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It's strange how there's sometimes a link between how a person will be raised in turmoil and strife as a child, but then grow up to go above and beyond to spread happiness to others to prevent the sadness they experienced from being felt by others.
Such is the case for Hollywood legend Jim Carrey.
As it turns out, he had a pretty rough time growing up with both of his parents, but more so with his mother for reasons beyond either of their control.
Jim Carrey's Humble And Rough Beginnings
Jim Carrey was born in near Toronto, Canada to Percy Carrey and his stay-at-home wife Kathleen. He and his 3 older siblings, John, Patricia, and Rita, grew up in the suburb of Newmarket, Ontario. His father was a proficient saxophone player, but gave up his life as a musician to pursue a more stable career as an accountant.
During this time, the family lived a modest and relatively happy life. It wasn't until Jim Carrey's dad Percy started falling on hard times that the family began to struggle, not only financially, but mentally and emotionally as well. This would begin a long and distressful road of addiction and despair for Carrey and his siblings.
Jim Carrey's Life Would Get Much Worse Before It Got Better
During Jim Carrey's preteen years, his dad lost his job and had difficulties supporting the family. This was around the time that his mother, Kathleen, would start abusing prescription drugs and fall into a deep depression that was felt by every member of the family.
According to an article posted on Fabiosa.com, Carrey recalls times in his childhood where his mother's words would terrify him. He gave an example stating, "I remember being seven years old and my mother at the dinner table saying things like 'My brain is deteriorating at an incredible rate!' or 'My angina’s acting up; I could go at any time!' Things like that would just shake me to the core. It’s terrifying, but that was her way of getting attention and getting love."
As times grew harder for the family, they were eventually forced to move out of their home and into a Volkswagen van. They even lived in a tent for a time. Eventually, Carrey and his older brother John found work in their early-mid teen years at a nearby tire shop as janitors and occasional security guards.
This proved to be difficult for Carrey, as he was reportedly going to school full time and then heading straight to work for 8 hour nights. It was reported by The Daily Mail UK that he said this period of time took him from being a "straight-A student to not wanting to know anybody's name, and not wanting to make a friend."
Not long after realizing that school wasn't the path for him, he began performing stand-up comedy at the age of 15 at a comedy club in Toronto and by age 19, he was opening shows for acts like Rodney Dangerfield and Buddy Hackett. This took his life into a new direction and the rest, as they say, is history.
He had even auditioned for Saturday Night Life, and although his audition was rejected, he has since become one of Hollywood's most successful and recognizable figures for the past four decades.
Jim Carrey's Life As A Successful Actor
Although he experienced difficult times in his early developmental years, he was able to come out the other side a better and seemingly happier person. These experiences have even inspired him to write a children's book entitled "How Roland Rolls", published in 2013, about a wave in the ocean who has to learn how to "roll" with the punches.
When interviewed about his inspiration for the book by The Hollywood Reporter, he stated, “The idea of expanded consciousness is something I’ve always been interested in, looking for and experiencing in my life... And then, one of the things I’ve always wanted to talk about or deal with is the fact that kids have profound feelings and profound questions that people don’t give them credit for. They think about life and death and ‘What happens when something happens to Mom? What happens when something happens to me?’”
There's very little that Jim Carrey could do wrong at this point in his career, being known as one of Hollywood's favorite funny guys for years.
Even when he's trolling the granddaughter of a former dictator on Twitter, everyone seems to have a soft spot for him in their hearts. It's clear that fans worldwide are thankful for his contribution to comedy and believe that this world would undoubtedly be a worse place without him.