Jim Carrey's Real Name: James Eugene Carrey

Quick answer: Jim Carrey's real name is James Eugene Carrey. He was born on January 17, 1962, in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Real name and early life

Biography.com lists his full name as James Eugene Carrey. Jim is the everyday short form of James, and Carrey is his family surname, so his screen name is not an invention. He was born in Newmarket, Ontario, and later became an American citizen as well.

Quick facts

• Real name: James Eugene Carrey
• Known as: Jim Carrey
• Born: January 17, 1962, in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
• Known for: Actor
• Notable work: In Living Color, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber
• Sources checked: Biography.com

Career highlights

Carrey spent the 1980s working on his stand-up act and playing supporting film roles. He broke through on Fox's sketch show In Living Color (1990–1994), then had a run of box-office hits: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber (all 1994), followed by Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Batman Forever (1995). He became the first comic actor paid an upfront $20 million per film, starting with The Cable Guy (1996).

Later comedies included Liar Liar (1997), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), and Yes Man (2008). He also earned acclaim in dramatic roles, winning Golden Globes for The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), and starring in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Since 2020 he has played Doctor Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog films. He is also a visual artist.

The Truman Show, directed by Peter Weir, is often cited as his best dramatic work. He played a man who discovers his whole life is a television show. In Man on the Moon, directed by Miloš Forman, he played comedian Andy Kaufman. Both performances won Golden Globes and showed a range beyond the rubber-faced slapstick that first made him famous.

Name notes

"Jim Carrey" is his real name in shortened form. You may see the surname misspelled "Carey," but the correct spelling has two r's. Fan sites often copy names from one another, so we checked this page against Biography.com. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than guess. We also leave out middle names, nicknames, and origin stories that we couldn't confirm in a reliable source. A popular claim isn't enough to earn a place on this page if no encyclopedia, official record, or major news outlet backs it up.