1994–1998: Rise to fame

Carrey played the lead role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective which was released in February 1994 and
went on to gross $72 million in the United States and Canada.[46] Following its success and before
the release of his next film, The Mask, which was anticipated to be another hit, Morgan Creek
Productions paid him $5 million to reprise his role as Ace Ventura and New Line Cinema offered him
$7 million to make a sequel to The Mask and paid him $7 million to appear in Dumb and Dumber, a
nearly tenfold increase on his salary for Ace Ventura.[47][48] The Mask, released in July 1994,
grossed $351 million worldwide,[49][50] and Dumb and Dumber, released in December 1994, was
another commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide.[51] Carrey received his first
Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Mask and was voted second on
Quigley's Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll, behind Tom Hanks.[52]

Carrey in Madrid, Spain, on December 13, 2008

Carrey portrayed the Batman villain The Riddler in the Joel Schumacher-directed superhero film
Batman Forever (1995). The film received mixed reviews, but was a box office success. He reprised
his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls which was also released in 1995. Like the
original film, it was well received by the public, but poorly received by critics. It was a huge box-
office success, earning $212 million worldwide in addition to breaking records, with a $40 million
opening weekend.[53]

Carrey became the first actor to be paid $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (1996).[54]
Directed by Ben Stiller, the film was a satirical black comedy, in which Carrey played a lonely,
menacing cable TV installer who infiltrates the life of one of his customers (played by Matthew
Broderick). The role was a departure from the "hapless, hyper, overconfident" characters he had
been known for. However, it did not fare well with most critics, many reacting to Carrey's change of
tone from previous films.[55] Carrey also starred in the music video of the film's closing song, "Leave
Me Alone" by Jerry Cantrell.[56] Despite the reviews, The Cable Guy grossed $102 million worldwide.
[57]

He soon bounced back with the critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar (1997), playing Fletcher Reede,
an unethical lawyer rendered unable to lie by his young son's birthday wish. Carrey was praised for
his performance, earning a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. Janet Maslin of
The New York Times said: "Well into his tumultuous career, Mr. Carrey finally turns up in a
straightforward comic vehicle, and the results are much wilder and funnier than this mundane
material should have allowed."[58]

1998–2007: Critical acclaim

The following year he decided to take a pay cut to play the serious role of Truman Burbank in the
satirical comedy-drama film The Truman Show (1998).[59] The film was highly praised and brought
Carrey further international acclaim, leading many to believe he would be nominated for an Oscar.
[60] For The Truman Show, he was nominated Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion
Picture Drama. The Truman Show was a commercial success, earning $264 million worldwide against
a budget of $60 million.[61][62] A Film4 critic stated that the film "allows Carrey to edge away from
broad comedy," adding that it was "a hilarious and breathtakingly conceived satire."[63]

That same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry
Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling's character. In
1999, Carrey had the lead role in Man on the Moon. He portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman to
critical acclaim and received his second Golden Globe in a row. In addition, he received his first
Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor.[64]

In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly brothers, who had previously directed him in Dumb and
Dumber, for the black comedy film Me, Myself & Irene, a film that received mixed reviews[65] but
enjoyed box office success. Carrey played the role of state trooper Charlie Baileygates, who has
multiple personalities and romances a woman portrayed by Renée Zellweger. That same year, Carrey
starred in the second highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
playing the title character, for which he received both praise and criticism from critics alongside a
Golden Globe nomination.[66]

For his next feature film, Carrey starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in Tom
Shadyac's international hit comedy Bruce Almighty (2003). Carrey played a television newsman who
unexpectedly receives God's omnipotent abilities when the deity decides to take a vacation. The film
received mixed reviews upon release[67] but despite this still became a financial success, earning
over $484 million worldwide, and going on to become the seventeenth highest-grossing live action
comedy of all time.[68][69]

In 2004, Carrey starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film received overwhelming
acclaim upon release. Critics highly praised Carrey's portrayal of Joel Barish, in addition to the
performance of his co-star Kate Winslet, who received an Oscar nomination. According to CNN's
reviewer Paul Clinton, Carrey's performance was the actor's "best, most mature and sharply focused
performance ever."[70] Carrey received another Golden Globe nomination and his first BAFTA
Award nomination for Best Actor.

Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival

Carrey's next appearance was in the 2004 black comedy fantasy film Lemony Snicket's A Series of
Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children's novels of the same name. The film
was positively received; Desson Thomson from The Washington Post said of Carrey's approach to the
character of Count Olaf,
Olaf is a humorless villain in the book. He's not amusing like Carrey at all. To which I would counter:
If you can't let Carrey be Carrey, put someone boring and less expensive in the role. In his various
disguises he's rubbery, inventive and improvisationally inspired. I particularly liked his passing
imitation of a dinosaur.[71][72]

That same year, Carrey was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame.[73] In 2005, Carrey starred in
the remake of Fun with Dick and Jane with Tea Leoni, which grossed $200 million with a profit of
$100 million. This film continued his brand of physical humor which propelled him to stardom in the
1990s.

2007–2018: Change in pace

Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever, for The Number 23 (2007), a
psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man
who becomes obsessed with the number 23, after finding a book about a man with the same
obsession. The film was panned by critics. The following year Carrey provided his voice for Dr. Seuss'
Horton Hears a Who! (2008). Carrey voiced the beloved elephant for the CGI-animated feature,
which received overwhelmingly positive reviews and delivered family crowds en masse. The film was
also a box office success, raking in over $290 million worldwide.[74]

Carrey returned to live-action comedy, starring opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes
Man (also 2008). Carrey played a man who signs up for a self-help program that teaches him to say
yes to everything. Despite reviews being mixed, Rene Rodriquez of The Miami Herald stated, "Yes
Man is fine as far as Jim Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to
make you laugh."[75] The film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million
worldwide.[76]

Since 2009, Carrey's work has included a leading role in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's I Love You
Phillip Morris, premiering in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wide
release in February 2010. Carrey portrayed Steven Jay Russell, a con artist, imposter, and multiple
prison escapee who falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (played by Ewan McGregor).
The film received largely positive reviews, with Damon Wise of The Times giving the film four stars
out of five, stating, "I Love You Phillip Morris is an extraordinary film that serves as a reminder of just
how good Carrey can be when he's not tied into a generic Hollywood crowd-pleaser. His comic
timing remains as exquisite as ever."[77]

Carrey walking in to the Ed Sullivan Theater, venue for the Late Show with David Letterman, in 2010,
he is on 53rd street, behind him is the Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)

Carrey walking in to the Ed Sullivan Theater, venue for the Late Show with David Letterman, in 2010

For the first time in his career, Carrey portrayed multiple characters in Disney's 3D animated take on
the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol (2009), voicing Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts
of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film also starred Robin
Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, and Cary Elwes. The film received decent
reviews and was a financial success. Carrey landed the lead role in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011),
playing Thomas "Tom" Popper Jr. a realtor who becomes the caretaker of a family of penguins. The
film received a mixed reception upon release.[78]

He starred alongside former co-star Steve Carell in the Don Scardino-directed comedy film The
Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013). Carrey played Steve Gray, a dangerous street magician who
overshadows the formerly successful magician Burt Wonderstone (played by Carell). The film was
released in March 2013 to mixed reviews and underperformed significantly at the box office,
grossing just over $27 million on a $30 million budget.[79]

Around the same time, he appeared in Kick-Ass 2 (also 2013) as Colonel Stars and Stripes. He
retracted support for the film two months prior to its release. He issued a statement via his Twitter
account that, in light of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, "Now in all good conscience I
cannot support that level of violence."[80]

Peter Farrelly said in April 2012 that Carrey and Jeff Daniels would return for a Dumb and Dumber
sequel, Dumb and Dumber To, with the Farrelly brothers writing and directing and a planned
September 2012 production start.[81] In June, however, Carrey's representative said Carrey had left
the project because the comedian felt New Line and Warner Bros. were unenthusiastic toward it.
[82] However, on 1 October 2012, Yahoo!'s "The Yo Show" carried the news item that the script was
complete and that the original actors, Carrey and Daniels, would be reprising their roles. The plot
involved one of the characters having sired a child and needing to find them to obtain a kidney.[83]
[84] Dumb and Dumber To was released in November 2014.

In March 2013, Carrey announced that he had written a children's book titled How Roland Rolls,
about a scared wave named Roland. He described it as "kind of a metaphysical children's story,
which deals with a lot of heavy stuff in a really childish way." Carrey self-published the book, which
was released in September 2013.[85][86]

On 25 March 2013, Carrey released a parody music video with Eels through Funny or Die, with
Carrey replacing Mark Oliver Everett on vocals. The song and video, titled "Cold Dead Hand" and set
as a musical act during the variety program Hee Haw, lampoons American gun culture, and
specifically former NRA spokesperson Charlton Heston.[87]

Carrey delivered the commencement address at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield,

Iowa, in May 2014 and received an honorary doctorate for his achievements as a comedian, artist,
author, and philanthropist.[88]
Carrey was a producer on Rubble Kings, a 2015 documentary film that depicts events preceding and
following the Hoe Avenue peace meeting.[89]

On 29 August 2014, Carrey was honoured by Canada Post with a limited-edition postage stamp with
his portrait on it.[90]

In June 2017, Showtime began airing the dramedy I'm Dying Up Here, for which Carrey served as the
executive producer. The show, which chronicles a group of stand-up comics in 1970s Los Angeles,
incorporates aspects of Carrey's own experience.[91] In September of that year, that same network
announced that he would be starring in a comedy series titled Kidding, which will reunite Carrey and
director Michel Gondry.[92] By the end of 2017, it was announced that Catherine Keener would star
opposite Carrey in Kidding.[93]

Carrey was also the subject of two documentaries in 2017. The first, a short subject entitled I
Needed Color about his lifelong passion for art, was released online in the summer.[94] Later that
year another documentary, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — Featuring a Very Special, Contractually
Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton, premiered at The Venice Film Festival and was later picked up by
Netflix.[95] The film chronicles the behind-the-scenes drama during the shooting of Man on the
Moon, when he never broke character as Andy Kaufman.[96] It incorporates footage that was shot
for the film's electronic press kit[96] but ultimately pulled by Universal as they felt that it was too
damaging.[97]