Carrey, Jim (1962– )

Canadian film actor. A rubber-faced comic actor, he was launched to international celebrity in 1994 as the lead actor of the commercial hits The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Other films include Cable Guy (1996), The Truman Show (1998), The Grinch (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).

Through much of the 1990s Carrey continued to mine a slapstick comic vein in his roles, such as in Dumb & Dumber (1994) and Batman Returns (1995), relying on his expressive features, vocal impersonations, and rapid delivery of dialogue. However, with the highly acclaimed The Truman Show he proved himself an accomplished dramatic actor, and went on to star as the eccentric entertainer Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999). Other films include Me, Myself, and Irene (2000), The Majestic (2001), and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004).

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, in Canada. He began performing at comedy clubs as a teenager, and moved to Los Angeles in 1979. He was signed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield as the opening act of the Comedy Store for a season. This led to television work on the NBC sit-com The Duck Factory and eventually to film roles. He served his film apprenticeship in a series of secondary roles in such films as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and Earth Girls Are Easy (1989).

One of the major box-office draws of the mid- to late 1990s, Carrey was among the few Hollywood actors who could command a fee in excess of US$20 million per film during this period.