50 Fun Facts About Jim Carrey

In which Canadian province was Jim Carrey born in 1962?

He was born in Newmarket and grew up in Scarborough and Burlington; the family's original surname was Carré.

As a teenager, Jim Carrey and his family worked night shifts as janitors at a plant that made what?

They lived across the street from Titan Wheels in Scarborough after a spell of homelessness in a Volkswagen van.

Carrey made his stand-up debut at 15 at which Toronto comedy club?

Owner Mark Breslin remembered the set as "bad Rich Little"; two years later a Toronto Star review hailed "a genuine star coming to life".

Which veteran comedian signed the young Carrey to open his tour dates in the early 1980s?

The tour brought Carrey home to Toronto in June 1982 for two sold-out shows at Massey Hall.

What was the short-lived 1984 NBC sitcom that gave Carrey his first starring TV role?

It aired between Cheers and Hill Street Blues and was cancelled before his first Letterman appearance.

How many times was Carrey rejected by Saturday Night Live before finding fame?

In 1985 he reportedly never got to perform his "post-nuclear Elvis" bit for Lorne Michaels because senior writers vetoed it.

Which Fox sketch show made Carrey a household name from 1990 to 1994?

The show also launched Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez, who danced as a Fly Girl.

Which of Carrey's sketch-show characters was a scarred, safety-obsessed pyromaniac?

Carrey revived him in his 1996 SNL hosting monologue.

Which three Carrey films were all released in 1994, launching him as a movie star?

Ace Ventura came out that February and grossed $72 million in North America.

In Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, what animal is Ace hired to find?

Snowflake, the Miami Dolphins' mascot, vanishes before the Super Bowl; quarterback Dan Marino plays himself.

What is the name of Carrey's meek bank-teller character in The Mask?

The film was Cameron Diaz's acting debut; she had been a model with no prior acting experience.

In Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd and Harry drive from Providence, Rhode Island, to which ski town?

They are returning a briefcase full of money that, unknown to them, was left as a ransom.

Who plays Harry Dunne opposite Carrey's Lloyd Christmas?

Carrey later married his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly; the marriage lasted less than a year.

Which Batman villain did Carrey play in Batman Forever (1995)?

Tommy Lee Jones played Two-Face in the same Joel Schumacher film.

For which 1996 film did Carrey become the first comic actor paid a record upfront salary?

Ben Stiller directed the black comedy, with Matthew Broderick as the customer whose life Carrey's installer invades.

In Liar Liar, what is the profession of Carrey's character Fletcher Reede?

His son's birthday wish forces him to tell the truth for 24 hours.

Which director made Ace Ventura, Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty with Carrey?

In Bruce Almighty, Carrey's Buffalo TV reporter is handed God's powers by Morgan Freeman.

What is the town-sized soundstage called in Carrey's 1998 film about a man living inside a TV show?

Most of the film was shot in Seaside, Florida, a master-planned community on the Panhandle.

Who directed Carrey's 1998 film about a man unknowingly starring in a reality show?

Andrew Niccol wrote it; Ed Harris plays the show's creator, Christof.

Carrey played which real-life comedian in Man on the Moon (1999)?

He stayed in character throughout the shoot, as chronicled in the Netflix documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.

How many Golden Globe Awards has Carrey won?

They came in consecutive years, for his 1998 and 1999 dramatic roles; he has never received an Oscar nomination.

Who directed Man on the Moon?

Danny DeVito, Courtney Love and Paul Giamatti co-star, and Kaufman's lounge-singer alter ego Tony Clifton features heavily.

Which actress plays Clementine opposite Carrey's Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

The title comes from Alexander Pope's 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard.

What is the name of the memory-erasing company in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

Charlie Kaufman and his co-writers won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Kate Winslet was nominated for Best Actress.

Which French director worked with Carrey on his 2004 memory-erasure film and Kidding?

Kidding, on Showtime, cast Carrey as a Mister Rogers-like children's TV host and earned his seventh Golden Globe nomination.

Who narrates the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, in which Carrey plays the Grinch?

Ron Howard directed, and the film won the Oscar for Best Makeup.

In Me, Myself & Irene, what is the aggressive second personality of Carrey's Charlie called?

The Farrelly brothers reunited with Carrey six years after Dumb and Dumber; Renée Zellweger plays Irene.

Which villain did Carrey play in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events?

The Washington Post noted Olaf is a humorless villain in the books, unlike Carrey's flamboyant version.

Carrey's Yes Man (2008) was loosely based on a memoir by which British humorist?

Wallace, who spent a year saying yes to everything, makes a cameo in the film.

Which video-game villain has Carrey played on film since 2020?

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 gave him the best opening weekend of his career, $72 million.

Which Dr. Seuss character did Carrey voice in a 2008 animated film?

Horton Hears a Who! grossed over $290 million worldwide.

Which real con artist and prison escapee did Carrey play in I Love You Phillip Morris?

Russell fell in love with fellow inmate Phillip Morris and escaped repeatedly to be with him.

What number obsesses Carrey's character in his 2007 thriller with Joel Schumacher?

The Number 23 co-stars Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston.

Which superhero role did Carrey play in Kick-Ass 2 before publicly disowning the film's violence?

He withdrew support after the Sandy Hook school shooting, saying he could not in good conscience back that level of violence.

For how much did a struggling Jim Carrey write himself a check, later matched by his Dumb and Dumber fee?

He kept the check, made out for "acting services rendered", in his pocket for seven years.

In 2017 Carrey revealed a second career he had pursued privately for six years. What was it?

The short documentary I Needed Color chronicled it; he had exhibited a canvas in Palm Springs in 2011.

What is the title of Carrey's 2020 semi-autobiographical novel?

He co-wrote it with Dana Vachon.

Carrey became a US citizen in which year, while keeping his Canadian citizenship?

The same year he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame and released Eternal Sunshine.

Which school in Fairfield, Iowa, gave Carrey an honorary doctorate after his 2014 commencement speech?

The speech urged graduates to take a chance on doing what they love.

Which of Carrey's films was selected for the US National Film Registry in 2025?

It grossed $264 million worldwide and earned nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs.

Which of these was Carrey's first starring film role, a 1985 teen vampire comedy?

It was a modest hit despite poor reviews; he also shot a small part in Coppola's Peggy Sue Got Married that year.

Who created, wrote and starred in the Fox sketch show that launched Carrey?

The show ran on Fox from April 1990 to May 1994.

In which Ontario town was Jim Carrey born?

His father Percy was a musician and accountant; the family's original surname was Carré.

Which singer did Carrey date for eight months in 1983?

He married Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer in 1987; they had one daughter and divorced in 1995.

Which Dumb and Dumber co-star did Carrey marry in September 1996, for less than a year?

He was later engaged to Renée Zellweger, his Me, Myself & Irene co-star, from 1999 to 2000.

Which DreamWorks animated role did Carrey quit because he lacked control of the character's movements?

The same year, 2004, he was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame.

Carrey's Showtime series Kidding, co-starring Catherine Keener, ran for how many seasons?

The show reunited Carrey with Eternal Sunshine director Michel Gondry.

How was the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 script reportedly delivered to lure Carrey out of retirement?

It referenced his 2022 remark that only a script 'written in gold ink' would bring him back.

Which second Robotnik did Carrey also play in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

He told a reporter he returned to the franchise because 'I need the money, frankly.'

Carrey's 2018 exhibition of political drawings at the Maccarone Gallery in LA was titled what?

It featured 108 pen-and-ink drawings first shared on his Twitter feed.