Jim Carrey

James Eugene Carrey is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Born on January 17, 1962, he is widely recognized for his energetic slapstick performances and is regarded as one of the most prominent comedic actors of his generation. Over his career, he has earned two Golden Globe Awards alongside nominations for BAFTA Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, to Kathleen and Percy Carrey, and was raised Catholic with three older siblings. He discovered a talent for impressions at an early age and wrote to Carol Burnett when he was ten. During his youth, his family faced severe financial difficulties, briefly living in a van and a tent. The situation improved after his father secured an accounting job at a tire factory in Scarborough, where Carrey and his brother worked eight-hour shifts as janitors and security guards. Carrey later dropped out of school on his sixteenth birthday to pursue comedy while continuing factory work.

In 1977, Carrey made his stand-up comedy debut at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto. After refining his act, he began booking paid shows, touring as an opening act for comedian Rodney Dangerfield, and landing his first acting role in the 1981 television movie Introducing... Janet. In 1983, he relocated to Hollywood, where he performed regularly at The Comedy Store, debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom The Duck Factory. He subsequently appeared in early film roles such as Once Bitten and Peggy Sue Got Married.

Carrey achieved widespread recognition after joining the cast of the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color, where he appeared from 1990 to 1994. He emerged as a major film star in 1994 following a series of box office successes, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. He followed these with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Batman Forever in 1995. The commercial success of these films made Carrey the first comic actor to command an upfront salary of $20 million, starting with The Cable Guy in 1996. He continued his streak of hit comedies with Liar Liar in 1997.

Beyond comedy, Carrey gained critical acclaim for his work in dramatic films. He earned Golden Globe Awards for portraying the title character in The Truman Show in 1998 and entertainer Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon in 1999. He also starred in the 2004 romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, earning nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Carrey maintained a successful film career with leading roles in How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000, Bruce Almighty in 2003, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events in 2004, and Yes Man in 2008. In later years, he appeared in fewer films, with notable projects including Dumb and Dumber To in 2014, the Showtime series Kidding from 2018 to 2020, and his recurring role as Doctor Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series starting in 2020.