James Eugene Carrey was born in Ontario, Canada, on January 17, 1962. As the youngest of four siblings, Jim Carrey began making faces in front of a mirror at eight years old and discovered he had a talent for doing impressions. At one point, while he was a teenager, his family became homeless and lived together in a Volkswagen van while he and his brother spent months living in a tent. His mother, Kathleen, was a homemaker, and his father, Percy, was a musician. His family’s financial situation improved once his father found employment as an accountant. Jim and his brother John worked across the street as janitors and security guards at the tired factory, working overnight shifts. By his sixteenth birthday, Jim dropped out of school and began to perform comedy in downtown Toronto while continuing to work at the factory.

Carrey’s Career Beginnings

Carrey was just 15 years old when he performed his first stand-up routine. Though his first shot with conventional impersonations tanked at the club — it was used to raunchy comedy acts — he returned two years later with a more polished act that led to his first paid gig. Carrey was booked. However, he received a raving review in the Toronto Star a few weeks later (you can see a screenshot of it here). A few months later, he appeared in an episode of the televised stand-up show An Evening at the Improv. Then, he landed his first television role in a made-for-TV movie in Rubberface. He gained wide recognition in the US in 1990 after landing a role in the sketch comedy television series In Living Color. In 1994, he broke out as a star in films with three back-to-back comedy hits: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.

Carrey previously announced that he will probably retire from acting. That would make 2022’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 the final film of his long career as an actor with 65 credits. However, he did offer his voice in The Weeknd’s Dawn FM following his “announcement.” If Carrey’s movie-making is finished, take a look below at the five best roles the comedian and actor has blessed the world with:

• 5. 'The Mask'

  In this 1994 comedy, Carrey became a character whose face has become world-renowned. Starting out as a timid bank teller, Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss discovers a wretched green mask that depicts Loki, the Norse god of mischief. When he puts it on, he becomes a wild playboy that is s-s-smokin’! Carrey got used to talking with the oversized teeth on the Mask character, which were originally to be used only during silent scenes. Additionally, the character’s bright yellow suit was based on a suit his mother made him years prior at his first attempt at stand-up.

• 4. 'Bruce Almighty'

  In 2003, Carrey embarked on a new role not many actors have dared to do: playing god. Morgan Freeman as god is our preferred depiction of the creator, while Carrey’s bumbling, selfish actions when given the power for a week had us cringing and laughing at his choices. While watching the film as a young child, we learned how to spell “beautiful” flawlessly, as Carrey’s Bruce would always say, “B-E-A-utiful.”

• 3. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'

  In the best adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss tale, Jim Carrey makes for the most perfect Grinch in the 2000 live action. His performance is so delightfully comical and perfectly fits the insanity that is required of the character. Carrey was so committed to the hours it took to put on and take off the prosthetic make-up, he previously revealed on The Graham Norton Show that he felt so confined and uncomfortable in the latex skin that he sought counseling from a CIA agent who taught him torture-resistance techniques.

• 2. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

  Though this movie is beautiful, funny, and heart-wrenching, it is one that you watch just once. Seeing Jim Carrey in a serious role alongside Kate Winslet was a perfect match. The film explores the idea of someone erasing you completely from their memories and how that is much worse than holding onto the reality of things.

• 1. 'The Truman Show'

  It took a long time for me to finally watch this 1998 Jim Carrey film, and I’m glad I waited to see this one to fully appreciate it. As a kid growing up watching Jim Carrey with The Mask, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Evan Almighty, this film is both brilliant in the sense that it makes you question how sickening society can be and the watchful eye of Big Brother. Hands down his best role.

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