Jim Carrey: The 61-Year-Old Unpredictable Comedic Genius

Born in 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Carrey's childhood was far from easy. His family was so poor that they lived in a Volkswagen van at one point. However, this didn't stop him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a comedian.

He dropped out of school at the age of sixteen to perform comedy, and although he struggled at first, his family's financial situation improved, and he eventually went from performing at open-mic nights to getting paid to perform regularly.

It wasn't long before Carrey caught the attention of some of the biggest names in comedy. Rodney Dangerfield noticed how funny Carrey was and asked him to open for him in Vegas.

Carrey's career really started to take off when he moved to Hollywood and began performing in The Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard. He even appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which helped him gain even more fame.

Carrey's Incredible Acting Career

Yet he's come a long way from his days performing at open-mic nights and is best known for his comedic timing, physical humor, and unique facial expressions.

His films are now some of Hollywood's most iconic. we immediately think of Jim Carrey as the funny lead in The Mask (above) Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber or in the classic Christmas flick The Grinch amongst many, many others. His illustrious career as an actor spans from being a funnyman to becoming a sought-after dramatic actor in Man on the Moon and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

The Decision to Redefine His Life

Despite being one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, Carrey has now retired from the profession, quit social media and has been more focused on his art than his acting.

In 2011, he exhibited the painting Nothing to See Here in an art show in Palm Springs at the Heather James Fine Art Gallery. In 2017, Carrey released a six-minute documentary entitled, I Needed Color, which showed him working in his studio.