Jim Carrey, born James Eugene Carrey on January 17, 1962, is a Canadian-American comedian and actor known for his energetic performances. Carrey began his career as a stand-up comedian in Toronto at age 15, showcasing his talent for impressions and physical comedy. At 19, he moved to Hollywood, gaining recognition through roles in film and television, eventually becoming a dual citizen of the United States in 2004. Carrey achieved stardom with hits like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , The Mask , and Dumb and Dumber in 1994. He has also been recognized with Golden Globe Awards for The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999).

Where is Jim Carrey from?

Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, on January 17, 1962. He is a Canadian American comedian who became a leading comedic actor known for his over-the-top performances. Carrey made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at age 15. In 2017, he revealed his interest in painting and sculpting in the short documentary Jim Carrey: I Needed Color .

What kind of work is Jim Carrey famous for?

Jim Carrey is a Canadian-American comedian and actor celebrated for his energetic, over-the-top comedic performances. Carrey began as a stand-up comedian at age 15 and gained recognition for his impressions and visual comedy. His early career included roles in television and film, leading to a regular spot on the sketch comedy series In Living Color . Carrey achieved stardom through films such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Dumb and Dumber , and The Mask , earning Golden Globe Awards for The Truman Show and Man on the Moon .

What are some of Jim Carrey's most famous movies?

Jim Carrey, born James Eugene Carrey on January 17, 1962, is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. Carrey moved to Hollywood at age 19 and gained dual citizenship in the United States in 2004. Some of Carrey's most famous movies include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , The Mask , and Dumb and Dumber (all 1994). He received Golden Globe Awards for his performances in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999). Other notable films include Liar Liar (1997), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and Yes Man (2008).

How did Jim Carrey become famous?

Jim Carrey's rise to fame began with his early performances in a Toronto comedy club at age 15, where he honed his skills as a stand-up comedian and impressionist. At 19, he moved to Hollywood and, after a series of roles in film and television, gained recognition for his TV special, Jim Carrey: Unnatural Act (1991), which led to a regular role on the sketch comedy series In Living Color . Carrey achieved stardom through his box-office successes with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Dumb and Dumber , and The Mask (all in 1994).

How has Jim Carrey influenced comedy and acting?

Jim Carrey, born in Canada, is renowned for his over-the-top comedic performances and later serious roles. Carrey's early work in sketch comedy series In Living Color led to starring roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Dumb and Dumber , and The Mask , which were box-office successes. His role in The Mask earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. Carrey has received Golden Globes for The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999). Carrey has also been recognized for his work in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind .

Jim Carrey

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Images

Jim Carrey smiling at an event, wearing a dark jacket and scarf, with a light blue background behind him.

Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura stands in a cluttered room wearing a colorful shirt and red striped pants, holding parrots and a monkey, with animals perched on his arms and head.

Jim Carrey as the Mask, with a green face and yellow suit, dances closely with Cameron Diaz in an evening gown in a scene from the film The Mask.

Justin Cooper and Jim Carrey make exaggerated sad faces, with Carrey holding Cooper's cheeks, in a scene from the film Liar Liar.

Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who and Jim Carrey as the Grinch face each other in a scene from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with Cindy in a red coat and the Grinch in green fur.

Tom Wilkinson, dressed as a doctor, stands beside Jim Carrey, who sits on an exam table looking pensive, in a scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Jim Carrey as Truman stands at the top of a staircase with his arms outstretched in front of an open door, set against a backdrop of blue sky and clouds in The Truman Show.

Quick Facts

In full:: James Eugene Carrey

Born:: January 17, 1962, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada (age 64)

Married To:: Lauren Holly (1996–1997); Melissa Carrey (1987–1995)

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "The Number 23" (2007); "The Dead Pool" (1988); "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994); "The Office" (2011); "Man on the Moon" (1999); "The Mask" (1994); "Yes Man" (2008); "Kick-Ass 2" (2013); "Dark Crimes" (2016); "I Love You Phillip Morris" (2009); "The Duck Factory" (1984); "Liar Liar" (1997); "Horton Hears a Who!" (2008); "Batman Forever" (1995); "Fun with Dick and Jane" (2005); "The Truman Show" (1998); "Kidding" (2018–2020); "The Majestic" (2001); "Me, Myself & Irene" (2000); "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000); "Pink Cadillac" (1989); "In Living Color" (1990–2001); "30 Rock" (2012); "Earth Girls Are Easy" (1988); "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" (1995); "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004); "Sonic the Hedgehog" (2020); "All in Good Taste" (1983); "Simon Birch" (1998); "Dumb and Dumber" (1994); "The Bad Batch" (2016); "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986); "Once Bitten" (1985); "Bruce Almighty" (2003); "Finders Keepers" (1984); "Dumb and Dumber To" (2014); "A Christmas Carol" (2009); "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" (2013); "The Cable Guy" (1996); "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004); "The Larry Sanders Show" (1998); "Mr. Popper's Penguins" (2011); "The All-Night Show" (1980)

Movies/Tv Shows (Writing/Creator):: "I'm Dying Up Here" (2017); "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994); "In Living Color" (1992–1994)

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Jim Carrey

Canadian American comedian

Also known as: James Eugene Carrey

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 26, 2026 •History

Early life

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.

Stardom: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and The Truman Show

At age 19 Carrey moved to Hollywood, where he acted in films and on television; he obtained dual citizenship to the United States in 2004. In 1983 he played a role in the Canadian television film Introducing…Janet. 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: Unnatural Act (1991), received rave reviews and led to a regular role on the television sketch comedy series In Living Color. The show ended in 1994, and Carrey concentrated on his film career.

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Carrey scored an immediate hit with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and had continued box-office success with Dumb and Dumber and The Mask (all 1994). In the latter film Carrey played a timid bank clerk who becomes a hip wisecracking green-faced dandy when he dons a magical mask. His performance earned Carrey the first of several Golden Globe Award nominations. 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 that 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 Globes 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.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and later films

In 2000 Carrey 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). He subsequently starred in such films as Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), the mystery-thriller The Number 23 (2007), and Yes Man (2008).

In 2009 Carrey provided the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, an animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel. That year he also starred as a homosexual con man who, while in prison, falls in love with a fellow inmate in the dark comedy I Love You Phillip Morris. In the family comedy Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011), based on the children’s book of the same name, Carrey portrayed a businessman who inherits several gentoo penguins. His later credits included The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

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Carrey took a new direction with Dark Crimes (2016), a gloomy thriller based on a 2008 New Yorker article about a police officer investigating a murder that resembles one described in a crime novel. He then starred as a popular children’s television show host coping with a recent tragedy in the television series Kidding (2018–20). In 2020 Carrey returned to the big screen with the family comedy Sonic the Hedgehog, in which he played the villainous Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He reprised the role for the sequels in 2022 and 2024.

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In 2017 the short documentary Jim Carrey: I Needed Color revealed Carrey’s growing interest in painting and sculpting. Although art critics derided his work, Carrey continued to practice art and went on to regularly tweet political cartoons mocking Pres. Donald Trump and his administration. In 2020 Carrey published the semiautobiographical novel Memoirs and Misinformation (written with Dana Vachon).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

Jim Carrey

Early life

Stardom: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and The Truman Show

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and later films

Other activities