Is It Fair? America’s Funniest Actor of 30 Years Has Never Won an Oscar!

From Ace Ventura to The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Liar Liar, and Me, Myself & Irene, the brilliant Jim Carrey has made millions around the globe laugh with his certified cult classic films. His comedies, often unbridled and delightfully in poor taste, allowed him to showcase his creativity and flexibility. However, these roles unsurprisingly did not open the door to the Oscars for him…

Yet, it seems quite unfair that Jim Carrey has never received even a nod from the Academy, which has neither awarded nor even nominated him. The American actor has given some incredible dramatic performances throughout his career, for which he surely deserved recognition at Hollywood’s biggest event.

In 1998, Jim Carrey was phenomenal in Peter Weir’s The Truman Show—a plot too good to spoil for those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching this classic. For his role, the American won a Golden Globe but was overlooked by the Oscars, which nominated Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful), Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan), Edward Norton (American History X), Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters), and Nick Nolte (Affliction) for Best Actor. Without offending the last two nominees, wasn’t Jim Carrey’s performance enough to take their spot?

In 2000, Jim Carrey wowed audiences with his portrayal of American comedian Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon. Again, he took home a Golden Globe, but received no Oscar nomination, with the Academy selecting Kevin Spacey (American Beauty), Russell Crowe (The Insider), Richard Farnsworth (The Straight Story), Sean Penn (Sweet and Lowdown), and Denzel Washington (The Hurricane) instead. Here, just as in the previous year, Carrey’s omission is puzzling.

Is Jim Carrey Too Funny for the Oscars?

Years later, Jim Carrey moved audiences in Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Although nominated at the Golden Globes, he was still ignored by the Academy. Surely there was a “spot” for the American in a crowded field including Jamie Foxx (Ray), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), and Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby)?

Ultimately, it’s an anomaly: with three significant dramatic roles, Jim Carrey has never won an Oscar nor even been nominated, despite clearly deserving a place in the major category of Best Actor each time. Does he pay the price for a career largely devoted to outright comedy? It’s a question worth asking…

It’s worth noting that in 2010, Jim Carrey was honored with a retrospective at the French Cinematheque in Paris, where he was described as “the greatest current slapstick actor.”

The trailer for “The Truman Show”: