Comedic Performers Codexery

Jim Carrey

Canadian-American actor known for slapstick and dramatic roles.

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Carrey gained recognition on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (1990–1994) before breaking out as a film star in 1994.[1] Born on January 17, 1962, James Eugene Carrey holds both Canadian and American nationality and works as an actor and comedian.[2] His comedic style is largely defined by high-energy slapstick, and he is widely considered a leading comedic actor of his era.[3]

Key facts and history

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, to Kathleen and Percy Carrey, and was raised Catholic with three older siblings.[4] At age 16, he was a Grade 9 dropout who had spent eight months living in a tent with two siblings.[5] His first stand-up comedy experience was in 1977 at Yuk Yuk's comedy club, where his conventional impersonations bombed.[6] Carrey moved to Hollywood in early 1983 and began performing at The Comedy Store.[7]

Carrey starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, all released in 1994.[1] Carrey was the first performer known primarily for comedy to command a $20 million upfront payment for a movie role, starting with 1996's The Cable Guy.[1] For his role in the 1998 satirical drama The Truman Show, Carrey was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.[8] The French Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma presented Carrey with an Honorary César in February 2026.[9]

What the cited sources add

A National Post article notes that Carrey's father gained employment at the Titan Wheels Factory and the family cleaned the building nightly in exchange for housing.[5] The same source states that Carrey's sister Rita described his humor as innate, saying "He was born to do it"[5] Between July 1994 and November 1995, Carrey had four straight films gross more than $100 million.[5] A Men's Health article reports that Carrey received 15% of every dollar The Cable Guy made at the box office, putting his total payday at about $35 million.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Jim Carrey Net Worth", Men's Health (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Happy 63rd Birthday, Jim Carrey! See the Actor's Most Iconic Film Roles, from The Mask to The Grinch", People.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shanlin, "Throwback Thursday: Jim Carrey at 20", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "1962: Funny man Jim Carrey born in Newmarket, Ont.", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; "USA Weekend Magazine", USA Weekend, May 25, 2003; Puig, "Spiritual Carrey still mighty funny", USA Today, May 27, 2003; "Jim Carrey: Carrey'd Away", Movieline, January 7, 1994; "Jim Carrey Online • View topic – Scottish Interview & Clip", Jimcarreyonline.com; on Inside the Actors Studio.; Knelman, Martin., "Jim Carrey: The Joker Is Wild", U.S.: Firefly Books Ltd., 2000, p. 8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Kaplan, "Dumb and Dumber Weak (sic): Jim Carrey's rocky road from Scarborough to Hollywood – 'He was born to do it'", National Post, November 13, 2014. facts only, no text reused. nationalpost.com
  6. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kaplan, "Dumb and Dumber Weak (sic): Jim Carrey's rocky road from Scarborough to Hollywood – 'He was born to do it'", National Post, November 13, 2014; "Jim Carrey Biography", Bio; Quinn, "Jim Carrey on the Failures of His Early Career: 'Darkness Is Where Diamonds Form'", People, June 1, 2017; Kaplan, "Dumb and Dumber Weak (sic): Jim Carrey's rocky road from Scarborough to Hollywood – 'He was born to do it'", National Post, November 13, 2014; Kaplan, "Dumb and Dumber Weak (sic): Jim Carrey's rocky road from Scarborough to Hollywood – 'He was en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Miller, "When Carson was king: Comedy careers were made, Jim Carrey says", Sioux City Journal, June 2, 2017; Miller, "When Carson was king: Comedy careers were made, Jim Carrey says", Sioux City Journal, June 2, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Truman Show Movie Reviews, Pictures", Rotten Tomatoes, June 5, 1998; Svetkey, "The Truman Pro", June 5, 1998 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Jim Carrey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Is that really Jim Carrey? Actor breaks silence after hyper-realistic makeup artist mask post goes viral", The Times of India, 2026-03-03; Lindain, "'90s Movie Star Looks Nearly Unrecognizable in Latest Awards Show Appearance", March 2, 2026; Goodfellow, "Jim Carrey Recalls French Roots As He Makes Rare Public Appearance For César Honor", Deadline, 26 February 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Jim Carrey Net Worth", Men's Health. facts only, no text reused. menshealth.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jim Carrey (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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