Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award at France’s Cesar Awards, recognising a career that has spanned broad comedy, psychological drama and global box-office success.
The 64-year-old actor accepted the honorary Cesar at the 51st edition of France’s most prestigious film ceremony on Thursday, delivering part of his acceptance speech in French. Addressing the audience with humour, Carrey joked about his command of the language and referred to distant French ancestry dating back several centuries.
Carrey rose to international fame in the 1990s with a string of high-energy performances in films that became cult favourites, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. His expressive style and physical comedy drew comparisons with earlier American comic icons, helping establish him as one of Hollywood’s most distinctive performers of the decade.
The Cesar ceremony opened with a tribute sketch by host Benjamin Lavernhe, referencing Carrey’s performance in The Mask, one of his most commercially successful roles.
While widely associated with comedy, Carrey later expanded into more dramatic territory. His portrayal of a man unknowingly living inside a constructed reality in The Truman Show (1998) earned him a Golden Globe Award and critical acclaim. He went on to receive further praise for his role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), a film exploring memory and heartbreak, in which he starred opposite Kate Winslet.
In subsequent years, Carrey continued to appear in major productions, including the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, before stepping back from acting in the early 2020s.
The Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, celebrate achievements in French and international cinema. At this year’s ceremony, American director Richard Linklater won the award for best director for his 2025 film Nouvelle Vague, a black-and-white feature examining the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s landmark New Wave film Breathless.
Carrey’s recognition at the ceremony highlights his enduring influence on contemporary cinema, with organisers praising the versatility and longevity of his career across multiple genres.
