One of the greatest comedic talents alive today is the irrepressible Jim Carrey. Although not an American citizen, Carrey has spent most of his life living, and working in the United States. He has starred in some of the biggest box office hits in recent Hollywood history, and is showing no signs of slowing down. He got his start by doing stand-up comedy in his home country of Canada, but life before then was not easy for the megastar.
Born on January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, Carrey's early life was what he described as lower middle class. His father Percy was a musician, who got a job as an accountant, and provided well for the family until he lost his job when Carrey was a boy. That is when Carrey's life changed dramatically. With no steady income, the family eventually lost their home, and was living out of a van. Carrey quit high school at the age of 15 to take a job as a janitor to help support his family. Carrey described himself as being very angry at his situation in life at that time.
Throughout his childhood, Carrey had his comedy. He began doing his routine in Ontario in small clubs, while moving up to better things. He got a break in 1979 when he became the opening act for famous stand-up comedians Rodney Dangerfield, and Buddy Hackett. His biggest break came when he decided to move to Los Angeles to try to break into the entertainment industry in 1983. His first major appearances came when he landed regular work in the comedy series In Living Color in 1991.
After his successful run on the Fox show, Carrey became well-known, and was in demand. He starred in hit films such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Liar Liar, The Cable Guy, Bruce Almighty, and Batman Forever.
