Carrey, Jim

▪ 1998

      In 1997 comedian Jim Carrey again hit it big, this time with the film Liar Liar, in which he played a fast-talking lawyer forced—by a magic spell invoked by his young son by means of a birthday wish—to tell the truth for one day. It was an important turnaround for Carrey after the public's less-than-enthusiastic reception for his $20 million performance as an obnoxious cable television installer in the 1996 black comedy The Cable Guy.

      Known for his racing energy level and frenetic improvisation, Carrey had a comic appeal that was mainly visual. With absolute control over his rubbery face, he was a technically brilliant mimic and boasted over 100 characterizations, with a repertoire ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Kermit the Frog. Carrey, who began his career as a stand-up comic, specialized in simple look-and-laugh escapist comedy routines. His success as the star of the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) enabled him to command large salaries for subsequent movies. In 1995 he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in The Mask (1994), a variation of the Jekyll and Hyde story based on a popular comic-book character. In this film Carrey played a timid bank clerk who becomes a hip, wisecracking (albeit green-faced) dandy when he dons a magical mask.

      Born on Jan. 17, 1962, in New Market, Ont., James Eugene Carrey grew up in and around Toronto. At age eight he began making faces before a mirror and discovered a talent for doing impressions. After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey worked for two years as a janitor in a factory. He made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at the age of 15 and by 1979 had found that he was able to make a living as a comedian. He wrote most of his own material as an opening act for such comics as Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield.

      At the age of 19 he moved to Hollywood, where he acted in films and on television. In 1983 Carrey played a role in the Canadian television film Introducing . . . Janet, for which he was nominated for an ACTRA Award. In the television series "The Duck Factory," Carrey played a young cartoonist who worked in a Hollywood animation studio. His first TV special, "Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act," (1991) received rave reviews and led to a regular role in the TV series "In Living Color." He made his film debut in Finders Keepers (1984). After the success of the first Ace Ventura film, he made several more comedies in rapid succession, notably Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask, and the second Ace Ventura film, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). He also played the Riddler in the film Batman Forever (1995).

      Although Carrey was best known for his comic roles, he occasionally took on more serious parts, as in The Cable Guy and Introducing . . . Janet, in which he played an unfunny would-be comedian. It was reported that he was venturing in that direction again with The Truman Show, the tale of a man who discovers that his apparently ordinary life is really a popular TV show; it was due for release in 1998.

DIANE LOIS WAY

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▪ Canadian comedian and actor

in full  James Eugene Carrey 

born Jan. 17, 1962, New Market, Ont., Can.

      Canadian comedian whose over-the-top humour in such films as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and The Mask (1994) established him as a leading comedic actor.

      Carrey grew up in and around Toronto. At age eight he began making faces before a mirror and discovered a talent for doing impressions. After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey worked for two years as a janitor in a factory. He made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at age 15 and by 1979 he was able to make a living as a comedian. He wrote most of his own material as an opening act for such comics as Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield. Known for his racing energy level and frenetic improvisation, he had a comic appeal that was mainly visual. He was a technically brilliant mimic and boasted more than 100 characterizations, with a repertoire ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Kermit the Frog.

      At age 19 Carrey moved to Hollywood, where he acted in films and on television. In 1983 he played a role in the Canadian television film Introducing…Janet, for which he was nominated for an ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) Award. The following year he made his feature film debut in Finders Keepers, which was followed by a leading role in the film Once Bitten (1985). Carrey then played an intergalactic alien named Wiploc in the comedy Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). His first TV special, Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act (1991), received rave reviews and led to a regular role on the television series In Living Color. The show ended in 1994, and Carrey concentrated on his film career. He scored an immediate hit with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and had continued box office success with Dumb and Dumber (1994) and The Mask (1994). In the latter film Carrey played a timid bank clerk who becomes a hip, wisecracking (albeit green-faced) dandy when he dons a magical mask. His performance earned Carrey a Golden Globe nomination. He subsequently starred in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) and played the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995).

      After the black comedy The Cable Guy (1996)—which fared poorly at the box office—Carrey scored a hit with Liar Liar (1997). In the film he played a fast-talking lawyer forced—by a magic spell invoked by his young son's birthday wish—to tell the truth for one day. Carrey received Golden Globe Awards for his work in The Truman Show (1998), a tale of a man who discovers that his apparently ordinary life is really a popular television show, and Man on the Moon (1999), in which he portrayed the comedian Andy Kaufman. In 2000 he appeared in the film adaptation of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After receiving mixed reviews for The Majestic (2001) and Bruce Almighty (2003), Carrey earned critical acclaim for his performance as a man who decides to have his memories of a former girlfriend erased in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). His later films include Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), the mystery-thriller The Number 23 (2007), and Yes Man (2008).

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