“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer,” says Jim Carrey, a regular comedian who mesmerized his audience and transformed himself from TV’s funny man to a Golden Globe-winning Hollywood actor.
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He has taken a long haul from his movie career for the past decade or so and turned his attention to painting among other things. He created a monstrous portrait of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and more recently of Trump, which was quite revealing. This Jim Carrey is different from the one who became every girl’s first love through his performance in ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.
Carrey’s personal life was never stable and consistent. He has been married twice to Melissa Womer and Lauren Holly and was in a live-in relationship with Jenny Mc Carthy for around 5 years (2005-2010). He has a daughter – Jane Erin Carrey, with his first wife Melissa Womer.
A Born Performer And Entertainer
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James Eugene Carrey was born on 17th January 1962 in Ontario, Canada to Kathleen – a homemaker and Percy Carrey – an accountant and a part-time musician. James was quite a performer from his very childhood days. He was an entertainer, the life of every house party. Just at the age of 10, he made a resume/biodata of himself and sent it across to The Carol Burnett Show. By the time he reached junior high school, he was already performing stand-ups for his class fellows and teachers!
Family Crisis During Adolescence Was A Bump In The Road
Sadly, Jim’s family saw some tough times, when he was growing up. There was a phase during which they even had to live in a camper van. Jim with his three siblings and parents had to work extra shifts to make enough money. Jim was working for eight to ten hours a day at such young age. His morale was low but he did not give up completely. He waited for the right time. Finally, after a few years of struggle, Jim’s family moved to Toronto.
Stand-Up And Impersonations – A Learning Phase
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Soon after the family moved to Toronto and things got better, Jim made his debut in a local pub as a standup comedian. Though the initial feedback on his sketches was not that great but Jim was not ready to quit. He decided to drop out of school and work full time on his comedy.
He realized that he got better responses on celebrity impersonations and started working on them. In the year 1979, he decided to move to Los Angeles. He finessed his craft and finally bagged a regular gig at The Comedy Store. Rodney Dangerfield was so impressed by Jim’s craft that he signed him as an opener for an entire season.
The Acting Bug
After perfecting the art of lounge comedy, Jim started to look for different mediums where he could use his comic skills. He managed to get a part as a cartoonist in a sitcom called ‘The Duck Factory’ (1984). The show was short-lived but it gave Jim the confidence and motivation to pursue acting as a career.
Though Carrey landed up some roles in movies like ‘Once Bitten’ (1985), ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ (1986), and ‘Earth Girls Are Easy’ (1988), he did not receive much praise for his work in these films. Things took a happy turn when Jim landed a role in the comedy series called ‘In Living Color’ (1990). He managed to quickly make a name for himself as an established comedian with hilarious sketches and outrageous acts.
Hollywood Major
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Following his time on ‘In Living Color’ (1990), Jim Carrey was ready to make a dent in the industry. His transformation into a marquee headliner happened within just one single year. The year 1994 saw Jim starring in ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’. This film cashed in on his uniquely physical brand of humor, establishing Carrey as an accepted entertainer and a box office hit. This blockbuster was followed by the release of ‘The Mask’ – a superhero film for which he is still remembered.
After this, Carrey’s career graph shot like a canon in the air. Films like ‘Dumb and Dumber’, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ and ‘Liar Liar’ etched Carrey’s name in Hollywood with golden letters. He shot to fame and earned millions.
A Break from Comedy, Eccentric Acting, And The Golden Globes
Jim wanted to explore the other sides of his personality as an actor. In 1998, he starred in Peter Weir’s ‘The Truman Show’ where he played a salesman who finds out that his whole life has been the subject of a TV show! Jim demonstrated a unique and uncharacteristic sincerity in this role and took moviegoers by surprise. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in this film.
Next, Carrey played the eccentric funnyman Andy Kaufman in ‘Man on the Moon’. He took method acting to new heights and disappeared into his character. He started living as Kaufman – as well as the blustery alter-ego called Tony Clifton. His uncanny impersonation and impeccable performance were rewarded with yet another Golden Globe.
Academy Awards And Jim Carrey – The Controversy
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When Jim played some memorable roles in films like ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Man on the Moon’ during 1998-99, he was hopeful of getting an Oscar. When he did not win, he even lashed out at the Academy. He gave controversial statements like the Academy was “narrow-minded” and “biased” in its selection process. His fans, who also anticipated his win, supported him. However, his remarks were not taken in good taste by most of Hollywood.
Continued Success And Versatile Performances
Jim Carrey may not have won an Oscar but he enjoyed continued success. With movies like ‘Me, Myself & Irene’, ‘Bruce Almighty’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘The Number 23’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ (an animated movie where he voiced multiple characters) and ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ Carrey has nothing left to prove. He is a pool of talent that many young actors and fans look up to.
The New Carrey
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It has been years since we last spotted him in a film, he recently opened up about his life and more in the Netflix original ‘Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond’. Now, he is busy painting the absurd and the abstract. We still wish to see him working in more films, who knows what else he could bring on screen!
These days Carrey has been studying mindfulness, as well as Christ consciousness and non-dualism and the Bhagavad Gita. “I was a seeker for a long time, but I’m not seeking anything anymore,” Carrey said about his journey in a recent interview.