's.[18] Carrey's impersonations bombed
and this gave him doubts about his capabilities as a professional entertainer. His
family's financial struggles made it difficult for them to support Carrey's
ambitions.[citation needed]
Eventually, the family's financial problems were resolved and they moved into a
new home.[18] With more domestic stability, Carrey returned to the stage with a
more polished act. In a short period of time, he went from open-mic nights to
regular paid shows, building his reputation in the process. A reviewer in
the Toronto Star raved that Carrey was "a genuine star coming to life".[19] Carrey
was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comic
to open his tour performances. Dangerfield eventually brought Carrey to Las
Vegas. However, Carrey soon decided to move to Hollywood, where he began
performing at The Comedy Store and, in 1982, appeared on the televised stand-
up show An Evening at the Improv.[20] The following year, he debuted his act
on The Tonight Show.[21]
Despite his increasing popularity as a stand-up comic, Carrey turned his
attention to the film and television industries, auditioning to be a cast member
for the 19801981 season of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Carrey was not selected
for the position, although he later hosted the show in May 1996, January 2011,
and October 2014.[22][23] In 1984, Carrey was in the short-lived sitcom The Duck
Factory.[24]
From 1990 to 1994, Carrey was a regular cast member of the ensemble comedy
television series In Living Color.[citation needed]

Rise to fame
1994 was a break-out year for Carrey. He was cast in the lead roles in Ace
Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.[25] Dumb and
Dumber was a commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide, [26] He
received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor for his work
in The Mask.

Carrey in Madrid, Spain on December 13, 2008

In 1995, Carrey co-starred in the Joel Schumacher-directed superhero

film Batman Forever, in which Batman tries to stop Two-Face and
the Riddler (played by Carrey) in their villainous scheme to drain information
from all the brains in Gotham City. The feature received reasonable reviews,
with most criticism aimed at the movie's "blatant commercialism", as
characterized by Peter Travers.[27] In that same year, Carrey reprised his role
as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Like the original film, it was
well received by the public, but heavily criticised by critics. It was a huge box-
office success, earning $212 million worldwide in addition to breaking records,
with a $40 million opening weekend.[28]
Carrey earned $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (1996). Directed
by Ben Stiller, the film was a satirical black comedy, in which Carrey played a
lonely, menacing cable TV installer who infiltrates the life of one of his
customers (played by Matthew Broderick). The role was a departure from the
"hapless, hyper, overconfident" characters he had been known for. However, it
did not fare well with most critics, many reacting towards Carrey's change of
tone to previous films.[29] Despite the reviews, The Cable Guy grossed $102
million worldwide.[30]
He soon bounced back in 1997 with the critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar,
playing Fletcher Reede, a successful lawyer who has built his career on lying,
regularly breaking promises that he makes to his son Max. Max soon makes a
birthday wish that for just that one day, his dad would not be able to lie. Carrey
was praised for his performance, earning a second Golden Globe Award
nomination for Best Actor. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Well into
his tumultuous career, Mr. Carrey finally turns up in a straightforward comic
vehicle, and the results are much wilder and funnier than this mundane material
should have allowed."[31]

Critical acclaim
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).
[32]
The film was highly praised and brought Carrey further international acclaim,
leading many to believe he would be nominated for an Oscar.[33] Eventually, he did
pick up his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture
Drama. The Truman Show was a commercial success also, earning $264 million
worldwide against a budget of $60 million.[34][35] A Film4 critic stated that the film
"allows Carrey to edge away from broad comedy", adding that it was "a hilarious
and breathtakingly conceived satire".[36]
That same year, 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 addition, he received his first Screen Actors
Guild Award nomination for Best Actor.[37]
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[38] but enjoyed box office success. Carrey played the
role of state trooper Charlie Baileygates, who has multiple personalities and
romances a woman portrayed by Rene Zellweger. That same year, 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 alongside a Golden Globe nomination.[39]
For his next feature film, Carrey starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan
Freeman in Tom Shadyac's international hit comedy Bruce Almighty (2003).
Carrey played a TV newsman who unexpectedly receives God's omnipotent
abilities when the deity decides to take a vacation. The film received mixed
reviews upon release[40] 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.[41][42]
In 2004, Carrey starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film
received overwhelming acclaim upon release. Critics highly praised Carrey's
portrayal of Joel Barish, in addition to the performance of his co-star Kate
Winslet, who received an Oscar nomination. According to CNN's reviewer Paul
Clinton, Carrey's performance was the actor's "best, most mature and sharply
focused performance ever."[43] Carrey received another Golden Globe nomination
and his first BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor.

Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival

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 received a positive reception,
with Desson Thomson from The Washington Post saying of Carrey's approach to
the character of Count Olaf,
Olaf is a humorless villain in the book. He's not amusing like Carrey at all. To
which I would counter: If you can't let Carrey be Carrey, put someone boring and
less expensive in the role. In his various disguises he's rubbery, inventive and
improvisationally inspired. I particularly liked his passing imitation of a dinosaur.
[44][45]
That same year, Carrey was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame.[46]

Continued success
In 2007, Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever,
for The Number 23, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsenand Danny
Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with the number
23, after finding a book about a man with the same obsession. The film was
panned by critics. The following year Carrey provided his voice for Dr.
Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008). Carrey voiced the beloved elephant for the
CGI-animated feature, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews and
delivered family crowds en masse. The film was also a box office success,
raking in over $290 million worldwide.[47]
Later that same year, Carrey returned to live-action comedy, starring
opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes Man (2008). Carrey played
down-and-out man, Carl Allen, who had gone nowhere in life, thanks to always
saying no to everything, until he signs up for a self-help program that teaches
him the power of saying yes. Despite reviews being mixed, Rene Rodriquez
of The Miami Herald stated, "Yes Man is fine as far as Jim Carrey comedies go,
but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh." [48] The
film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide.
[49]

Since 2009, Carrey's work has included a leading role in Glenn Ficarra and John
Requa's I Love You Phillip Morris, premiering in January 2009 at the Sundance
Film Festival before receiving a wide release in February 2010. Carrey
portrayed Steven Jay Russell, a con artist, imposter, and multiple prison escapee
who falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (played by Ewan
McGregor). The film received largely positive reviews, with Damon Wise of The
Times giving the film four stars out of five, stating, "I Love You Phillip Morris is
an extraordinary film that serves as a reminder of just how good Carrey can be
when he's not tied into a generic Hollywood crowd-pleaser. His comic timing
remains as exquisite as ever."[50]

Carrey in the studio of the Late Show with David Letterman in 2010

For the first time in his career, 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
reasonable reviews and was a financial success. In 2011, Carrey landed the lead
role in Mr. Popper's Penguins, playing Thomas "Tom" Popper Jr. a realtor who
becomes the caretaker of a family of penguins. The film received a mixed
reception upon release.[51]
In 2013, he starred alongside former co-star Steve Carell in the Don Scardino-
directed comedy film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Carrey played Steve
Gray, a dangerous street magician who overshadows the formerly successful
magician Burt Wonderstone (played by Carell). The film was released in March
2013 to mixed reviews and underperformed significantly at the box office,
grossing just over $27 million on a $30 million budget.[52]
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. [53] 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.
[54]
However, on October 1, 2012, Yahoo!'s "The Yo Show" carried the news item
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 in order to obtain a kidney.[6][55] Dumb and
Dumber Towas released in November 2014.
In March 2013, Carrey announced that he had written a children's book
titled How Roland Rolls, about a scared wave named Roland. He described it as
"kind of a metaphysical children's story, which deals with a lot of heavy stuff in
a really childish way." Carrey self-published the book, which was released in
September 2013.[56][57]
On March 25, 2013, Carrey released a parody music video
with Eels through Funny or Die, with Carrey replacing Mark Oliver Everett on
vocals. The song and video, titled "Cold Dead Hand" and set as a musical act
during the variety program Hee Haw, lampoons American gun culture, and
specifically former NRA spokesperson Charlton Heston.[58]
Carrey delivered the commencement address at Maharishi University of
Management in Fairfield, Iowa, in May 2014 and received an honorary doctorate
for his achievements as a comedian, artist, author, and philanthropist.[59]
Carrey was a producer on Rubble Kings, a 2015 documentary film that depicts
events preceding and following the Hoe Avenue peace meeting.[60]
On August 29, 2014, Carrey was honored by Canada Post with a limited-edition
postage stamp with his portrait on it. The stamps will not be reprinted once they
are sold out.[61]
Personal life
Health
Carrey has battled depression.[62] To deal with his depression, Carrey
took Prozac, eventually deciding to get off medications. He has stated that he no
longer takes medications or stimulants of any kind, not even coffee.[62]

Relationships

Carrey with his family at the Horton Hears a Who! premiere in 2008

Carrey has been married twice. His first marriage was to former actress
and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer, whom he married on March 28, 1987.
Their daughter Jane Erin Carrey was born September 6, 1987. [63] Jane was a 2012
contestant on American Idol.[64] Carrey and Womer divorced in 1995.[65]
A year later Carrey married his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly, on
September 23, 1996; the marriage lasted less than a year.[66] In the late 1990s and
early 2000s, Carrey had a much-publicized yet short-lived romance with his Me,
Myself and Irene co-star Rene Zellweger, whom he dated, and at one point was
engaged to from 1999 to 2000.[67]
Carrey met model and actress Jenny McCarthy in 2005 and made their
relationship public in June 2006. In April 2010, the two ended their near five-year
relationship.[68] Despite the split and media circulations, McCarthy stated in
October 2010 that, "Jim and I are still good friends".[69]
On September 28, 2015, Carrey's former girlfriend, Cathriona White, a native
of County Tipperary, Ireland, was found dead from a prescription drug overdose.
The couple first met in 2012.[70][71] Carrey was a pallbearer at her funeral
in Tipperary.[72]
On September 19, 2016, Mark Burton, White's husband from 2013 until her death,
filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey, claiming that Carrey used his
"immense wealth and celebrity status" to illegally obtain and distribute
prescription drugs involved in her death. Carrey released a statement the
following day:
What a terrible shame. It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this
mans lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when
you have to stand up and defend your honor against the evil in this world. I will
not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved. Cat's
troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond
anyones control. I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to
profit from this and let her rest in peace.[73][74]

In October 2016, White's mother Brigid Sweetman also filed a wrongful death
lawsuit against Carrey.[75] In this lawsuit, Sweetman's attorney states that Carrey
had undergone a test for sexually transmitted infections, and "purposely hid the
results from Ms. White, whom he was intimately involved with, and failed to
inform her that he had tested positive for Hepatitis A, HSV (Herpes) I and II,
and Chlamydia. To make matters worse, Carrey then proceeded to have
unprotected sex with Ms. White with full knowledge that he was STD
positive."[76] Sweetman herself later issued a statement: "These documents show
that Jim Carrey has lied to the media, the public and the court. Carrey has now
been shown for what he is a dishonest Hollywood celebrity who thinks he can
say anything and fool people just because he is famous."[76]

Citizenship
Carrey received U.S. citizenship in October 2004 and remains a dual citizen of
the United States and his native Canada.[77]

Beliefs
Carrey believes the MMR vaccine causes autism, which is contrary to scientific
consensus. In 2009, he wrote an article questioning the merits of vaccination
and vaccine research for The Huffington Post.[78] With former partner Jenny
McCarthy, Carrey led a "Green Our Vaccines" march in Washington, D.C., to
advocate for the removal of toxic substances from children's vaccines, out of a
belief that children had received "too many vaccines, too soon, many of which
are toxic."[79] The rally was criticized by David Gorski, an American surgical
oncologist on Science-Based Medicine blog for being anti-vaccine, not pro-safe
vaccine[80] and by Steven Parker on WebMD website for being "irresponsible".
[81]
On July 1, 2015, after the signing of a new vaccination law, Carrey
called California Governor Jerry Brown a 'corporate fascist' who was poisoning
children by signing into law the vaccination requirements.[82] The new law
precludes religious and philosophical reasons to exempt from vaccination. After
his words, he was criticized for being "ignorant when it comes to vaccines"
by Arthur Caplan, head of the Division of Medical Ethics, at New York University,
[83]
and by Jeffrey Kluger, senior writer at Time, who described his anti-
vaccination statements as "angry, dense and immune to reason." [84]
Carrey is a follower and an advocate for the law of attraction. In an interview
with Oprah Winfrey on February 17th 1997,[85] Carrey revealed that as a struggling
actor he would use visualization techniques to get work. He also stated that he
visualized a $10,000,000 check given to him for "Acting services rendered",
placed the check in his pocket, and seven years later received a check for
$10,000,000 for his role in Dumb and Dumber.[86]
Carrey was a Transcendental Meditation practitioner.[87][88] He now professes to be
a Christian.[89]

Filmography
Main article: Jim Carrey filmography

The Sex and Violence Family Hour (1983)

All in Good Taste (1983)

Copper Mountain (1983)

Rubberface (1983)

Finders Keepers (1984)

Once Bitten (1985)

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

The Dead Pool (1988)

Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

The Mask (1994)

Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Batman Forever (1995)

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

The Cable Guy (1996)

Liar Liar (1997)

 The Truman Show (1998)

Man on the Moon (1999)

Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The Majestic (2001)

Bruce Almighty (2003)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

The Number 23 (2007)

Horton Hears a Who! (2008) (voice)

Yes Man (2008)

I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

The Bad Batch (2016)

True Crimes (2016)