The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator - Saint Catherine's Monastery. The two different facial expressions on either side emphasize Christ's dual nature as both divine and human.^[1][2]

Christ (Greek Χριστός (Khristós) 'anointed') is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), the Messiah, and is used as a title for Jesus in the New Testament.^[3]

Followers of Jesus became known as Christians (as in Acts 11:26) because they believed Jesus to be the messiah (Christos) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible – therefore they often call him Jesus Christ, meaning Jesus the Christos.^[4] The word was originally a title, but later became part of the name "Jesus Christ", yet it is still also used as a title, in the reciprocal use Christ Jesus, meaning "The Messiah Jesus".^[5] In common usage – even within secular circles – "Christ" is generally treated as synonymous with "Jesus of Nazareth".^[6]

Jesus has never been accepted by most Jews as their Messiah.^[7] Even the Canonical Gospels recount some Rejection of Jesus. Nonetheless, Nicene Christians await the Second Coming of Christ when they believe he will fulfill the rest of the Christian Messianic prophecy.

The area of Christian theology called Christology is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament.^[8]

Etymology and origins[link]

The word Christ (or similar spellings) appears in English and most European languages, owing to the Greek usage of Christós (transcribed in Latin as Christus) in the New Testament as a description for Jesus. Christ has now become a name, one part of the name "Jesus Christ", but originally it was a title (the Messiah) and not a name; however its use in "Christ Jesus" is a title.^[4][5]

In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible, the word Christ was used to translate into Greek the Hebrew mashiach (messiah), meaning "anointed."^[9][10] Khristós in classical Greek usage could mean covered in oil, or anointed, and is thus a literal translation of messiah.

The spelling Christ (Greek Genitive: τοῦ Χριστοῦ, toú Christoú,; Nominative: ὁ Χριστὸς, ho Christós) in English was standardized in the 18th century, when, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, the spelling of certain words was changed to fit their Greek or Latin origins. Prior to this, in Old and Middle English, the word was usually spelled Crist the i being pronounced either as /iː/, preserved in the names of churches such as St Katherine Cree, or as a short /ɪ/, preserved in the modern pronunciation of Christmas. The spelling "Christ" is attested from the 14th century.^[11]

In modern and ancient usage, even within secular terminology, Christ usually refers to Jesus, building on the centuries old tradition of such use.^[12] Since the Apostolic Age, the use of the definite article before the word Christ and its development into a proper name signifies its identification with Jesus as the promised Jewish messiah.^[13]

Background and New Testament references[link]

First page of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak (14th century): "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God".

At the time of Jesus, there was no single, coherent form or order within Second Temple Judaism, and significant political, social and religious differences existed among the Jews.^[15] However, for centuries the Jews had used the term "the Anointed" to refer to their expected deliverer.^[16] A large number of Old Testament passages were regarded as messianic by the Jews, many more than are commonly considered messianic by Christians, and various groups of Jews assigned varying degrees of significance to them.^[15]

The Greek word Messias appears only twice in the Greek Old Testament of the promised prince (Daniel 9:26; Psalm 2:2); yet, when a name was wanted for the promised one, who was to be at once King and Savior, this title was used.^[17][18] The New Testament states that the Messiah, long awaited, had come and describes this savior as The Christ. In Matt 16:16 the apostle Peter, in what has become a famous proclamation of faith among Christians since the first century, said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."^[15]

The opening words in the Gospel of Mark 1:1, namely "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" also identify Jesus as both Christ and the Son of God. The divinity being again re-affirmed in Mark 1:11.^[19] Thereafter Mark never applies Christ to Jesus as a name. Matthew 1:1 uses Christ as a name and Matthew 1:16 explains it again with: "Jesus, who is called Christ". In the Gospel of John, Jesus referred to himself as the Son of God far more frequently than in the Synoptic Gospels.^[20]

The use of the definite article before the word "Christ" and its gradual development into a proper name show the Christians identified the bearer with the promised Messiah of the Jews who fulfilled all the Messianic predictions in a fuller and a higher sense than had been given them by the Rabbis.^[16] In the New Testament e.g. Matthew 1:1, 1:18; Mark 1:1; John 1:17; 17:3; 9:22; Mark 9:40; Luke 2:11; 22:2, the word Christ is preceded by Jesus.^[16]

While the Gospels of Mark and Matthew begin by calling Jesus both Christ and the Son of God, these are two distinct attributions. They develop in the New Testament along separate paths and have distinct theological implications. The development of both titles involves "the precursor", John the Baptist. At the time in Roman Judaea the Jews had been awaiting the "messiah". And many people were wondering who it would be. When John the Baptist appeared and began preaching, he attracted disciples who assumed he would be announced as the Messiah, or "the one" they had been awaiting. But the title Son of God was not attributed to John.

In the Gospel narrative that describe the life of Jesus, the first instance of him being called the Son of God appears during his Baptism by John the Baptist. In the narrative, a voice from heaven called Jesus "My Son". In the Messengers from John the Baptist episode, in Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-23.^[21] when John the Baptist was in prison two of his disciples asked Jesus a question on his behalf: "Are you the one to come after me or shall we wait for another?"^[22] indicating that John doubted the identity of Jesus as Christ at that time, see also Rejection of Jesus.

In John 11:27 Martha told Jesus "you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world", signifying that both titles were generally accepted (yet considered distinct) among the followers of Jesus before the Raising of Lazarus.^[23]

Explicit claims of Jesus being the Messiah are found in the Canonical Gospels in the Confession of Peter (e.g. Matthew 16:16) and the words of Jesus before his judges in the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus.^[17][24] These incidents involve far more than a mere claim to the Messiahship; taken in their setting, they constitute a claim to be the Son of God.^[17]

In the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, it might appear from the narratives of Matthew and Luke that Jesus at first refused a direct reply to the high priest's question: "Art thou the Christ?" Although his answer is given merely as su eipas (thou hast said it), the Gospel of Mark states the answer as ego eimi (I am) and there are instances from Jewish literature in which the expression, "thou hast said it", is equivalent to "you are right".^[17] The Messianic claim was less significant than the claim to divinity which caused the high priest's horrified accusation of blasphemy and the subsequent call for the death sentence. Before Pilate on the other hand it was merely the assertion of his royal dignity which gave ground for his condemnation.^[17]

In the Pauline Epistles the word Christ is so closely associated with Jesus that it is apparent that for the Early Christians there is no need to claim that Jesus is Christ, for that is considered widely accepted among them. Hence Paul can use the term Christos with no confusion as to who it refers to, and as in 1Corinthians 4:15 and Romans 12:5 he can use expressions such as "in Christ" to refer to the followers of Jesus.^[25] Paul proclaimed him as the new Adam, who restored through obedience what Adam lost through disobedience.^[26] The Pauline epistles are a source of some key Christological connections, e.g. Ephesians 3:17-19 relates the love of Christ to the knowledge of Christ, and considers the love of Christ as a necessity for knowing him.^[27]

There are also implicit claims to being the Christ in the words and actions of Jesus.^[17] Episodes in the life of Jesus and statements about what he accomplished during his public ministry are found throughout the New Testament. Although the Bible never says "Jesus is God", trinity based theology summarily claims: "Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever."^[28]

Pre-existence, Incarnation and Nativity[link]

The Anointing of Jesus, c. 1450.

There are distinct, and differing, views among Christians regarding the existence of Christ before his conception. A key passage in the New Testament is John 1:1-18 where John 1:17 specifically mentions that "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Those who believe in the Trinity, consider Christ a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos or the Word. Other, non-Trinitarian views, question the aspect of personal pre-existence or question the aspect of divinity, or both.

The concept of Christ as Logos derives from John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the original Greek, Logos (λόγος) is used for "Word," and is often used untranslated. In the Christology of the Logos, Christ is viewed as the Incarnation of the "Divine Logos", i.e. The Word.^[29]

Saint Paul viewed the Nativity of Jesus as an event of cosmic significance which by the Incarnation of Christ brought forth a new world of harmony to undo the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. St. Paul's eschatological view of the birth of Jesus as the Christ counter-positions him as ushering in the new world of order that leads to salvation, unlike Adam, whose disobedience caused a rift with God.^[5][30]

In the 2nd century, with his theory of "recapitulation", Saint Irenaeus connected "Christ the Creator" with "Christ the Savior", relying on Ephesians 1:10 ("when the times reach their fulfillment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ") to gather together and wrap up the cycle of the Nativity and Resurrection of Christ.^[31]

Christ and salvation in Christianity[link]

Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator with the Christogram IC XC.^[32]

In Colossians 1:15-16 Apostle Paul viewed the Nativity of Jesus as an event of cosmic significance which changed the nature of the world by paving the way for salvation.^{[34][35][36][37]}

Christian teachings present the Love of Christ as a basis for his sacrificial act that brought forth salvation.^[38][39] In John 14:31 Jesus explains that his sacrifice was performed so: "that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do."^[39] Ephesians 5:25 then states that: "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it".^[38]

In the 2nd century, Church Father Saint Irenaeus expressed his views of salvation as in terms of the imitation of Christ and his theory of "recapitulation". For Irenaeus the imitation of Christ is based on God's plan of salvation, which involved Christ as the second Adam. He viewed the Incarnation as the way in which Christ repaired the damage done by Adam's disobedience. For Irenaeus, salvation was achieved by Christ restoring humanity to the image of God, and he saw the Christian imitation of Christ as a key component on the path to salvation.^[40] For Irenaeus Christ succeeded on every point on which Adam failed.^[41] Irenaeus drew a number of parallels, e.g. just as in the fall of Adam resulted from the fruit of a tree, Irenaeus saw redemption and salvation as the fruit of another tree: the cross of crucifixion.^[40]

Following in the Pauline tradition, in the 5th century Saint Augustine viewed Christ as the mediator pf the New Covenant between God and man and as the conqueror over sin. He viewed Christ as the cause and reason for the reconciliation of man with God after the fall of Adam, and he saw in Christ the path to Christian salvation.^[42] Augustine believed that salvation is available to those who are worthy of it, through faith in Christ.^[43]

In the 13th century Saint Thomas Aquinas aimed to recapture the teachings of the Church Fathers on the role of the Holy Trinity in the economy of salvation.^[44] In Aquinas' view angels and humans were created for salvation from the very beginning.^[45] For Acquinas the Passion of Christ poured out the grace of salvation and all its virtues unto humanity.^[46]

Martin Luther distinguished the history of salvation between the Old and the New Testament, and saw a new dimension to salvation with the arrival of Christ.^[47]

The focus on human history was an important element of the biblically grounded 16th century theology of John Calvin. Calvin considered the first coming of Christ as the key turning point in human history. He viewed Christ as "the one through whom salvation began" and he saw the completion of Christ's plan of salvation as his death and Resurrection.^[48]

Symbols[link]

The Chi-Rho.

The use of "Χ," derived from Chi, the Greek alphabet initial, as an abbreviation for Christ (most commonly in the abbreviation "Χmas") is often misinterpreted as a modern secularization of the term. Thus understood, the centuries-old English word Χmas, is actually a shortened form of CHmas, which is, itself, a shortened form for Christmas. Christians are sometimes referred to as "Xians," with the 'X' replacing 'Christ.^[49]

A very early Christogram is the Chi Rho symbol formed by superimposing the first two Greek letters in Christ ( Greek: "Χριστός"), chi = ch and rho = r, to produce ☧.^[50]

See also[link]

Look up Christ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Anointing of Jesus
• Antichrist
• Knowledge of Christ
• Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament
• Perfection of Christ

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Cullmann, Oscar. The Christology of the New Testament. trans. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1980. ISBN 0-664-24351-7
• Fuller, Reginald H. The Foundations of New Testament Christology. New York: Scribners, 1965. ISBN 0-684-15532-X
• Greene, Colin J.D. Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-8028-2792-6
• Kingsbury, Jack Dean. The Christology of Mark's Gospel. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989.

v t e Titles of Jesus in the New Testament Bread of Life · Christ · King of the Jews · Lamb of God · Light of the World · Logos (The Word) · Lord (Kyrios) · Rabboni/Rabbi · Second Adam · Son of God · Son of man Christianity

Jim Caviezel
Caviezel in 2009
Born	James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. (1968-09-26) September 26, 1968 (age 43) Mount Vernon, Washington, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1991–present
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse	Kerri Browitt (1996-present)
Children	three

James Patrick Caviezel, Jr.  /kəˈviːzəl/; (born September 26, 1968), known professionally as Jim Caviezel is an American film and television actor. He played Jesus Christ in the 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ. He has also played Bobby Jones in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, Detective John Sullivan in Frequency, Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch in Angel Eyes, Carroll Oerstadt in Déjà Vu and Private Witt in The Thin Red Line. He stars on the CBS crime thriller Person of Interest as John Reese.

Early life and education[link]

Caviezel was born in Mount Vernon, Washington. His mother, Margaret (née Lavery), is a former stage actress and homemaker, and his father, James Patrick Caviezel, Sr., is a chiropractor.^[1][2] He has a younger brother, Timothy, and three sisters, Ann, Amy, and Erin, and was raised in a tight-knit Roman Catholic^[3][4] family in Conway, Washington. His surname is of Romansh origin; his father is of Slovak (maternal) and Swiss (paternal) descent, while his mother is of Irish descent.^[5][6] Caviezel's father attended UCLA and played basketball for coach John Wooden, prompting all the Caviezel siblings to play the sport.^[7]

Caviezel attended Mount Vernon High School for two years and then moved to Seattle and lived with family friends in order to play basketball at O'Dea High School, a Catholic high school. The following spring, he transferred from O'Dea to another Catholic school, John F. Kennedy Memorial High in Burien, where he played basketball, graduating in 1987. Following high school, Caviezel enrolled at Bellevue Community College, where the 6'2" athlete played college basketball. A foot injury in his second year put an end to his hopes of a basketball career in the NBA. He transferred to the University of Washington where he turned his focus to acting and became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.^[7]

Career[link]

Caviezel began acting in plays in Seattle. He earned his Screen Actors Guild card following a minor role in the 1991 film My Own Private Idaho. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. He was offered a scholarship to study acting at New York's Juilliard School in 1993, but he turned it down in favor of a role in the 1994 film Wyatt Earp, where he played Warren Earp.^[8][9]

He appeared in episodes of Murder, She Wrote and The Wonder Years in his early career. After appearing in G.I. Jane (1997), Caviezel had a breakthrough performance in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, based on World War II. He played Black John, a Missouri bushwhacker, in Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil (1999), a film budgeted and intended as a summer blockbuster, but fell flat at the box office. He was originally cast to play Cyclops/Scott Summers in X-Men (2000) but dropped out because of a scheduling conflict with the film Frequency.

Caviezel starred in such mainstream Hollywood films as Pay It Forward (2000), Angel Eyes (2001), and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002). In 2001, he played the lead in Madison, a film that tells the story of hydroplane racing in Madison, Indiana. The film did not appear in theaters until 2005. In addition, his work in High Crimes (2002) was highly praised by critics. In 2002, he played a pivotal role in the film I Am David from the Danish novel known as both David and North to Freedom, written by Ann Holm.

In 2004, Caviezel portrayed Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. During filming he was struck by lightning, accidentally scourged, dislocated his shoulder, and suffered pneumonia and hypothermia.^[10] Prior to filming, Gibson reportedly warned Caviezel that playing Jesus could hurt his acting career. In 2011, he admitted that good roles had been hard to come by ever since.^[11][12]

He played a leading role in Unknown, an IFC Films project. Caviezel played the main antagonist in Tony Scott's 2006 action film, Déjà Vu. He played "Kainin" in Outlander (2008). He provides the voice of Jesus on the Thomas Nelson Inc.-produced New Testament audio dramatization The Word of Promise,^[13] released in the fall of 2007.^[14] In 2008, he starred in Long Weekend, co-starring Claudia Karvan and directed by Jamie Blanks at Wilsons Promontory.

In 2009, Caviezel played French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam in The Stoning of Soraya M., a drama set in 1986 Iran about the execution of a young mother. The film, produced by Stephen McEveety, also stars Oscar-nominated Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. When asked about how his Roman Catholic faith was affected by this story, Caviezel says, "...you don't have to go any further than the gospels to figure out what the right thing to do is, whether you should be more concerned helping someone regardless of their religion or where they’re from."^[15]

Alongside Ian McKellen, Caviezel starred in The Prisoner a remake of the British science fiction TV show, The Prisoner, which aired in November 2009.^[16][17]

BuddyTV ranked him #92 on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011".^[18]

Since 2011, he has starrred in the CBS drama Person of Interest, which received the highest rating in the past 15 years for a series pilot, and has consistently had over 10 million viewers in weekly ratings.

Personal life[link]

Caviezel went on a blind date with Kerri Browitt, an English teacher and flutist, in 1993. They married July 20, 1996, and adopted 3 children from China - Bo James born in 1999, Lynn Elizabeth (LeLe) born in 2001, and David Patrick born in 2010.

Caviezel and his wife are both devout Roman Catholics^[19] and he has been a featured public speaker at religious venues since the release of The Passion. On March 19, 2005, he was the spokesperson for the first Catholic Men's Conference in Boston.^[20]

In 2006 Caviezel enrolled in at least one class at University of Notre Dame, but not as a full-time student.^[21]

Public politics[link]

On October 24, 2006, Caviezel was featured (along with Patricia Heaton, Kurt Warner, and Mike Sweeney) in an advertisement opposing embryonic stem-cell research. Caviezel began the advertisement by saying "Le-bar nash be-neshak", Aramaic for "You betray the Son of Man with a kiss", a reference to Judas's betraying Christ and a phrase used in the Greek version of the Gospel of Luke.^[22][23] The line, however, did not include a translation into English. Caviezel closed the commercial with the line, "You know now. Don't do it." This was in reference to voting in favor of the amendment. The advertisement was a response to a commercial featuring Michael J. Fox, in favor of embryonic stem cell research.

Caviezel donated $2,100 to the 2006 campaign to re-elect U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.^[24]

Filmography[link]

Jim Caviezel at Paley Center, in May 2012

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jim Caviezel at the Internet Movie Database
• Reel Caviezel: Jim Caviezel's work as a storyteller on film
• Jim Caviezel's Interview with "Catholic Digest".
• yourmovies.com.au, interview: Jim Caviezel
• Interview with Jim on WHO.com where he talks about his lucky life
• beliefnet.com, interview with Jim on where he talks about "The Stoning of Soraya M" and his faith

Jim Carrey
Carrey at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
Born	James Eugene Carrey (1962-01-17) January 17, 1962 (age 50) Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor, comedian, producer
Years active	1979–present
Height	6' 2"
Spouse	Melissa Womer (1987–1995) Lauren Holly (1996–1997)
Partner	Jenny McCarthy (2005–2010) Anastasia Vitkina (2011–present)
Children	1
Website
JimCarrey.com

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and producer. Carrey has received four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning two. Known for his highly energetic, slapstick performances, he has been described as one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood.^[1]

Carrey first gained recognition in 1990 after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy In Living Color. His first leading roles in major productions came with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), The Mask (1994), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). In 1997, he gave a critically acclaimed performance in Liar Liar, which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. He then starred in the critically acclaimed hits The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), both garnering him two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor.

In 2000, he gained further recognition for his portrayal of the The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Three years later, Carrey starred in the major blockbuster film Bruce Almighty (2003). The following year he starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he received another Golden Globe nomination in addition to a BAFTA Award nomination. He then starred in popular productions Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Yes Man (2008), A Christmas Carol (2009), and Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011).

He is set to star in Burt Wonderstone in 2013 as Steve Gray, in addition to reprising his role as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber 2 in 2014. He is also set to star as Mr. Applegate in a film adaption of the broadway musical Damn Yankees.

Early life[link]

Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, the son of Kathleen (née Oram), a homemaker, and Percy Carrey, a musician and accountant.^[2][3] He has three older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita. He was raised Roman Catholic.^[4][5] His mother was of French,  Irish,  and Scottish descent^[6] and his father was of French Canadian ancestry (the family's original surname was Carré).^[7][8] After his family moved to Scarborough, Ontario, when Carrey was 14 years old, he attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School, in North York, for two years, enrolled at Agincourt Collegiate Institute for another year, then briefly attended Northview Heights Secondary School for the remainder of his high school career (all together, he spent three years in Grade 10).

Carrey lived in Burlington, Ontario, for eight years and attended Aldershot High School, where he once opened for 1980s new wave band Spoons. In a Hamilton Spectator interview (February 2007), Carrey remarked, "If my career in show business hadn't panned out I would probably be working today in Hamilton, Ontario at the Dofasco steel mill." When looking across the Burlington Bay toward Hamilton, he could see the mills and thought, "Those were where the great jobs were."^[9] At this point, he already had experience working in a science testing facility in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Career[link]

Early work[link]

While struggling to obtain work and making a name for himself, Carrey's father decided to help the young comedian put together a stage act, driving him to Toronto to debut at comedy club Yuk Yuk's.^[10] Unfortunately, Carrey's impersonations bombed and this gave him doubts about his capability as a professional entertainer. His family, at the time, were struggling financially meaning it was difficult for them to support Carrey's ambitions. Eventually, the family's financial problems were soon dealt with and they moved into a new home.^[10] With a now more domestic stability, Carrey worked up the nerve to return to the stage with a more polished act. In a short period of time, Carrey went from open mic nights to regular paid shows; a growing reputation building in the process. One reviewer in the Toronto Star raved that Carrey was "a genuine star coming to life."^[11] Carrey was soon noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comedian to open Dangerfield's tour performances.^[12] He eventually brought Carrey to Las Vegas, after which he decided to move to Hollywood. Carrey began performing at The Comedy Store and in 1982, appeared on the televised stand-up show An Evening at the Improv.^[13] The following year, he debuted his act on The Tonight Show.^[14]

Despite his increasing popularity as a stand-up comedian, Carrey turned his attention to the film and television industries, auditioning to be a cast member for the 1980–1981 season of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Carrey was not selected for the position (although he did host the show in May 1996, and again in January 2011^[15] ). He was, after a period of time, cast in seveal low-budget films: Rubberface (1981) playing a struggling young comic, and Copper Mountain (1983) playing a sex-starved teen, the latter including his impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. Since the film had a less than one hour runtime consisting largely of musical performances by Rita Coolidge and Ronnie Hawkins, it was not considered a full-length feature film.

In 1984, Carrey was soon cast, surprisingly, as the lead in the NBC sitcom The Duck Factory, in which he played a quirky young artist alongside Jay Tarses. However, the show was unceremoniously cancelled during its first season. Despite the sudden cancellation, Carrey landed supporting roles in several low-budget films: Once Bitten (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), and The Dead Pool (1988). When Carrey returned to stand-up, he retired his old act vowing that he didn't want to be famous for imitating other people; "Some nights it was a melee, literally, where 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,".^[14] While many thought he was "crazy" for retiring his old act, others were increasingly interested in what Carrey was attempting to do, Judd Apatow in particular. The pair struck up a friendship and soon began writing material together.

Carrey continued to land small roles in film and television productions, which led to a friendship with fellow comedian Damon Wayans, who co-starred with Carrey as an extraterrestrial in 1989's Earth Girls Are Easy. Damon soon introduced Carrey to his brother Keenen, who at the time, was creating a sketch comedy show known as In Living Color, for the new Fox network. Carrey eventually landed a recurring role in the show which first aired on April 15, 1990. By the third season, Carrey was one of the few remaining original cast members and was ready to move onto bigger things, after agreeing to take on his first lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster film.

Rise to fame[link]

Carrey did not experience true stardom until landing the lead role in the slapstick comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), which premiered only months before In Living Color ended. Despite agreeing to play the title character, Carrey would only take the role if he was allowed to rewrite the script, mostly to suit his over-the-top visions. The film, while dismissed by most critics, was an international hit, and transformed Carrey into a bankable box-office star overnight. In that same year, he landed two lead roles in The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, respectively. The Mask garnered him his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praising him for his "joyful performance".^[16] Well-received by critics, Dumb and Dumber was a commercial success, grossing over $270 million worldwide,^[17] and again boosting Carrey's fanbase.

Carrey in Madrid, Spain on December 13, 2008.

In 1995, Carrey starred in the Joel Schumacher-directed superhero film Batman Forever, in which Batman tries to stop Two-Face and the Riddler (played by Carrey) in their villainous scheme to drain information from all the brains in Gotham City. The feature received reasonable reviews upon release with most criticism aimed towards the movie's "blatant commercialism", as stated by Peter Travers.^[18] In that same year, Carrey reprised his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Like the original film, it was well-received by the public but heavily criticised by critics. However, it was a huge box-office success, earning $212 million worldwide in addition to breaking records, with a $40 million opening weekend.^[19] Carrey earned $20 million for his next film, The Cable Guy (1996). Directed by Ben Stiller, Carrey played a lonely, slightly menacing cable TV installer who infiltrates the life of one of his customers (played by Matthew Broderick). The film tested Carrey's boundaries of his tried and true "hapless, hyper, overconfident" characters that he is known for regularly playing. However, it did not fare well with critics, many reacting towards Carrey's change of tone to previous films.^[20] Despite the reviews, The Cable Guy grossed $102 million worldwide.^[21]

He soon bounced back in 1997 with the critically acclaimed comedy Liar Liar, playing Fletcher Reede, an incredibly successful lawyer who has built his career on lying, regularly breaking promises that he makes to his son Max. Max soon makes a birthday wish that for just one day, his dad can't tell a lie. Carrey was praised for his performance, earning a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Well into his tumultuous career, Mr. Carrey finally turns up in a straightforward comic vehicle, and the results are much wilder and funnier than this mundane material should have allowed."^[22]

Critical acclaim[link]

The following year he decided to take a pay cut to play the serious role of Truman Burbank in the satirical comedy-drama film The Truman Show (1998).^[23] The film was highly praised and brought Carrey further international acclaim, leading many to believe he would be nominated for an Oscar.^[24] However, he did pick up his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. The Truman Show was a commercial success also, earning $264 million worldwide against a budget of $60 million.^[25][26] According to a Film4 critic, the film, "...allows Carrey to edge away from broad comedy." but nonetheless called it "A hilarious and breathtakingly conceived satire..."^[27] That same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, in which he deliberately ripped into Shandling's character. In 1999, Carrey had the lead role in Man on the Moon. He portrayed comedian Andy Kaufman to critical acclaim,^[28] with many believing that Carrey would finally be nominated for Best Actor. He again received his second Golden Globe Award for the second consecutive year. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times commented on Carrey's performance stating, "A brilliant, almost terrifying impersonation."

In 2000, Carrey reteamed with the Farrelly Brothers, who had directed him in Dumb and Dumber, in the comedy classic, Me, Myself & Irene, a film that received mixed reviews^[29] but enjoyed box office success. Carrey played the role of state trooper Charlie Baileygates, who has multiple personalities and romances a woman portrayed by Renée Zellweger. That same year, Carrey starred in the second highest grossing Christmas film of all time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, playing the title character, for which he received praise and criticism.^[30] The film garnered him his third Golden Globe Award nomination in addition to countless other nominations and several wins.

For his next feature film, Carrey starred opposite Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman in Tom Shadyac's international hit comedy Bruce Almighty (2003). Carrey played a TV newsman who unexpectedly receives God's omnipotent abilities when the deity decides to take a break. The film received mixed reviews upon release^[31] but despite this was a financial success, earning over $484 million worldwide, and going on to become the seventeenth highest-grossing live action comedy of all time. The film has since gained a cult following.^[19][32] In 2004, Carrey starred in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film received overwhelming acclaim upon release; Carrey was highly praised for his portrayal of Joel Barish, in addition to his co-star Kate Winslet, who received an Oscar nomination. According to CNN's reviewer Paul Clinton, Carrey's performance was "the best, most mature and sharply focused performance ever."^[33] He received his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination, and was also nominated for his first BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Carrey at the Yes Man premiere in 2008

Carrey's next appearance was in the 2004 black comedy drama film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which was based on the popular children's novels of the same name. The film received a positive reception, with Desson Thomson from The Washington Post commenting on Carrey's approach to the character of Count Olaf, stating "Olaf is a humorless villain in the book. He's not amusing like Carrey at all. To which I would counter: If you can't let Carrey be Carrey, put someone boring and less expensive in the role. In his various disguises he's rubbery, inventive and improvisationally inspired. I particularly liked his passing imitation of a dinosaur."^[34][35] That same year, Carrey was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame.^[36] In 2005, Carrey starred in a remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, playing Dick, a husband who becomes a bank robber after he loses his job. The film was dismissed by most critics but did manage to become a box office hit.

Continued success[link]

In 2007, Carrey reunited with Joel Schumacher, director of Batman Forever, for The Number 23, a psychological thriller co-starring Virginia Madsen and Danny Huston. In the film, Carrey plays a man who becomes obsessed with the number 23, after finding a book about a man with the same obsession. The film was lauded by critics and did not fare well at the box office. The following year Carrey provided his voice for Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008). Carrey voiced the beloved elephant for the CGI-animated feature, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews and delivered family crowds en masse. The film was also a box office success raking in over $290 million worldwide.^[37] Later in the year, Carrey returned to live action comedy, starring opposite Zooey Deschanel and Bradley Cooper in Yes Man (2008). Carrey played down-and-out man, Carl Allen, who had gone nowhere in life, thanks to always saying no to everything, until he signs up for a self-help program that teaches him the power of saying yes. Despite reviews being mixed, Rene Rodriquez of The Miami Herald stated, "Yes Man is fine as far as Jim Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh."^[38] The film had a decent performance at the box office, earning $225 million worldwide.

Since 2009, Carrey's work has included a leading role in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's I Love You Phillip Morris, premiering in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wide release in February 2010. Carrey portrayed Steven Jay Russell, a con artist, imposter and multiple prison escapee who falls in love with his fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (played by Ewan McGregor). The film received largely positive reviews with Damon Wise of The Times giving the film four stars out of five, stating, "I Love You Phillip Morris" is an extraordinary film that serves as a reminder of just how good Carrey can be when he's not tied into a generic Hollywood crowd-pleaser. His comic timing remains as exquisite as ever."^[39]

For the first time in his career, Carrey portrayed multiple characters in Disney's 3D animated take on the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol (2009), voicing Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film also starred Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Cary Elwes. The film received reasonable reviews and was a financial success. In 2011, Carrey landed the lead role in Mr. Popper's Penguins, playing Thomas "Tom" Popper Jr. a realtor who becomes the caretaker of a family of penguins. The film received a mixed reception upon release.^[40] He is set to star alongside former co-star Steve Carell in the Don Scardino-directed comedy film Burt Wonderstone (2013). Carrey will play Steve Gray, a dangerous street magician who overshadows Burt Wonderstone (played by Carell), a formerly successful magician whos partnership with another magician ends; Gray must convince Burts old partner to return to the act. Carrey entered negotiations for the role in October 2011. Principal photography began on January 10, 2012 and concluded on March 13. The film is currently in post-production.

On April 1, 2012 it was confirmed that Carrey, along with Jeff Daniels, would return for Dumb and Dumber 2. Bobby and Peter Farrelly are scheduled to direct and write the script, with the movie going into production in September 2012.^[41]

As of April 2012, Carrey's films have grossed over $4.6 billion worldwide, unadjusted for inflation.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Carrey with his family at the Horton Hears a Who! premiere in 2008.

Carrey has been married twice. His first marriage was to former actress and Comedy Store waitress Melissa Womer, whom he married on March 28, 1987. The two divorced in 1995. A year later Carrey married his Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly, on September 23, 1996; the marriage lasted less than a year.^[43] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Carrey was involved in a series of relationships, including Laurie Holden, January Jones, and Anine Bing. In addition, Carrey had a much-publicized yet short-lived romance with his Me, Myself and Irene co-star Renée Zellweger, whom he dated, and at one point engaged, from 1999 to 2000.^[44]

Carrey met model and actress Jenny McCarthy in 2005 and made their relationship public in June 2006. In April 2010, the two ended their near five-year relationship.^[45] Despite the split and media circulations, McCarthy stated in October 2010 that, "Jim and I are still good friends".^[46]

Family[link]

Carrey has one child, a daughter named Jane Erin Carrey (born September 6, 1987 in Los Angeles County) from his first marriage.^[47] Carrey announced via his Twitter account on February 27, 2010, in Los Angeles^[48] that his daughter had given birth to her first child with musician husband Alex Santana. He announced that his grandson's name was Jackson Riley Santana.