Biography

Arguably the top screen comedian of the 1990s, Canadian-born entertainer Jim Carrey has combined equal parts of his idol Jerry Lewis, his spiritual ancestor Harry Ritz, and the loose-limbed Ray Bolger into a gleefully uninhibited screen image that is uniquely his own.

Carrey's life wasn't always been a barrel of laughs; he was born on January 17, 1962 into a peripatetic household that regularly ran the gamut from middle-class comfort to abject poverty. Not surprisingly, Carrey became a classic overachiever, excelling in academics while keeping his classmates in stitches with his wild improvisations and elastic facial expressions. His comedy club debut at age 16 was a dismal failure, but Carrey had already resolved not to be beaten down by life's disappointments (as his father, a frustrated musician, had been). By age 22, he was making a good living as a stand-up comic, and was starring on the short-lived sitcom The Duck Factory -- a series which curiously did little to take advantage of its star's uncanny physical dexterity. Throughout the 1980s, Carrey appeared in supporting roles in such films as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Earth Girls are Easy (1990).

Full television stardom came Carrey's way in 1990 as the resident "white guy" on Keenan Ivory Wayans' Fox TV comedy weekly In Living Color. The most popular of the comedian's many characterizations on the program was the grotesquely disfigured Fire Marshal Bill, whose dubious safety tips brought down the wrath of real-life fire prevention groups -- and also earned Carrey the ultimate accolade of being imitated by other comics. 1994 proved to be The "Year" of Carrey, with the release of three top-grossing comedy films to his credit: Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. By the end of the year, Carrey was commanding seven to ten million dollars per picture. In 1995, the actor-comedian took over for Robin Williams as The Riddler in the blockbuster film Batman Forever, and in 1996 tried his hand at a darker and more menacing role as a maniacal cable repairman in The Cable Guy. The film, and Carrey's at times frightening performance, received decidedly mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Despite the generally negative response to the film, Carrey still retained an interest in branching out into more dramatic roles.

Following a return to all-out comedy in Liar, Liar (1997) as a chronically dishonest attorney, Carrey explored new territory with his lead role in the highly acclaimed The Truman Show (1998), Peter Weir's eerie comedy-drama about the perils of all-consuming media manipulation. Critical respect in hand, Carrey returned to comedy of a different sort with the lead role in Milos Forman's Man on the Moon (1999), a much-anticipated biopic of the legendary comic Andy Kaufman. Although the film boasted a powerhouse performance from Carrey, it earned less than stellar reviews and did poor business at the box office. Such was the strength of the actor's portrayal, however, that his exclusion from the Best Actor nominations at that year's Academy Awards was a source of protest for a number of industry members. Carrey returned to straight comedy the following year with the Farrelly Brothers' Me, Myself & Irene, which he starred as a cop with a split personality, both of whom are in love with the same woman (Renee Zellweger). Though that film fared the least successful of the Farrelly Brothers' efforts to that point, Carrey's anarchic persona was given seemingly free range and the result was his most unhinged role since The Mask. Ever seeking acceptance as a skilled dramatist, Carrey would next appear in the box-office bomb The Majestic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Over the Hedge (2005) (voice) .... RJ
Children of the Dust Bowl, The (2004) .... Leo Hart
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2003) .... Joel Barish
Lemony Snicket (2003) .... Count Olaf
Bruce Almighty (2003) .... Bruce Nolan
Hollywood Salutes Nicolas Cage: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2002) (TV) .... Presented Award to Nicolas Cage
Laughing Out Loud: America's Funniest Comedians (2001) (V) (archive footage) .... Himself
Majestic, The (2001) .... Peter Appleton
Concert for New York City (2001) (TV) .... Himself
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Comedy Store: The E! True Hollywood Story, The (2001) (TV) .... Himself
2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2000) (TV)
MTV Video Music Awards 2000 (2000) (TV) .... Himself
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) .... Grinch
... aka Grinch, The (2000/I) (Australia) (USA: promotional title)
... aka Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (USA: complete title)
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) .... Officer Charlie Baileygates/Hank Evans
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV) .... Himself
1999 MTV Movie Awards (1999) (TV) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Andy Kaufman's Really Big Show (1999) (TV)
Man on the Moon (1999) (also as Tony Clifton) .... Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton
... aka Mondmann, Der (2000) (Germany)
Playmate Pajama Party (1999) (V) (archive footage) (uncredited) .... Himself
In My Life (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Junket Whore (1998) .... Himself
Simon Birch (1998) .... Adult Joe Wenteworth
... aka Angels and Armadillos (1998)
Truman Show, The (1998) .... Truman Burbank
"Celebrity Profile" (1997) TV Series .... Himself
Liar Liar (1997) .... Fletcher Reede
Cable Guy, The (1996) .... The Cable Guy, aka Ernie 'Chip' Douglas/Larry Tate/Ricky Ricardo
American Film Institute Salute to Clint Eastwood, The (1996) (TV) .... Himself (host)
1995 MTV Movie Awards (1995) (TV) .... Himself/Presenter
American Film Institute Salute to Steven Spielberg, The (1995) (TV) .... Himself
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) .... Ace Ventura
... aka Ace Ventura Goes to Africa (1995)
Jim Carrey Spotlight (1995) (TV) .... Himself
Batman Forever (1995) .... Riddler/Edward Nygma
... aka Forever (1995/I) (USA: title without logo)
Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman, A (1995) (TV) .... Himself
Dumb & Dumber (1994) .... Lloyd Christmas
... aka Dumb Happens (1994)
... aka Dumb and Dumber (1994) (USA: video box title)
High Strung (1994) (uncredited) .... Death
... aka Pissed Off (1994) (USA: alternative title)
Mask, The (1994) .... Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects (1994) (TV) .... Himself
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) .... Ace Ventura
Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America (1993) (TV) (archive footage) .... Captain Kirk
Tribute to Sam Kinison, A (1993) (TV) .... Himself
Itsy Bitsy Spider, The (1992) (as James Carrey) .... The Exterminator
Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) (TV) .... Tim Carter
... aka Faces in the Mirror (1992) (TV) (USA: bootleg video title)
Comic Relief (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Jim Carrey: The Un-Natural Act (1991) (TV) .... Himself
... aka Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act (1991) (TV)
"In Living Color" (1990) TV Series (as James Carrey) .... Various
Pink Cadillac (1989) (uncredited) .... Comedian
Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) (TV) .... Brad Peters
Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) .... Wiploc
Dead Pool, The (1988) (as James Carrey) .... Johnny Squares
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) .... Walter Getz
Once Bitten (1985) .... Mark Kendall
Finders Keepers (1984) .... Lane Bidlekoff
"Duck Factory, The" (1984) TV Series .... Skip Tarkenton
Copper Mountain (1983) .... Bobby Todd
... aka Club Med (1983)
... aka Copper Mountain: A Club Med Experience (1983)
Introducing... Janet (1983) .... Tony Moroni
... aka Rubberface (1983)
Sex and Violence Family Hour, The (1983) (V) .... Various Personalities
All In Good Taste (1983) .... Photographer