Jim Carrey
By Sarah Hannaford
Childhood
-Father lost his job - they lived out of a van
-Quit school at age 15 to work to support family - janitor-Also helped care for mother who was battling a severe, chronic illness
Other Issues
-Been married twice and been in multiple relationships/engagements
Steps Towards Career/Downfalls
-Debuted at comedy club "Yuk Yuk's" in Toronto
-His impersonations bombed - doubted his entertaining capabilities
-Open mic to regular paid shows
-Rodney Dangerfield - signed Carrey to open on his tour
-Moved to Hollywood - The Comedy Store
-Debuted on The Tonight Show
-Turned attention to film and television industry
-First experienced true stardom - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
-Many roles followed
Achievements
-Debuted act on The Tonight Show
-Has hosted Saturday Night Live 3 times
-First leading role in "Once Bitten" (1985)
-Leading role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) - international hit, transformed Carrey into a bankable box-office star
-The Mask - his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination
-Dumb and Dumber - commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide, and again increasing Carrey's fanbase
-The Truman Show (1998) - picked up his first Golden Globe Award- Best Actor In a Motion Picture Drama
-Many other roles
-Inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame
-Received an honorary doctorate for his achievements as a comedian, artist, author, and philanthropist
-Etc.
Using Challenges to Achieve Goals
-After later doing a great deal of films and TV shows, he returned to stand-up and retired his old act, vowing that he did not want to be famous for imitating other people. He said, "Some nights ... I'd be standing trying to defend myself for what I was doing. People would be screaming at me to do my old act, and getting actually violent and angry at me." While many were angered that he was retiring his old act, others were increasingly interested in what he was doing. Like writer/director Judd Apatow. They began writing material together.