Thrive: 30 Inspirational Rags-to-Riches Stories

Jim Carrey

James "Jim" Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. The youngest of four children, Jim's father was an accountant and his mother was a homemaker. From an early age, Jim expressed an interest in comedy. By junior high school, he was labeled a class clown and arranged time at the end of each school day to perform in front of his classmates. At age fourteen, Jim attempted stand-up at a local comedy club called Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Canada, but was booed offstage.

Things took a turn for the worse when his father lost his accounting job, and his family was forced out of their home and moved into a farmhouse on factory grounds. His father found work as a security guard, and Jim and his siblings cleaned the plant at night. When his mother became ill and bedridden, Jim stayed home from school to care for her. His comedy grew tremendously, as Jim often performed to make his mother laugh. His family eventually abandoned the plant and was forced to live in a Volkswagen bus.

At age seventeen, Jim bravely returned to stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuk's. This time, he was determined to overcome the hecklers, and he did. He quickly made a name for himself in the local Toronto comedy circuit, and in a giant leap of faith, Jim moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his dream of becoming a successful comedian. Shortly after arriving, he wrote himself a check for ten million dollars, for "Acting Services Rendered," later dating it Thanksgiving 1995, giving himself ten years to make it happen. He kept it in his wallet, determined he would be able to cash it one day.

For many months, Jim performed for no pay and no preparation at The Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard. He worked tirelessly on improving his impersonations routine. The hard work paid off when Rodney Dangerfield caught his show one night and signed him as an opener for an entire season of tour performances. Hollywood began to take notice of him, as Jim appeared on An Evening at the Improv and The Tonight Show. However, Jim grew wary of being boxed into a lounge act lifestyle, so he shifted his focus on achieving a successful career in television and movies. He auditioned to become a cast member on the American live television comedy show Saturday Night Live, but didn't make the cut.

Every night, Jim drove up a hill overlooking Los Angeles and visualized himself as a successful comedian. He visualized himself landing big acting roles and receiving compliments on his work from actors and comedians he respected. Not only did this practice make him feel better, but it also assured him that everything he wanted was going to be in his life. After landing several minor acting roles in movies, and after a brief return to stand-up comedy, where he retired his impersonations routine, Jim landed a role playing the alien Wiploc in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). On set, he worked alongside fellow comedian and actor Damon Wayans, who was impressed with Jim's work. Wayans called his brothers to insist that Jim audition for their sketch comedy show, In Living Color (1990-1994). After a successful audition, Jim became a hit on the show, performing as a regular for four seasons, and successfully transformed his image from stand-up comedian to television genius.

Following his success on television, Jim started to receive leading roles in movie projects. He participated in rewriting the screenplay for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), which he also starred in and which became a smash hit at the box office, grossing $107 million worldwide. He followed with starring roles in The Mask (1994) and Dumb & Dumber (1995), earning enough money to be able to cash that $10 million check in time for Thanksgiving 1995. At his father's funeral in 1994, Jim placed the check into his father's casket, signifying the fulfillment of both of their dreams. He became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, as well as the first actor in the history of cinema to receive $20 million for a movie, which Jim was paid for his role in The Cable Guy (1996).