Can we take him seriously? Even when he is serious, or attempts to be? Jaw dropping, waist twisting, legs enlarging, facial features changing in the blink of an eye. Jim Carrey always wanted to be an official funnyman. But is it all what Jim Carrey has to offer, or is there more to this truly versatile man?
Jim Carrey’s childhood
There were four children in Percy Carrey’s family and Jim was the youngest one. James Eugene Carrey was born on January 17, 1962. His early childhood was one of an extroverted child who preformed since he was born and took any occasion to try out his skills. At the age of ten he wrote a letter to “The Carol Burnett Show”, but they never responded. Regardless of such defeat he exercised his skills at school, hence he was labelled the class clown. Nothing really could have stopped him being funny and persuade school authorities to let him perform for his peers at the end of each school day.
He was only fourteen when he attempted stand-up for the first time at the Canadian comedy club Yuk Yuk’s. Jim Carrey was booed off the stage at that time.
A rough patch for the Carrey family
The troubles started in 1977, when Jim’s father Percy lost his accounting job. They were forced to relocate from their home in Toronto and all of them took security and janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory. Young Jim worked eight-hour shifts after the school day.
In such dire circumstances Jim’s mother Kathleen, who often struggled with health, fell gravely ill. That was the exact reason why Jim left school – to care for his mother. And paradoxically, it was during such a hard time, that his comedy actually began to show: he would perform comedy acts for his mother, just to make her laugh.
The things went from bad to worse and the family abandoned the factory but were forced to live in a VW Bus.
Return to Toronto and Yuk Yuk’s
In 1979, Carrey’s family managed to return to Toronto. Jim was seventeen and nothing really stopped him to sum up courage and return to the stage of Yuk Yuk’s, where he was booed a few years earlier. This brave act brought him wider recognition in the Toronto comedy circuit.
Jim Carrey moves to Los Angeles
That modest success gave him courage to move to Los Angeles in 1979. He got a regular gig at “The Comedy Store” and he impressed the veteran comic Rodney Dangerfield so much that he signed Carrey as an opening act for an entire season. That great opportunity opened the door to Hollywood and in 1982, Jim appeared on the TV stand-up show “An Evening at the Improv,” and the following year on “The Tonight Show.”
From stand-up comedian to movie star
After some time Jim grew wary of stand-up acts turning his attention to television and film. He found several roles but in minor projects and it looked like he would have a modest success in the film industry until he landed the part that would change his life. In 1988’s “Earth Girls Are Easy” he got a role of alien Wiploc. It was sort of double-luck for Jim Carrey, because there he met fellow actor Damon Wayans who was absolutely impressed by Carrey’s talent. That friendship led Carrey into a new sketch comedy show “In Living Colour” (1990).
In 1990, he showed a gallery of zany characters: Vera de Millo, Fire Marshal Bill and in 1994, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” followed by “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber.”
The biggest box office star and the highest paid actor
Jim Carrey made his place among the biggest box office stars of all time in a single year. Only several years later he signed on to “The Cable Guy” (1996) and became the highest paid actor in the history of cinema.
Jim Carrey, not just a ‘comedic star’
There was a final career transformation for Jim Carrey; the transformation that would liberate him from the label of a ‘comedic star’ and secure him a rightful place as a respected world-class actor.
This recognition came along with films such as, “The Truman Show” (1998), “Man on the Moon” (1999), “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) and “The Number 23” (2007).
Carrey’s private life
In 1987, Carrey met and married waitress Melissa Womer and he had daughter Jane with her. They stayed together eight years and in December 1995 they got divorced.
Jim’s second brief marriage was to actress Lauren Holly in 1996. The following year the couple filed for divorce.
His very public relationship with Renee Zellweger ended in 2000 while they were already engaged and had marriage plans.
Currently Jim Carrey is engaged in making films, painting and sculpturing. He lends his voice to various characters through his “Better U Foundation.”
The newest role in his life is a grandpa, as his daughter Jane gave birth to her first son Jackson Riley Santana in 2010.
Awards and nominations
Jim Carrey was nominated 60 times and he has 38 wins of various industry awards.
He has won two Golden Globes awards:
In 1999, Best Performance by Actor in Motion Picture – Drama for “The Truman Show” (1988) and
In 2000, Best Performance by an Actor in Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical for “Man on the Moon” (1999).
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Branka Cubrilo - Branka Cubrilo is a novelist, short story writer and a journalist. Her novels and short stories are published worldwide.
