He was the youngest of four children. His mother, Kathleen, worked as a stay-at-home mom, and his father, Percy, was a saxophone player and an accountant. Life wasn't easy for young Carrey. His mother suffered from chronic health issues, and his father struggled to support his family.
James Eugene Carrey was born on January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, and is the youngest of four children of Kathleen (Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, an accountant and jazz musician.
After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey worked for two years as a janitor in a factory. He made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at age 15 and by 1979 he was able to make a living as a comedian.
Carrey spent his early years in the borough of Scarborough, Ontario, part of Metropolitan Toronto, where he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic Elementary School in North York. His family later moved to Burlington, Ontario, where they would spend eight years; Jim attended Aldershot High School while there.
So, he made a conservative choice and instead he got a job as an accountant." Then Carrey reveals the moral of the story. "When I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job," he added.
Diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD as a child, Carrey recalls experiencing myriad behavioral issues while growing up in school. Treatment such as medication has helped Carrey immensely, as has focusing his energy into his very physical comedy and being a spokesman for those with ADHD.
On Wednesday's episode of the Daily Show, the actor, writer and comedian told host Trevor Noah why he decided to devote his book of real and fictional Hollywood encounters to his older sibling, who died of aplastic anemia. "I wanted to let the world know I had a very special brother," Carrey told Noah.
The Yes Man actor has been married twice: to Melissa Womer from 1987 to 1995 and to Lauren Holly from 1996 to 1997. Carrey shares daughter Jane, who competed on American Idol in 2012, with his first wife.
In a 2004 interview on 60 MINUTES, Carrey led correspondent Steve Kroft to a secluded place on his property where he goes to “hang out with Buddha and Krishna and you know, all those guys.” When Kroft asked Carrey if he was Buddhist, Carrey replied: “I'm a Buddhist, I'm a Muslim, I'm a Christian.
Carrey began stand-up comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario. After gaining prominence in 1981, he began working at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles where he was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who immediately signed him to open his tour performances.
After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey worked for two years as a janitor in a factory. He made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at age 15, and by 1979 he was able to make a living as a comedian.
However, he told the Hollywood Reporter, what was first just Carrey enjoying the attention then became a remedy to make his parents feel better. “My mom was addicted to pain medication. She was very sick in a lot of ways. She was lovely, too, but she was a child of alcoholics and she had issues.
Carrey went on to stress how he has enjoyed life out of the spotlight, making art and spending time with his family. For more on Jim Carrey saying he's retiring from acting, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
Jim Carrey will no longer face a civil trial over the suicide of his former girlfriend, court officials have said. The comic actor had faced a wrongful death legal case, filed by the estranged husband of Cathriona White and her mother.
Jim Carrey passed along his entertainment industry chops to his first and only child, daughter Jane Erin Carrey, 36. Fittingly, the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective star met his future wife Melissa Womer at a comedy store and quickly fell in love.
A woman said that people are "disappointed" when they meet her as they always assume she is Hollywood legend Jim Carrey - because she is the spitting image of him. Heather Shaw, 34, is a comedian and became a viral success after pretending she was Ace Ventura's long-lost daughter.
When Jim Carrey was in grade school a classmate jumped on him causing his front tooth to fracture off. For his role in Dumb and Dumber, he convinced his dentist to remove the filling to make the tooth chipped again for the role! After the movie ended he had the filling replaced to return to his normal smile.
Carrey still works in film and television today. He played a popular children's television show host in the TV series “Kidding” which ran from 2018-2020. He also played the villain in 2020's “Sonic the Hedgehog” and its sequel in 2022.
In 1994, Carrey's breakthrough came when he landed the leading role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, in which he played a goof-ball detective specialized in crimes involving animals. The film would go on to earn over $72 million at the box office. He went on to star in the sequel Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls in 1995.
