Jim Carrey: The Joker is Wild: The Trials and Triumphs of Jim Carrey
by Martin Knelman
from Firefly Books
This is the absorbing, touching story of a lonely boy from a troubled family who found the secret of making people laugh - and dreamed of becoming a comedy star.
When Jim Carrey's father (himself a frustrated performer) lost his job, the whole homeless family was enlisted to work as night cleaners at a factory in exchange for lodging in a strange suburb. Scrubbing washrooms by night turned Jim Carrey into a desperate and angry school dropout, and made Jim determined to succeed in a new life.
Jim developed a series of celebrity impressions that led to his comedy club breakthrough when he was 19. But his drive for the big time took him to Los Angeles, where he scuffled in comedy clubs and then landed a role in the hip TV series "In Living Color." That paved the way for a phenomenal movie breakthrough with the surprise hit "Ace Ventura", "Pet Detective." More hits followed: "Mask," "Dumb and Dumber" and "Liar, Liar."
Now, after his dramatic performance in "The Truman Show," Jim Carrey's career is taking an intriguing new direction. His role as the late comedian Andy Kaufman in the forthcoming "Man In The Moon" is already being described as Oscar material this March. Hilarious and poignant, Jim Carrey: The Joker Is Wild tells for the first time the full, astounding inside story of Jim Carrey's bumpy rise to stardom.
Jim Carrey: Fun and Funnier
Kidding Around with the King of Comedy
Jim Carrey is used to being laughed at. In fact, he thrives on entertaining others. As a precocious young boy, he practiced pulling faces in the bathroom mirror -- a talent that would later prove to be instrumental in his success -- and performed self-created skits for his family.
Unfortunately, his life wasn't one smooth cruise to the top. The Canadian-born funnyman's rags-to-riches tale is the stuff dreams are made of.
Since his early smash hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the blockbuster movie roles just keep on coming. But Carrey isn't content simply to play it safe and stick with the slapstick comedy roles he knows and performs so confidently. In fact, with releases such as The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, Carrey has challenged himself creatively and shown audiences that he is capable of demonstrating sensitivity and immense dramatic range. With his latest hit move, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this shooting star's future just keeps getting brighter!
Jim Carrey is used to being laughed at. In fact, he thrives on entertaining others. As a precocious young boy, he practiced pulling faces in the bathroom mirror -- a talent that would later prove to be instrumental in his success -- and performed self-created skits for his family. Unfortunately, his life wasn't one smooth cruise to the top. The Canadian-born funnyman's rags-to-riches tale is the stuff dreams are made of. Since his early smash hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the blockbuster movie roles just keep on coming. But Carrey isn't content simply to play it safe and stick with the slapstick comedy roles he knows and performs so confidently. In fact, with releases such as The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, Carrey has challenged himself creatively and shown audiences that he is capable of demonstrating sensitivity and immense dramatic range. With his latest hit move, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this shooting star's future just keeps getting brighter!
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