Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey began his career as a stand-up comedian in 1977, performing at Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Toronto, Canada. In 1979, he returned to the stage with a new act and began performing paid shows at clubs throughout the Toronto area. He later became a regular performer at Yuk Yuk's and gained recognition for his impressions of celebrities. In 1980, Carrey auditioned for Saturday Night Live but was not selected. He subsequently worked as a voice actor on The All-Night Show, a local overnight program on CFMT-TV.

In 1981, Carrey appeared on the televised stand-up show An Evening at the Improv and made his acting debut in the television film Introducing... Janet, which premiered on CBC in September of that year. He played impressionist comedian Tony Moroni in the film, which was later released on home video under the title Rubberface. Carrey also began performing in comedy clubs in the United States, where comedian Rodney Dangerfield recruited him as the opening act for his tour. In 1982, Carrey toured North America with Dangerfield and performed two sold-out shows at Massey Hall in Toronto.

Carrey moved to Hollywood in early 1983 and began performing regularly at The Comedy Store. That year, he appeared in the television newsmagazine program W5 and made his television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in November. He also appeared in the supporting role of a comedy film, Finders Keepers, which was filmed in Alberta, Canada, in 1983. In 1984, Carrey starred in the NBC sitcom The Duck Factory, which aired from April until its cancellation later that year. He also hosted the 1984 U-Know Awards in Toronto and appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in July 1984.

In 1985, Carrey starred in the horror comedy Once Bitten and appeared in a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's film Peggy Sue Got Married, released in 1986. He continued performing stand-up comedy and auditioned for Saturday Night Live again in 1985 and 1986, but was not selected. From 1990 to 1994, Carrey was a regular cast member of the sketch comedy television series In Living Color, which helped establish him as a television performer and led to major film roles.

In 1994, Carrey starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. The films were commercial successes, and his performance in The Mask earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1995, he portrayed the Riddler in Batman Forever and reprised his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. In 1996, he starred in The Cable Guy, directed by Ben Stiller, and appeared in the music video for Jerry Cantrell's song "Leave Me Alone," featured in the film.

Carrey starred in the comedy Liar Liar in 1997, earning his second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. In 1998, he played Truman Burbank in the satirical comedy-drama The Truman Show, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. That same year, he appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show. In 1999, Carrey portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon, earning his second consecutive Golden Globe Award and his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor.

In 2000, Carrey starred in Me, Myself & Irene, directed by the Farrelly brothers, and portrayed the title character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His performance as the Grinch earned him a Golden Globe nomination. In 2003, he starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty, directed by Tom Shadyac. The film became a major box office success.

In 2004, Carrey starred as Joel Barish in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, earning a Golden Globe nomination and his first BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor. That same year, he played Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2005, he starred opposite Téa Leoni in the comedy remake Fun with Dick and Jane.

In 2007, Carrey starred in the psychological thriller The Number 23, directed by Joel Schumacher. In 2008, he voiced Horton the Elephant in the animated film Horton Hears a Who! and starred opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in the comedy Yes Man. In 2009, he starred in I Love You Phillip Morris, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wide release in 2010. He also voiced Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future in the animated film A Christmas Carol (2009), directed by Robert Zemeckis. In 2011, Carrey starred as Tom Popper Jr. in Mr. Popper's Penguins.

In 2013, Carrey starred as street magician Steve Gray in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and appeared as Colonel Stars and Stripes in Kick-Ass 2. That year, he published his first children's book, How Roland Rolls, which he self-published in September. He also released the parody music video "Cold Dead Hand" with the band Eels through Funny or Die. In 2014, Carrey delivered the commencement address at Maharishi University of Management and received an honorary doctorate. In 2015, he served as a producer on the documentary Rubble Kings, which examines events surrounding the Hoe Avenue peace meeting.

In 2014, Carrey reprised his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber To, alongside Jeff Daniels. In 2017, he served as executive producer of the Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here, which follows stand-up comedians in 1970s Los Angeles. That year, he was announced as the star of the comedy series Kidding, reuniting with director Michel Gondry. The series ran for two seasons. Carrey was also the subject of two documentaries released in 2017: I Needed Color, a short film about his interest in art, and Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond—Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was later released on Netflix.

In 2020, Carrey portrayed Dr. Ivo Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog, the film adaptation of the video game franchise. He also co-authored the surrealist novel Memoirs and Misinformation with Dana Vachon, published in 2020. That year, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live to portray presidential nominee Joe Biden during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. He left the role in December 2020 after a six-week agreement.

In 2022, Carrey reprised his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He also appeared as the narrator on The Weeknd's album Dawn FM, released in January 2022, and reprised his role as Ernie "Chip" Douglas from The Cable Guy in a Verizon commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in February 2022.

In February 2024, Carrey was announced to reprise his role as Dr. Ivo Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 2024, in which he also portrayed Robotnik's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. In March 2026, he was announced to return as Dr. Ivo Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, scheduled for release in 2027. In August 2026, Carrey was announced to star in the upcoming live-action film The Jetsons, though his role had not been confirmed at the time of the announcement.

In February 2026, Carrey received an Honorary César from the French Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma in recognition of his career.