James Eugene Carrey (born January 17, 1962)[1] is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer,

producer, and artist. He is known for his energetic slapstick performances.[2] Carrey first gained

recognition in America in 1990 after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy television series In
Living Color. His first leading roles in motion pictures came with Ace Ventura: Pet
Detective (1994), The Mask (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature
Calls (1995), as well portraying the Riddler in Batman Forever (1995), and the lead role in Liar
Liar (1997). Born and raised in Canada, Carrey has been a naturalized American citizen since 2004,
and has lived most of his life in the United States.
Carrey gained attention starring in serious roles in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the
Moon (1999), with each garnering him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. In the 2000s, he
gained further notice for his portrayal of the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and for the
comedy Me, Myself & Irene (both in 2000), as well as Bruce Almighty (2003), Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a
Leading Role, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and
Jane (2005), Yes Man (2008), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), and A Christmas Carol (2009).
In the 2010s, Carrey starred in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), The Incredible Burt
Wonderstone (2013), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), and reprised his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and
Dumber To (2014). Since 2018, he has portrayed Jeff Piccirillo in
the Showtime series Kidding and Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog (2020).

Contents

 1Early life
 2Career
o 2.1Early work
o 2.21994–1997: Rise to fame
o 2.31998–2006: Critical acclaim
o 2.42007–present
 3Personal life
o 3.1Relationships
o 3.2Wrongful death lawsuits
o 3.3Anti-vaccine views
o 3.4Political and spiritual views
 4Awards and nominations
 5Filmography
 6Discography
o 6.1Singles
o 6.2Other
 7Bibliography
o 7.1Books
o 7.2Forewords
 8See also
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links
Early life
Carrey was born in the Toronto suburb of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada,[1] to Kathleen (née Oram), a
homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant.[3][4] He was raised a Roman Catholic and
has three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita.[5][6] His mother was of French, Irish, and Scottish
descent and his father was of French-Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carré).[7]
[8][9]

At age ten, Carrey wrote a letter to Carol Burnett of the Carol Burnett Show pointing out that he was
already a master of impressions and should be considered for a role on the show; he was overjoyed
when he received a form letter reply.[10] A fan of Monty Python whose TV show aired in the 1970s, in
2014 Carrey appeared on Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly) and recalled the effect on him of Ernest
Scribbler (played by Michael Palin) laughing himself to death in "The Funniest Joke in the World"
sketch.[11] Radio Times states, "You’ll see why immediately: Palin’s performance is uncannily
Carreyesque.”[11]
Carrey spent his early years in the borough of Scarborough, Ontario, part of Metropolitan Toronto,
where he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary School in North York. He also
attended Agincourt Collegiate Institute. His family later moved to Burlington, Ontario, where he
attended Aldershot High School. .[citation needed] His family struggled financially and, as teenagers, Carrey
and his brother would work eight-hour shifts after school as janitors and security guards at the tire
factory where their father was employed. On his sixteenth birthday, Carrey dropped out of school; he
began to perform comedy while continuing to work at the factory. Some time later, his family became
homeless and lived together in a Volkswagen van.[12]
In a 2007 Hamilton Spectator interview, Carrey said, "If my career in show business hadn't panned
out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario, at the Dofasco steel mill." As a young
man, he could see the steel mills across the Burlington Bay and often though that was "where the
great jobs were."[13