American Icon: Jim Carrey
To most people, success doesn't come easy. It requires effort, and the drive to move forward irrespective of the odds. This could not be any truer than it has been for Jim Carrey. Jim is a Canadian-American actor, impressionist, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is a repeated winner of the Golden Globe Award for his acting prowess. Some of the most successful movies he has starred in are Liar Liar, Man on the Moon, Dumb and Dumber and the Truman Show.
Early Life
Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario Canada to Percy Carrey an accountant and musician and Kathleen Carrey, a homemaker. His father as of French-Canadian ancestry while his mother was Irish, French and Scottish descent. Based on his own testimony, at the age of ten, he wrote to Carol Burnett of the Carol Burnett Show informing her that he was a master of impressions and should be considered for a role in the show. He was overjoyed when he received a formal written response. The response motivated him to work harder and be recognized for his talent.
Career
Carrey struggled to obtain work and get his name in the limelight. His father was a great source of inspiration during this time, helping him put together his stage act and driving him to Toronto to debut at a comedy club. Carrey's impersonations bombed and he began having doubts about whether he would make it as a professional entertainer. Carry's family supported his ambitions but were financially underprivileged to give him all the support he needed.
Eventually, all the family's financial troubles were resolved, and they moved to a better home. With more stability at home, Carrey returned to stage with a more polished act. Over a short period, he went from open-mic nights to regular paid shows, building his reputation in the process. A review by the Toronto Star opined that Carrey was a "genuine star coming to life."
Carrey was soon noticed by Rodney Dangerfield, a successful comedian who signed him to open his tour performances. Eventually, Dangerfield brought him to Las Vegas. Soon after this, Carrey resolved to move to Hollywood where he began performing at The Comedy Store and in 1982, appeared on An Evening at the Improv, a televised stand up show. The following here, he debuted his act on The Tonight Show.
Despite his increasing popularity in standup comic, Carrey chose instead to turn his attention to the television and film industries. Auditioning to be a cast member of NBC'S Saturday Night Live. From 1990 to 1994, Carrey became a regular cast member of the comedy series In Living Color, a role that increased his fame internationally.
1994 was a significant year in Carrey's career. He was cast in the lead roles in Detective, Ace Ventura: PET, Dumb and Dumber and The Mask. Dumb and Dumber became a commercial success, grossing more than $270 million. His first Golden Globe Awards came as a result of his lead performance in The Mask.
In the 2000s, he further gained recognition for his lead role in the movies Bruce Almighty and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, all of which he was nominated for the BAFTA Awards for best actor in a leading role. Carrey has also starred in major hits such as Mr. Popper's Penguins, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.
In a Hamilton interview Spectator interview, Carrey said" If my career in show business hadn't worked out, I would probably be working in Hamilton Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill. I always believed that was here the great jobs were."
Carrey has battled depression over the years but has refrained from taking anti-depressants or any other stimulants. He has a dual citizenship of his native Canada and the United States. Carrey has recently come out strongly against the use of vaccines on children. He has criticized the merit of vaccination and vaccine research believing them to be toxic substances. He has been criticized for his stand against vaccines and his statements termed as ‘dense, angry and immune to reason."
Carrey is a follower and an advocate of the law of attraction, a belief that advocates for attracting positive things through visualization. He has in the past attested to visualizing a $10,000,000 check before he eventually received it for his role in Dumb and Dumber.
Throughout his career, Carrey has displayed ambition, determination and confidence in himself. From the little town of Newmarket in Ontario Canada, Carrey has today become a worldwide sensation, gracing television screens and displaying a unique talent. His struggles with depression is an indication that he is as human like all of us, and has his own share of struggles. He is a source of inspiration to many young actors and comedians around the world who feel like the odds are against them. For his role in bringing laughter into our homes through the television screens and his determination to success in the entertainment industry, American Sunglass would like to call him out as an Icon!
