Jim Carrey: the goofball with dramatic guts

'Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton' (2017) - A documentary on Jim Carrey's portrayal of Andy Kaufman was released in 2017, called 'Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton.'

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'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000) - Jim Carrey is absolutely hilarious as a depressed and vengeful Grinch in the retelling of this Dr. Seuss classic.

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'Me, Myself and Irene' (2000) - This 2000 movie was a kind of incarnation from 'The Cable Guy,' in which Carrey plays a mentally unstable person. It made just under US$100 million worldwide.

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'The Majestic' (2001) -

In this 2001 film, Carrey stars as a blacklisted Hollywood writer, thus deepening his experience as an actor with dramatic range.

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‘Bruce Almighty’ (2003) -

Carrey's highest-grossing film was this religious comedy, in which he appeared alongside Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston.

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'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) -

This philosophical, thoughtful film is one of auteur Charlie Kaufman's best, and it wouldn't be so revered without Carrey. It explores the concepts of time, memory, technology, and love.

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'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) -

Co-starring alongside Kate Winslet, this film is sure to be canonized for years to come.

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'Horton Hears a Who' (2008) -

Adding to his Dr. Seuss repertoire, Carrey played the voice of Horton in this heartwrenching children's movie with a message.

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'Yes Man' (2008) -

This 2008 film, co-starring Zooey Deschanel, is about a man who says yes to everything and finds himself quickly overwhelmed.

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'A Christmas Carol' (2009) -

Jim Carrey went into character as Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past in 'A Christmas Carol.' The animated film also starred Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

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'I Love You Phillip Morris' (2009) -

This heartbreaking but inspirational film is about two lovers, played by Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, who meet in prison. The movie is based on a true story and has become much more popular in recent years than when it was released.

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'Mr. Popper's Penguins' (2011) -

Jim Carrey starred as Mr. Popper in this 2011 film.

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‘Kidding’ (2018-2020) -

In recent years, Carrey turned to TV with the comedy-drama series 'Kidding,' which follows Jeff Piccirillo, AKA beloved children's television presenter Mr. Pickles, who anchors a branding empire but faces a personal tragedy. It ran for just two seasons.

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‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (2020) -

Carrey plays the role of villainous Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik in the film adapted from the beloved video game about a speedy blue hedgehog. He returned for the 2022 sequel.

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Joe Biden on 'SNL' -

For six episodes, Carrey took on the role of now-President Joe Biden on 'SNL,' with Maya Rudolph as now-VP Kamala Harris. But Carrey announced in December 2020 that he would not continue to play Biden in the future.

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Visual artist -

For several years now, Carrey has been making paintings, political drawings, and sculptures that are equally as expressive as his own face.

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A Canadian star - Jim Carrey is from Newmarket, Ontario in Canada.

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Stand-up comic -

He got his start as a stand-up comic in Toronto.

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Stand-up comic -

He performed at the famed Yuk Yuks, where his impressions didn't go over very well at first.

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Recognition - But after honing his craft, he was noticed by Rodney Dangerfield, who brought him to Las Vegas to open his sets.

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Hollywood -

After a stint in Las Vegas, Jim Carrey moved to Hollywood.

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'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' - In 1983, he debuted his act on 'The Tonight Show.'

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'Saturday Night Live' -

Jim Carrey auditioned for 'Saturday Night Live' but remarkably didn't make the cut.

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'Saturday Night Live' - He would later host the sketch-comedy show on several occasions.

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'In Living Color' (1990-1994) - Instead of 'SNL,' Jim Carrey starred in the popular sketch comedy TV show 'In Living Color' in the 1990s.

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Breakout films -

The 1990s were kind to Carrey. He got his first big roles in Hollywood movies, like 'Batman: Forever' (1995) in which he played The Riddler.

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'Dumb and Dumber' (1994) -

Carrey co-starred with Jeff Daniels in this comedy film lauded as being the best of low-brow.

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‘Dumb and Dumber To’ (2014) -

They reprised their roles 20 years later, though the film was not well-received.

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'The Cable Guy' (1996) -

In 1996, 'The Cable Guy' solidified Carrey as Hollywood's wackiest comedian.

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'The Cable Guy' (1996) -

Only two years after 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,' this was the film that made him a real celebrity.

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Typecast -

Jim Carrey played hilarious, but very similar roles until 1998 with few exceptions.

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'Liar Liar' (1997) -

'Liar Liar,' released in 1997, exemplified how Carrey could play straight and plunge into slapstick and back again without missing a beat.

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'The Truman Show' (1998) -

In what is still a classic film and performance, 1998's 'The Truman Show' is a shining example of how a comedian could bring something unique to a dramatic role.

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'Man on the Moon' (1999) - 'Man on the Moon' follows the strange, true story of prankster comedian Andy Kaufman, who was known for taking jokes too far.

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'Man on the Moon' (1999) - The film is believed to have lost money, but has become a cult classic.

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'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000) - Jim Carrey is absolutely hilarious as a depressed and vengeful Grinch in the retelling of this Dr. Seuss classic.

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'Me, Myself and Irene' (2000) - This 2000 movie was a kind of incarnation from 'The Cable Guy,' in which Carrey plays a mentally unstable person. It made just under US$100 million worldwide.

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'The Majestic' (2001) -

In this 2001 film, Carrey stars as a blacklisted Hollywood writer, thus deepening his experience as an actor with dramatic range.

Getty Images

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‘Bruce Almighty’ (2003) -

Carrey's highest-grossing film was this religious comedy, in which he appeared alongside Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston.

BrunoPress

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'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) -

This philosophical, thoughtful film is one of auteur Charlie Kaufman's best, and it wouldn't be so revered without Carrey. It explores the concepts of time, memory, technology, and love.

BrunoPress

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'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) -

Co-starring alongside Kate Winslet, this film is sure to be canonized for years to come.

BrunoPress

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'Horton Hears a Who' (2008) -

Adding to his Dr. Seuss repertoire, Carrey played the voice of Horton in this heartwrenching children's movie with a message.

BrunoPress

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'Yes Man' (2008) -

This 2008 film, co-starring Zooey Deschanel, is about a man who says yes to everything and finds himself quickly overwhelmed.

BrunoPress

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'A Christmas Carol' (2009) -

Jim Carrey went into character as Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past in 'A Christmas Carol.' The animated film also starred Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

BrunoPress

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'I Love You Phillip Morris' (2009) -

BrunoPress

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'Mr. Popper's Penguins' (2011) -

Jim Carrey starred as Mr. Popper in this 2011 film.

BrunoPress

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‘Kidding’ (2018-2020) -

BrunoPress

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‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (2020) -

Carrey plays the role of villainous Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik in the film adapted from the beloved video game about a speedy blue hedgehog. He returned for the 2022 sequel.

BrunoPress

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Joe Biden on 'SNL' -

BrunoPress

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Visual artist -

For several years now, Carrey has been making paintings, political drawings, and sculptures that are equally as expressive as his own face.

Getty Images

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Jim Carrey: the goofball with dramatic guts

The actor turns 61 this January 17

17/01/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Retrospective

Jim Carrey is lauded as one of the greatest comedic actors ever, his goofy facial expressions (you know the ones) in hilarious movies like 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' (1994) and 'Dumb and Dumber' (1994) being the first to spring to mind. But even more celebrated are his more serious films, most notably 'The Truman Show' (1998) and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004).

Over his long and fruitful career, Carrey has proven to be a character both on and off-screen, at one moment pulling jokes no one dares to, then sharing a gutsy political drawing, and then making you cry in the cinema.

Click through this gallery to get a closer look at his journey so far.