Jim Carrey

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Jim Carrey Biography

Actor, comedian, father and survivor, Jim Carrey was the fourth child born to Percy and Kathleen Carrey. Jim grew up in a house full of fun and laughter and being the youngest of four children, he would often clown around to stand out from his siblings. However, the laughter faded when Jim was in the 8th grade and his father Percy lost his job, forcing the family into one of their darkest periods, as they agreed to work as factory caretakers and cleaners in return for secured accommodation. During this time Jim struggled with his 8 hour evening shift together with his schoolwork, and the former A grade student began to fail, eventually he realised he had no option but to leave school.

The other factory workers were hostel towards the Carreys, and as the family's unhappiness grew, they decided to move into a VW camper van. It was cramped but the family were happy again and Jim and his father began to explore his comedic talents. When Jim was 15 he performed at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, wearing a bright yellow suit made for him by his mother. At first he went down badly but with time and perseverance he soon began performing regularly on the Toronto club circuit, while supporting his family. After receiving positive feedback Jim decided to move to LA in 1979. While in LA he was spotted by Rodney Dangerfield who booked Jim as his support act which lead to gigs in Vegas. Even with these achievements Jim felt that his career wasn't moving as fast as he would like, but he was getting roles in low budget movies such as 'Rubberface' and 'Copper Mountain' (among others).

Then in 1984 Jim starred in 'The Duck Factory' and it seemed as if fame had arrived, so he moved his parents to LA. But the show (scheduling up against Cheers) failed and Jim realised he wanted to make people laugh, so he headed back to the comedy circuit and began to explore new material, he often bombed out but he never gave up. However his money was running out and he was forced to ask his parents to leave. But things were looking up in Jim's personal life, in 1986 he met actress Melissa Womer at the Comedy Store where she was waitressing, they fell in love and married a year later, followed by the birth of daughter Jane.

Jim continued to appear in several movies, 'Finders Keepers', 'Once Bitten' and 'The Dead Pool'. Then came his role in 'Earth Girls Are Easy', Jim's performance made an impression on co-star Damon Wayans, who recommended Jim to his brother for a new show 'In Living Color'. This role landed him a part in Fox's Emmy nominated TV movie 'Doing Time on Maple Drive' which was a serious role, but Jim stuck with comedy and starred in 'In Living Color' until 1994. Jim used his role on the show to try out new characters, push boundaries and test audience reactions. Jim was receiving a lot of acclaim and attention and this lead to his first blockbuster, his 'breakthrough' role as 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' (made with $12 million and making $72 million) putting Jim at the top of his game. Jim then went on to star in 'The Mask' with a young, unknown Cameron Diaz. He was well received by his peers which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Things were going good for Jim but at home his marriage was under strain. His next movie 'Dumb and Dumber' was a smash hit, made for $16 million and making a massive $246 million. In 1994 Jim's movies generated $550 million, making him (at the time) the biggest movie star on the planet. However, his marriage to Melissa ended in a bad divorce and Jim found comfort in the arms of 'Dumb and Dumber' co-star Lauren Holly. The pair fell in love and got married, only to divorce several months later. His personal life was a mess but his career was on fire.

Jim joined the Batman franchise as The Riddler in 'Batman Forever' (1995). His exceptional performance blew his co-stars out of the water. Next came 'Ace Ventura: when Nature Calls' another box office hit, raking in over $100 million and sealing Jim's identity as one of the highest grossing on screen movie stars. After this came 'The Cable Guy' (first huge paycheck, $20 million) which was Jim's first disappointing movie at the box office, as critics did not like the darkness of the movie and people stayed away, this caused speculation that Jim was past his best. But his next movie 'Liar Liar' proved everyone wrong, earning Jim another Golden Globe nomination and making $200 million at the box office. Jim's next role in 'The Truman Show' was groundbreaking for him, it earned him a Golden Globe and critics were forced to admit that he was not just a comedian but a serious acting talent. His next movie 'Man on the Moon' earned Jim another golden Globe and the respect of his co-stars and peers as it showed how dedicated he could be to his craft.

With 2 Golden Globes but no Academy Award nominations, Jim decided to return to comedy with 'Me Myself and Irene'. It was not well received by critics but the public welcomed his return to comedy. This was also the start of his well publicised romance with co-star Renee Zellweger, which was short lived (ended Christmas 200). He followed this up with Dr. Seuss' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' , which sold more tickets than any other movie in 2000 and made $260 million, it earned him another Golden Globe nomination and the adoration of millions of children worldwide.

Since then Jim has starred in 'The Majestic' (2001), the huge $200 million making box office hit 'Bruce Almighty' (2003) with Jennifer Aniston, 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) which was well received by critics for its innovative direction and astonishing script, 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' (2004), 'Fun With Dick and Jane' (2005) which was well received at the box office despite some negative reviews, 'The Number 23' (2007), and voiced Horton in 2008's 'Horton Hears A Who'.

Now, Jim has quite a few movies in the works, including 'Yes Man' due to be released Christmas 2008, 'I Love You Phillip Morris' (2009) co-starring Ewan McGregor, 'A Christmas Carol' (2009) with Gary Oldman, and 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' (2010).

Children Jane Erin Carrey Born September 6 1987 (with Melissa Womer) Jim credits Jane with saving him from his period of depression, which he went public with late 2004 JC: " I look forward to the time I spend with her. Nothing really compares to that." Jane is now the lead singer/guitarist of the appropriately named 'Jane Carrey Band'. The band sometimes play at autism fundraisers where Jim and Jenny McCarthy are the featured speakers. Jane Carrey Band Myspace "For so long I have had psychics say they see me with a daughter. I now know what they are talking about.” - Jenny McCarthy about Jane

Vital Stats Jim Carrey Information

Full name:	James Eugene Carrey
Height:	6' 1.5 / 6' 2
Eyes:	Dark Brown
Hair:	Dark Brown
Star Sign:	Western - Capricorn Chinese - Tiger
Nationality:	Canadian JC: "I have no intention of giving up my Canadian heritage, and all those who loved and supported me. My upbringing in Canada made me the person I am. I will always be proud to be a Canadian."
Nicknames:	Jimmy-Gene the String Bean
Notable features:	Flexible body movements and facial expressions (facebending)
Education:	Blessed Trinity Catholic School Agincourt Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Canada Aldershot High School, Burlington, Canada (dropped out of the last two)
Family:	Father: Percy Carrey Mother: Kathleen Carrey Brothers: John Carrey Sisters: Patricia Carrey Fournier, Rita Carrey Daughter: Jane Erin Carrey Partner: Jenny McCarthy
Resides in:	Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Religious affiliations:	Presbyterian (raised Roman Catholic, as of June 1993 he was attending Presbyterian church) JC: "Jesus. I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Muslim, I'm a Christian. I'm whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to the same thing. … You are either in a loving place, or you are in an unloving place. If you are with me right now, you cannot be unhappy. It’s not possible, just try."
Charities/Causes:	Comic Relief, National Veterans Foundation, Generation Rescue, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Toy Mountain Campaign, America: A Tribute to Heroes, Luke Neuhedel Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Causes: At Risk/Disadvantaged Youths Cancer Children Disaster Relief Family/Parent Support Health Homelessness Human Rights Mental Challenges Poverty Veteran/Service Member Support
Awards:	91 - 54 Nominations and 37 Wins ... See all
Other:	Star on Canadian Walk of Fame 1998. Received US Citizenship on October 7 2004. Has a production company formerly called Jimmy-Gene, Inc. which changed it's name to Pit Bull Productions and then to JC23 Productions which helped produce Fun With Dick & Jane.

Jim Carrey Trivia

Favourite colour is Green

Favourite food is grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup

Big fan of cartoons such as Johnny Bravo, Spongebob Squarepants, Dave the Barbarian and his favourite cartoon character is Deputy Dawg

Fan of Tom Petty and Cannibal Corpse, regarding his favourite music Jim has said that he likes...
JC: "Anything that sounds good"

Some of Jim's biggest influences are Jimmy Stewart, Dick Van Dyke and Fred Astaire

Nicole Kidman says Jim is her best male friend

He has been a vegetarian for most of his life

Jack Nicholson has referred to Jim as the 'Jack Nicholson of the Next Generation'

He was considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) both roles went to Johnny Depp

He wrote letters to Tupac Shakur while Tupac was in prison to help him laugh and smile. Tupac said the he was his favourite actor

There is some sort of bathroom scene and car scene in almost every one of his movies

Once performed 'Rocket Man' with Elton John at one of Elton's concerts in 1998.

As of 2001, his total of 9 MTV Movie Awards is the most MTV movie awards won by any person

Jim once wrote himself a (now legendary) cheque for $10 million for services rendered, which he always kept in his wallet and later placed in his father's pocket at Percy's funeral

As a child he used to wear tap shoes to bed, just incase his parents needed cheering up in the middle of the night

Many of the characters he plays are ordinary men whose lives are changed by supernatural or otherwise unseen forces. As in 'The Mask', 'Liar Liar', 'Bruce Almighty' and so on

Contact Jim Carrey

Fan Mail Jim Carrey P.O. Box 57593 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Fan Mail Secondary Address Jim Carrey C/O United Talent Agency 9560 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 500 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 - USA

May be months before you get a response and a signed picture of Jim.