Jim Carrey Biography

Date of Birth
17 January 1962, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name
James Eugene Carrey

Height
6' 1½" (1.87 m)

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 "The Carol Burnett Show" (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 town of Newmarket to Scarborough (a Toronto suburb). 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 "The Duck Factory" (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 (1988). 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 marquee 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 The Mask (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 The Cable Guy (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 The Truman Show (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 Man on the Moon (1999), 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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors

Spouse
Lauren Holly (23 September 1996 - 29 July 1997) (divorced)
Melissa Carrey (28 March 1987 - 11 December 1995) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Flexible body movements.

Frequently plays a character who wears green or is green.

Makes weird facial expressions in his more comical roles. A lot of times, the expression is accompanied by an equally weird voice or laugh.

Trivia

Dropped out of high school at 16.

During the filming of Me, Myself & Irene (2000), he and the production crew attended a private music show of the band Phish on June 24th 1999 at the guitarist/vocalist house in Careystock, Vermont. There, he sang two songs with Phish, "Hey You" by Bachman Turner Overdrive and "Come Together" by The Beatles.

Ranked #54 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]

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" (1996). 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 (1996).

Relationship with Renée Zellweger ended while they were already engaged and had marriage plans. [2000]

Manager is Jimmy Miller, who is the younger brother of actor-comedian Dennis Miller.

Shares the same birthday with Andy Kaufman, who he played in Man on the Moon (1999).

December, 2001: Announces his intention to become a United States citizen.

His total of nine MTV movie awards as of 2001 is the most MTV movie awards won by any person.

Although he obtained American citizenship, he still intends to keep his Canadian citizenship.

He, Michael J. Fox and the late Raymond Burr head list of top Canadians in U.S. television compiled by Banff Television Festival, June 2002.

As a child, he used to wear his tap shoes to bed just in case his parents needed cheering up in the middle of the night.

Performed his first stand-up routine (with disastrous results) in a yellow suit and tails (made by his mother) similar to what he would later wear in The Mask (1994).

Insisted that his favorite band, Cannibal Corpse, play in the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994).

Melissa Womer Carrey filed court papers in Los Angeles Superior Court requesting more child support, saying that $10,000 a month "is not sufficient" to meet the needs of their 15-year-old daughter Jane, who wants to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. An April 21 hearing is scheduled on the support request. (30 January 2003)

Father of Jane Carrey with his first wife, Melissa Carrey.

Ranked #5 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003)

Many of his characters are ordinary men whose lives are changed by supernatural or otherwise unseen forces. As in The Mask (1994) (" (Ipkiss happens to find the mask), The Majestic (2001) (Appleton is unlucky and suffers amnesia), Liar Liar (1997) (His son's birthday wish comes true), Bruce Almighty (2003) (Divine intervention), The Truman Show (1998) (He finds his life is a TV show), and so on.

His characters from Dumb & Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), Batman Forever (1995), Bruce Almighty (2003), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Man on the Moon (1999) and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004_ are losers who want to be recognized and be famous.

There is some sort of a bathroom scene and car scene in almost every one of his movies.

Along with Jeff Goldblum and Damon Wayans, his voice was dubbed for certain scenes in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).

While filming Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), it took approximately two and a half hours for him and co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Damon Wayans to be suited up as the aliens.

Many of his characters have a job or interest in TV (The Mask (1994), Batman Forever (1995), The Cable Guy (1996), The Truman Show (1998), Man on the Moon (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003))

Has said that his least favorite movie is The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969).

Owns his own $25 million dollar plane.

October 2004 - Became a U.S. citizen.

He has said that Joel, his painfully shy, lovelorn character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), is closer to what he's like when he's not "on," and that making the film lead him to reflect on his past relationships and why they didn't work out.

Attended Agincourt Collegiate Institute (High School), in Scarborough.

Auditioned for the role of Farmer Ted in the film Sixteen Candles (1984). Eventually, actor Anthony Michael Hall won the part.

He donated a signed head-shot to Rocky Stone to be auctioned off to raise money to buy more toys for less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign 2004.

While getting his start in Los Angeles, one of his frequent stops was at the Comedy Store

Went through depression in the 1980s while struggling to make ends meet as a comedian.

Wrote letters to Tupac Shakur when Tupac was in prison to help him laugh and smile. Tupac said that Carrey was his favorite actor.

Briefly attended Aldershot High School in Burlington, Ontario.

Bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle and got a vanity license plate for it which read "NO TAG" as a joke. This resulted in Jim receiving numerous traffic tickets in the mail that were meant for other people. As it turns out, when filling out a ticket, police officers write "no tag" in the license plate number slot on the ticket when the offending vehicle has no license plate. In some cases, this was interpreted as the actual license plate number, as it was in Jim's case, which caused the tickets to be routed to him.

He was originally cast as "Dr. Evil" in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), but he had to drop out of the role due to a scheduling conflict with Liar Liar (1997).

Was considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Was considered for the role of "Willy Wonka" in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

His performance as "Ace Ventura" in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) is ranked #97 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Was originally offered the lead role in the movie The Master of Disguise (2002).

Was a straight-A student until he dropped out.

Before Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (2004), he spent years trying to produce and star in a film of Howard Hughes' life as Hughes himself.

He has been nominated for 5 Golden Globes, but although more recognised for his comedic performances, the only two Globes he's won were for dramatic performances. (The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999)).

Fellow Canadian comedian Mike Myers was chosen over Carrey to play in SNL.

Possibly out of slapstick to his nationality, his "Dick Harper" character of Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) has been compared by fans to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

First actor to reach 20 million dollar mark salary (for The Cable Guy (1996))

On September 13th, 2006, Carrey fired his agent of 15 years, Nick Stevens.

Along with his girlfriend Jenny McCarthy, he was among the guests at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's wedding.

Often his protagonist (or antagonist) roles are associated with the color green. The Mask (1994), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), "The Riddler" in Batman Forever (1995), the alias 'Mr. Red Green' in Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). The Red Green reference in Fun With Dick and Jane might have been a nod to a Canadian comedy, "The Red Green Show" (1991).

Turned down the offer to induct Jerry Lawler into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2007, for he believed the people in the audience would have come to the ceremony to see him, not the legends being honored that night.

Nicole Kidman calls him her best male friend.

Is a huge fan of the cartoons Johnny Bravo, Spongebob Squarepants and Dave The Barbarian.

At one time Carrey was slated to star as the lead in "Meet the Parents" (2000) and even contributed jokes to the screenplay, such as the main character being named 'Focker'.

With the exception of his "Ace Ventura" character, Carrey has a reputation of not repeating the same character twice in a sequel (Batman & Robin (1997)) or prequel (Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)).

Studies acting with legendary coach Larry Moss.

Is a vegetarian.

A fan of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969).

Has worked with two actresses from the TV show "Friends" (1994): Courteney Cox in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and Jennifer Aniston in Bruce Almighty (2003).

Played a fictional man who is not (yet) aware he is on television on "The Truman Show" (1998) and a real life man who believed he was always on television "Man on the Moon" (1999).

Jack Nicholson has called him the "Jack Nicholson of the next generation".

As of 2009, he is only one of six performers who won a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actor/Actress in a Motion Picture Drama without being nominated for an Oscar for that same role (his for The Truman Show (1998)). The others are Spencer Tracy in The Actress (1953), Anthony Franciosa in Career (1959), Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago (1965), Shirley MacLaine for Madame Sousatzka (1988) and Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road (2008).

Was considered for the role of Ted Stroehmann in There's Something About Mary (1998);.

As a kid, he was a member of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets.

The characters played by him in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Mask (1994) and Dumb & Dumber (1994) later all became TV cartoons, whereas his "Grinch", "Horton" and "Riddler" characters were already cartoons.

Publicist is Marleah Leslie.

Spoofed the Players' Club TV commercials, made famous by Telly Savalas in the 1980s, on In Living Color.

He had never heard of "Doctor Who" (1963) until being offered the role of the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who (1996) (TV), which was the key factor into turning down the role, as he felt he would cause outrage amongst Doctor Who fans if the role wasn't played by a Doctor Who fan.

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 1998 Golden Globes

I've been dubbed the man most responsible for the dumbing of America, so obviously I don't put much stock into thoughts like (the theme of the 'dumbing down' of contemporary comedy). People love to laugh, and most people can find humor in just about anything, which is great. Trying to label or categorize comedy is ridiculous. I mean, if you laugh at a fart joke, does that make you a moron? I don't think so.

Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches.

That's the trouble with being me. At this point, nobody gives a damn what my problem is. I could literally have a tumor on the side of my head and they'd be like, 'Yeah, big deal. I'd eat a tumor every morning for the kinda money you're pulling down.

I'm charming, but I dip into the Prozac now and then.

I don't believe in this fairy tale of staying together for ever. Ten years with somebody is enough. In ten years, you can give a lot of love.

I have no intention of giving up my Canadian heritage, and all those who loved and supported me. My upbringing in Canada made me the person I am. I will always be proud to be a Canadian.

After recording a cover of 'I am the Walrus': "There! I did it! I defiled a timeless work of art! For my next trick, I will paint a clown face on the Mona Lisa while using the shroud of Turin as a dropcloth."

[On being asked what his personal motto is] Always turn your wheel in the direction of the skid.

Salary
Bruce Almighty (2003) $25,000,000
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) $20,000,000 + merchandising
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) $20,000,000
Man on the Moon (1999) $20,000,000
The Truman Show (1998) $12,000,000
Liar Liar (1997) $20,000,000
The Cable Guy (1996) $20,000,000
Batman Forever (1995) $5,000,000
Dumb & Dumber (1994) $7 000,000
The Mask (1994) $540,000
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) $350,000
"In Living Color" (1990) $25,000/episode