Jim Carrey

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).

Relationships

Linda Ronstadt: Brief affair in the late 1980's
Melissa Womer: Married March 28 1987 - Divorced December 11 1995 (one daughter)
Lauren Holly: Married September 23 1996 - Divorced July 29 1997
Renee Zellweger: Engaged 2000 - 2000
Jenny McCarthy: Together 2006 - present

Children

Jane Erin Carrey: Born September 6 1987 (with Melissa Womer)