Jim Carrey rose to fame in the 1990s, quickly moving from a recurring role on the American sketch show In Living Color to a string of high-profile comedies. He dominated film in 1994 with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber all released that year. In 1995, he took on the iconic role of The Riddler opposite Val Kilmer’s Batman, helping Batman Forever to a worldwide gross of over $300 million. By 1996, he commanded a record-breaking paycheck of $20 million for The Cable Guy.
Despite his high-profile success in big-screen comedy, The Toronto-born actor has also achieved critical success with dramatic roles, his first in the Emmy-nominated television film Doing Time on Maple Drive in 1992. He won Golden Globe Awards for 1998’s The Truman Show and 1999’s Man on the Moon.
In recent years, Carrey has continued to mix comedy and drama across film and television while adding a few more strings to his bow. Throughout 2019 and 2020, Carrey received praise for two seasons of the Showtime tragicomedy Kidding. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his lead role as children’s television presenter Jeff Piccirillo in the show, which reunited him with producer Michel Gondry. Their previous collaboration, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind⏤which Gondry directed⏤earned Carrey some of his best reviews in 2004.
In the run-up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, Carrey took on the role of Joe Biden during the 46th season of Saturday Night Live. Following in the footsteps of Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson, and John Mulaney, he stepped down in December 2020, explaining that he’d only been contracted for six weeks. In September 2021, Carrey was one of the comedians who led tributes to Norm Macdonald.
Alongside his screen work, Carrey has turned his hand to several other skills over the past decade. Since 2010, he has thrown himself into art. A painter and sketcher, he released a number of political cartoons between 2016 and 2021 before announcing that he was stepping back. Having published a children’s novel in 2013, Carrey authored his first novel, Memoirs and Misinformation, in July 2020 with Dana Vachon.
In 2020, Carrey ended a six-year break from movie theaters following Dumb and Dumber To, with the role of the villainous Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog. He explained at the time that his grandson Jackson had helped him immerse himself in the platform video game before he played the part that earned him excellent reviews.
What’s Next For Jim Carrey?
Carrey has been reluctant to commit to sequels despite some notable exceptions. However, he enjoyed the experience of playing villain Dr. Robotnik so much that he has decided to return. You can expect to see Jim Carrey back on the screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2022.