There is no doubt that Jim Carrey has made his mark. Whether you like him or not, you have to acknowledge that he has created some very memorable characters. His trademark faces, crazy sounds and flamboyant behavior have made him an easily recognized celebrity.

Carrey's comedic inclinations surfaced early. He started developing his "faces" while a grade-school student in his native Ontario, according to Mr. Showbiz. In junior high, he would practice stand-up on his friends and teachers.

Still, Carrey's teen years weren't all laughs. His musician father also worked as an accountant to pay the bills. When Carrey was in high school, his father was laid off after 30 years with the same company, forcing Carrey and his three siblings to quit school. "At one point, the family was living out of a VW van," he told a Cox News interviewer.

But Carrey never gave up. He continued practicing stand-up routines and started performing at local comedy clubs. His hard worked paid off when he landed his own TV show, "The Duck Factory," in 1984. Though not his big break, it was a start.

In 1990, Carrey joined the cast of "In Living Color," where he soon became known for his exaggerated faces and obscene noises.

Four years later, he took center stage as the star of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." After the film's commercial success, the offers poured in: "The Mask," "Dumb & Dumber," "Batman Forever" and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls."

But Carrey wanted more. He didn't want to only be known for his comedic abilities. He wanted to take a risk.

"If I had never ventured beyond being a stand-up comic," he told an Orange County Register reporter, "then I would be sitting in my house today working on my Leonardo DiCaprio impression. I can't stay in one place for very long. This is new territory for me. This is a new land. I am an explorer and I need to discover new lands.

"Sometimes, you have to dive into the abyss to get to another place. I have never been afraid to dive into the abyss."

Carrey made a leap to the serious side of film with "The Truman Show," a movie which appears to have won over even those who previously didn't subscribe to the actor's brand of humor.

Director Peter Weir explained to E! Online why he thought Carrey was the perfect fit for Truman Burbank: