JIM CARREY
Birth name
James Eugene Carrey
Date of birth (location)
17 January 1962,
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Height
6' 2"
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Mini biography
The youngest of four children born to Percy (an accountant and aspiring jazz saxophonist) and Kathleen, Jim Carrey was an incurable extrovert from day one. As a child he performed constantly, for anyone who would watch, and even mailed his résumé to "Carol Burnett Show, The" (1967) at age 10. In junior high he was granted a few precious minutes at the end of each school day to do stand-up routines for his classmates (provided, of course, that he kept a lid on it the rest of the day). Carrey's early adolescence took a turn for the tragic, however, when the family was forced to relocate from their cozy Toronto suburb to the industrial town of Scarborough. They all took security and janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory, Jim working 8-hour shifts after school let out (not surprisingly, his grades and morale both suffered). When they finally deserted the factory, the family lived out of a Volkswagen camper van until they could return to Toronto.
Back on firmer ground, Carrey decided to strike out into the comedy club scene. He made his (reportedly awful) professional stand-up debut at Yuk-Yuk's, one of the many local clubs that would serve as his training ground in the years to come. He dropped out of high school, worked on his celebrity impersonations (among them Michael Landon and James Stewart), and in 1979 worked up the nerve to move to Los Angeles.
He finessed his way into a regular gig at The Comedy Store, where he impressed Rodney Dangerfield so much that the veteran comic signed him as an opening act for an entire season. During this period Carrey met and married waitress Melissa Womer, with whom he had a daughter (Jane). The couple would later go through a very messy divorce, freeing Carrey up for a brief second marriage to actress Lauren Holly.
Wary of falling into the lounge act lifestyle, Carrey began to look around for other performance outlets. He landed a part as a novice cartoonist in the short-lived sitcom "Duck Factory, The" (1984); while the show fell flat, the experience gave Carrey the confidence to pursue acting more vigorously. He scored the male lead in the ill-received Lauren Hutton vehicle Once Bitten (1985), and a supporting role in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), before making a modest splash with his appearance as the alien Wiploc in Earth Girls Are Easy (1989). Impressed with Carrey's lunacy, fellow extraterrestrial Damon Wayans made a call to his brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was in the process of putting together the sketch comedy show "In Living Color" (1990). Carrey joined the cast and quickly made a name for himself with outrageous acts (one of his most popular characters, psychotic Fire Marshall Bill, was attacked by watchdog groups for dispensing ill-advised safety tips).
Carrey's transformation from TV goofball to marquis headliner happened within the course of a single year. He opened 1994 with a starring turn in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), a film that cashed in on his extremely physical brand of humor (the character's trademark was talking out his derrière). Next up was the manic superhero movie Mask, The (1994), which had audiences wondering just how far Carrey's features could stretch. Finally, in December, he hit theaters as a loveable dolt in the Farrelly brothers' Dumb & Dumber (1994) (his first multi-million dollar payday).
Now a box-office staple, Carrey brought his manic antics onto the set of Batman Forever (1995), replacing Robin Williams as The Riddler. He also filmed the follow-up to his breakthrough, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), and inked a deal with Sony to star in Cable Guy, The (1996) (replacing Chris Farley) for a cool $20 million--at the time, that was the biggest up-front sum that had been offered to any comic actor. The movie turned out to be a disappointment, both critically and financially, but Carrey bounced back the next year with the energetic hit Liar Liar (1997). Worried that his comic shtick would soon wear thin, Carrey decided to change course. In 1998, he traded in the megabucks and silly grins to star in Peter Weir's Truman Show, The (1998). Playing a naive salesman who discovers that his entire life is the subject of a TV show, Carrey demonstrated an uncharacteristic sincerity that took moviegoers by surprise. He won a Golden Globe for the performance, and fans anticipated an Oscar nomination as well--when it didn't materialize, Carrey lashed out at Academy members for their narrow-minded selection process.
Perhaps inspired by the snub, Carrey threw himself into his next role with abandon. After edging out a handful of other hopefuls (including Edward Norton) to play eccentric funnyman Andy Kaufman in Moon (1999), Man on the, Carrey disappeared into the role, living as Kaufman--and his blustery alter-ego Tony Clifton--for months (Carrey even owned Kaufman's bongo drums, which he'd used during his audition for director Milos Forman). His sometimes uncanny impersonation was rewarded with another Golden Globe, but once again the Academy kept quiet.
An indignant Carrey next reprised his bankable mania for the Farrelly brothers in Me, Myself & Irene (2000), playing a state trooper whose Jekyll and Hyde personalities both fall in love with the same woman (Renée Zellweger). Carrey's real-life persona wound up falling for her too--a few months after the film wrapped, the pair announced they were officially a couple. By then, Carrey had already slipped into a furry green suit to play the stingy antihero of Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). He plans to take a break from the limelight after the holiday flick (as he puts it, "I'm looking forward to getting out of America's face"). Is there another Carrey reinvention in the works? If so, he's not talking.
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IMDb mini-biography by
IMDb Editors
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Spouse
Lauren Holly (23 September 1996 - 29 July 1997) (divorced)
'Melissa Womer' (1987 - 1995) (divorced)
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Trade mark
Frequent movie line, "Alrighty then!"
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Trivia
Dropped out of high school at 16
During the filming of Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Jim Carrey and the production crew attended a private music show of the band "Phish" on June 24th 1999 at the guitarist/vocalist house in Careystock, VT. There, Jim Carrey sung two songs with Phish, "Hey You," from Pink Floyd and "Come Together, " from The Beatles.
(October 1997) Ranked #54 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
(1997) Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
Made his name in the US as a cast member of the show "In Living Color" (1990)
Carrey has a daughter, Jane, with Womer
At age 10, he sent his resume to Carol Burnett.
He appeared at the 20th anniversary special for The Comedy Store wearing nothing but a sock on his penis.
Hosted "YTV Awards Show" in mid '80s with Laurie from Fox After Breakfast. YTV is Canada's Youth Television station
At one point his family lived out of their car/trailer
Once performed "Rocket Man" on stage with Elton John at one of Elton's concerts (1998)
At one point he and his family all worked as janitors at a factory to make a living
Wrote himself a check for $20 million and kept it in his wallet until he earned that amount for The Cable Guy.
Jim Carrey performed the song "I am the Walrus" on the George Martin album "In my Life"
(2000) Relationship with Renée Zellweger ended while they were already engaged and had marriage plans.
Manager is James "Jimmy" Miller, who is the younger brother of actor-comedian Dennis Miller (I).
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Personal quotes
"I tend to stay up late, not because I'm partying but because it's the only time of day when I'm alone and I don't have to be on, performing."
"Until Ace Ventura, no actor had considered talking through his ass"
"It's insane...I mean, Nicholson, Hoffman, Jackson, Kline - I don't see how I can lose." -Regarding his chances at 1997 Golden Globes
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Salary
Truman Show, The (1998) $12,000,000
Liar Liar (1997) $20,000,000
Cable Guy, The (1996) $20,000,000
Batman Forever (1995) $5,000,000
Mask, The (1994) $540,000
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) $350,000
Dumb & Dumber (1994) $7,000,000
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) $20,000,000 + merchandising
Man on the Moon (1999) $20,000,000
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) $20,000,000
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Rubber-faced comic actor whose manic energy and general goofiness have evoked comparisons to Jerry Lewis and made him one of the hottest stars in films today. After years of standup comedy performances on the comedy club circuit, and a very shortlived sitcom, "The Duck Factory" (1984), Carrey won featured roles in Once Bitten (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986, as a loudmouthed classmate of Kathleen Turner's), The Dead Pool (1988), and Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) before attracting major attention for his strange characterizations on TV's "In Living Color" (1990-94), on which he was "the white guy." The surprise success of his debut starring vehicle, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), made him an overnight sensation and made moviegoers eager to see his subsequent 1994 releases, The Mask in which he became a human cartoon, and Dumb and Dumber which cast him as a lovable imbecile opposite Jeff Daniels. (The extraordinary success of these films inspired a video company to release a shelved 1991 comedy, High Strung in which he had a small, unbilled part.) He then played The Riddler in Batman Forever (1995). The 1992 TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive which cast Carrey as an alcoholic, shows he could expand his range if he wanted to-and if his fans would
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Filmography as: Actor, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Actor - filmography
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s)
Comedy Store: The E! True Hollywood Story, The (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Majestic, The (2001) .... Peter Appleton/Luke Trimble
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV) .... Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 2000 (2000) (TV) .... Himself
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) .... The Grinch
... aka Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (USA)
... aka Grinch, The (2000/I) (Australia) (USA: promotional title)
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) .... Officer Charlie Baileygates/Hank Evans
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Playmate Pajama Party (1999) (V) (archive footage) (uncredited) .... Himself
Man on the Moon (1999) (also as Tony Clifton) .... Andy Kaufman/Tony Clifton
... aka Mondmann, Der (2000) (Germany)
In My Life (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Simon Birch (1998) .... Adult Joe Wenteworth
... aka Angels and Armadillos (1998)
Truman Show, The (1998) .... Truman Burbank
Liar Liar (1997) .... Fletcher Reede
Cable Guy, The (1996) .... Chip Douglas
Salute to Clint Eastwood, A (1996) (TV) .... Himself (host)
... aka 24th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Clint Eastwood, The (1996) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman, A (1995) (TV) .... Himself
Salute to Steven Spielberg, A (1995) (TV) .... Himself
... aka 23th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Steven Spielberg, The (1995) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) .... Ace Ventura
... aka Ace Ventura Goes to Africa (1995)
Batman Forever (1995) .... The Riddler/Edward Nygma
... aka Forever (1995/I) (USA: title without logo)
Dumb & Dumber (1994) .... Lloyd Christmas
... aka Dumb Happens (1994)
... aka Dumb and Dumber (1994) (USA: video box title)
Mask, The (1994) .... Stanley 'Stan' Ipkiss/The Mask
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) .... Ace Ventura
Mo' Funny: Black Comedy in America (1993) (TV) (archive footage) .... Captain Kirk
Itsy Bitsy Spider, The (1992) (as James Carrey) .... The Exterminator
Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) (TV) .... Tim
... aka Faces in the Mirror (1992) (TV) (USA: bootleg video title)
High Strung (1991) (uncredited) .... Death
Jim Carrey: The Un-Natural Act (1991) (TV) .... Himself
"In Living Color" (1990) TV Series (as James Carrey) .... Various
Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) .... Wiploc
Pink Cadillac (1989) (uncredited) .... Himself - Backgroud Comedian in Vegas Show
Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) (TV) .... Brad Peters
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)
All In Good Taste (1983) .... Photographer
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Filmography as: Actor, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Writer - filmography
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) (screenplay)
Jim Carrey: The Un-Natural Act (1991) (TV)
"In Living Color" (1990) TV Series
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Filmography as: Actor, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Miscellaneous crew - filmography
"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1996) TV Series (characters creator)
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Filmography as: Actor, Writer, Miscellaneous crew, Notable TV guest appearances
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Notable TV guest appearances
"Larry King Live" (1985) playing "Himself" 12/19/1999
"Larry Sanders Show, The" (1992) playing "Himself" in episode: "Flip" (episode # 6.11) 5/31/1998
"Oprah Winfrey Show, The" (1986) playing "Himself" 4/27/1998
"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (1994) playing "Himself" in episode: "Le Livre d'Histoire" (episode # 11a) 6/9/1995
"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (1994) playing "Himself" in episode: "Mask, The" (episode # 9.1) 11/4/1994
"Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The" (1962) playing "Himself" 1994
"Dennis Miller Show, The" (1992)
"Buffalo Bill" (1983) playing "Jerry Lewis impersonator"(uncredited) in episode: "Jerry Lewis Week" (episode # 2.2) 1/5/1984
"Sesame Street" (1969) playing "Himself
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