Jim Carrey’s successful career is nothing to laugh at. Since 1990, he’s captivated audiences with his slick wit, hilarious humor and uncanny ability to bring audiences to stitches with laughter. Whether it’s his role as the creepy cable guy or as the gangster-inspired man with the mask, Carrey’s resume consists of nothing but playing iconic characters who are nearly impossible to forget.
Scroll through the pictures to relive his best roles!
Credit: Warner Bros.
Jim Carrey’s successful career is nothing to laugh at. Since 1990, he’s captivated audiences with his slick wit, hilarious humor and uncanny ability to bring audiences to stitches with laughter. Whether it’s his role as the creepy cable guy or as the gangster-inspired man with the mask, Carrey’s resume consists of nothing but playing iconic characters who are nearly impossible to forget. Scroll through the pictures to relive his best roles!
Credit: 20th Century Fox
Carrey first brought his zany sense of humor to the masses after appearing on In Living Color from 1990 to 1994. While he starred in some memorable skits on the sketch series — including his amusing role as a guy in the background during a TV interview and a spot-on impression of Jay Kordich — his most memorable character was the gut-busting fire marshall whose teeth stood out just as much as his jokes.
Credit: New Line Cinema
In 1994’s The Mask, Carrey played a meek bank teller who comes across a wooden mask that transforms him into a strong cartoonish man with a bright lime-green face. Wearing the mask not only gives Stanley the confidence to stand up for himself against bank robbers, but also to fight to rescue his love interest, Cameron Diaz’s Tina Carlyle — but in between, chaos ensues.
Credit: Warner Bros.
In 1994, the Yes Man actor starred in the epic comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective as an eccentric private investigator whose expertise is locating missing animals. Carrey’s facial expressions and catchphrases, including “Alrighty then!” were impossible not to laugh at — and mimic.
Credit: New Line Cinema
Carrey’s portrayal of the dense limousine driver paired up alongside Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne, Dumb and Dumber was comedic gold that gained quite a cult following since it premiered in 1994. The pals travel across the country from Rhode Island to Colorado in the hopes of returning a briefcase of money to a woman who left it behind in Lloyd’s limo — but their forehead-slapping behavior throughout their journey helped this movie become one of the most popular comedy movies of the '90s.
Credit: Columbia Pictures
The Fun with Dick and Jane actor’s comic skills took a dark, yet hilarious turn in 1996’s The Cable Guy. The funnyman played a creepy cable company employee who becomes obsessed with one of his customers named Steven M. Kovacs, played by Matthew Broderick. Chip infiltrates himself into Steven’s personal life by wreaking havoc and using blackmail on his new pal before he finds himself paying for his evil intentions.
Credit: Universal Pictures
In one of his funniest roles to-date, Carrey plays a lawyer who has a problem with telling the truth in Liar, Liar in 1997. After his young son uses his birthday wish to request that his father not tell any lies, Fletcher watches as his career — and his chance at making partner in a law firm — are severely impacted by his inability to fib. One of the funniest scenes in Carrey’s career comes from Liar, Liar, when Fletcher has a battle with his consciousness after winning a case for a woman who was using her children as bait against her ex.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
The Kidding actor dominated his role as an unknowing reality star in 1998’s The Truman Show. When his sympathetic character finds out his life had been entertainment for everyone else in the world for the last 30 years, he finds his own way to break free. Carrey reportedly chose to take on the role in the drama in an effort to do something besides comedy.
Credit: Universal Pictures
In 1999’s biographical comedy Man on the Moon, the Me, Myself & Irene star plays Andy Kaufman, the late iconic comedian who starred on Saturday Night Live and Taxi. While the intent of the movie was to honor Kaufman’s career in Hollywood, Carrey’s scope of method acting is what really captivated viewers. In a 2017 documentary called Jim & Andy, viewers were surprised to see how far Carrey took it when it came to not only portraying Kaufman, but the late comic’s villainous character Tony Clifton. According to the documentary, Carrey’s portrayal of the cranky character was so convincing that to those on set, it seemed as though he was truly channeling Tony Clifton instead of Kaufman.
Credit: New Line Cinema
In 2003’s Bruce Almighty, Carrey plays a down-on-his-luck television reporter who routinely blames God for his misfortune. God, played by Morgan Freeman, in return, gives him the almighty power to be in charge for one week, which Bruce finds isn’t as easy as he thought it would be.
Credit: Focus Features
In one of Carrey’s most complex roles, the comedian takes a turn as a shy man who falls in love with Kate Winslet’s Clementine Kruczynski in 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. After an argument threatens their two-year relationship, Clementine has her memory of their relationship erased and Joel follows suit. The movie follows the former flames as they try to navigate their lives without each other and paints a harrowing picture on how passionate flames can burn out regardless of how much love tries to fuel them.
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!
