There's an incredible legend about Jim Carrey's early years. And it's not an unproven legend. It's 100% true. Jim has confirmed the story in several interviews over the years. One night back in 1985, an extremely broke and depressed Jim Carrey drove his beat-up Toyota Camry into the Hollywood Hills and pulled over at a lookout where he could see the whole city. He had been living in LA for a few years, struggling as a comic with not much to show for his efforts. While looking over all of Hollywood, Jim made a pledge to himself: HE WAS GOING TO MAKE IT. He wasn't going back to Canada, where his family had been homeless or living out of a van at times, no matter what. And actually, Jim didn't just pledge to "make it." He pledged to become a huge star with an equally huge bank account. To cement his commitment, Jim took out his checkbook and wrote himself a check for $10 million, post-dated to 10 years later. In the notes area of the check, he wrote "for acting services rendered by Thanksgiving, 1995." For the next decade, Jim kept that check in his wallet.
Jim would eventually fulfill his pledge to become a huge star with an equally huge bank account. But it didn't happen right away. Jim had another five full years of struggle before finally getting a break with a spot on a new sketch series called "In Living Color." He remained with the show for its full five seasons, appearing in 124 of its 127 episodes before it ended in 1994.
In February of 1994, a little movie called "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" was released. Jim earned $350,000 for his work in the film. Ace Ventura earned a surprising $100+ million at the box office on a $15 million budget. Better yet, that same year, Jim's movie "The Mask" – for which he earned $500,000 – made $350 million. The combined success sent Jim's career into the stratosphere. Studios quickly sent him $15 million to commit to appearing in an "Ace Ventura" sequel and $7 million to star in a movie called "Dumb & Dumber."
All the while that $10 million check remained in Jim's wallet. That check did not leave his wallet until September 1994, when, at his beloved father's funeral, he slipped it into the casket. At that point, had it been deposited in a bank, it would have cleared.
The mid-to-late 1990s Hollywood BELONGED to Jim Carrey. With 1996's "The Cable Guy," Jim became the first actor to break the $20 million salary mark. FYI, earning $20 million in the mid-1990s is the same as earning around $34 million per movie today. He proceeded to earn $20 million for each of the following films:
- Batman Forever
- Liar Liar
- Me, Myself & Irene
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Yes Man
Between 1994 and 2008 alone, Jim earned over $200 million in box office salaries and profit participation. Today, Jim Carrey's net worth is $160 million.
But let's jump back to 1994. To reward his success, the once-homeless actor paid $3.8 million for a mansion in LA's Brentwood neighborhood. That's the same as spending around $6.6 million in today's dollars. Jim probably didn't even have furniture yet in June 1994 when O.J. Simpson's infamous chase ended six minutes away at 360 North Rockingham.
In 2000, Jim doubled his acreage when he paid $1.7 million for the property next door. He proceeded to carve out what today is described as a "one-of-a-kind magical sanctuary" surrounded by 300 feet of extremely tall, privacy-preserving hedges and fencing.
The two-acre property features a mansion with 13,000 square feet of living space, a resort-style pool, massive lawn, movie theater, bar, tennis court, gazebo with waterfall, pool house, outdoor yoga and meditation platform… and much more.
After just under 30 years of owning the estate, Jim has listed it for just under $30 million. To be specific, the asking price is $28.9 million. Here's a video tour:
