Top 20 Funniest Jim Carrey Impressions Ever

How do you impersonate an overacting comic? Easy; overact even more and make the impression so over-the-top that it can’t help but be hilarious. That’s what Jim did with his impression of Jerry Seinfeld on the sketch comedy show, “In Living Color.” Jim’s impression came right at the height of Seinfeld’s fame in the early 90s. His ability to capture the essence of Seinfeld while taking it about five steps too far shows his keen understanding of the now-iconic sitcom and its titular star. The scenario of having Jerry and George visit the “projects” is amazing, and although it might prove too daring for sensitive audiences today, it nevertheless holds up all these years later as a very funny impression.

#19: Robert De Niro

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Short but oh-so-sweet, Jim Carrey’s impression of Robert DeNiro’s meatball commercial shows us why we love and revere the wiry canuck! From the eyes, to the mouth, to the way DeNiro tilts his head when he talks, Jim captures it all. And to boot, he even has the Goodfella himself laughing along at the impression the whole time. Good thing… because Robert DeNiro seems like he could get scary if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing, at least based on his movies. Luckily, DeNiro, along with all the esteemed actors present at Meryl Streep’s 2004 AFI Tribute, seem to be having a good time while Jim picks apart their mannerisms and quirks, holding them up for the world to laugh at.

For what it’s worth, we miss the simplicity of the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons from Looney Tunes. Same basic premise every short, yet somehow, it never got old. And one of the funniest moments in any given short was when Wile E. Coyote, whose perseverance was matched only by his misfortune, inevitably hurt himself trying to catch the much faster, more cunning Road Runner. Jim Carrey’s impression of the moment just following a Wile E. Coyote wipeout transports us right back into the beloved cartoons. The accordion-type sound effects from the harmonica are on point, and the body movements are elastic and perfectly cartoonish. Simple, yet satisfying.

#17: James Dean

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You know an impression is effective when it doesn’t require a single spoken word to understand who’s being impersonated. A look is all it takes. And Jim Carrey’s impression of the rebel without a cause boils down to a single look. But what a fine look it is. His over the shoulder, pretty boy bewilderment captures the late film icon in the briefest and most direct way possible. In fact, we wonder if the look inspired Zoolander’s Blue Steel. In any case, Jim has that rare ability to win the audience over with no more than a facial expression, and he’s done it in movies, on the late show circuit, and even in the Actors Studio.

#16: David Caruso

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It’s been mentioned before, but does Jim Carrey just have more facial muscles than the rest of us, or is it that he can control those muscles better than we can? There’s something almost superhuman about Jim’s ability to contort his face in any kind of expression and the skill is put to great use in his impression of actor David Caruso from “CSI: Miami.” Hardly known as a prop comic, Jim uses his shades to hilarious effect as he imitates one of Caruso’s many “button” lines from the show. Like a classic mic drop, David Caruso’s lines made for perfect fade to black moments, and Jim mimics them with uncanny tone and timing.

#15: Ross Perot

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Not even billionaire business moguls are spared from Carrey’s comedic wrath; just ask the late Ross Perot. You may be wondering who that is and what he sounds like, but take it from us, Jim gets the guy about as well as he gets himself. Sure, it took some makeup and fake ears to pull off, but this impression from his “In Living Color” days is about so much more than just a look. The former third-party presidential hopeful from Texas is picked apart from head to toe, or in his case from ears to toe, by a Carrey at the top of his game. The distant glint in his eyes, the Texan drawl, it all comes together here for a great showcase of Carrey’s talent.

#14: Michael Bolton

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Anyone still sleeping on Jim Carrey’s varied talents should probably realize this: Even if this guy was barred from stage comedy, blacklisted from Hollywood, and denied access on TV, he’d still be a wildly successful singer! That’s right, Jim Carrey has the chops to pull off a Michael Bolton that’s basically as good as the real thing. And if the real Michael Bolton could sell over 75 million records, we’re convinced that Jim could do a hundred million. Can someone please get this guy a record deal? We’re not vouching for his song-writing abilities; only his voice, but then again, that same statement also holds true for the man he’s impersonating.

The best impressions come from a place of adoration and respect. That fact is evident in Jim Carrey’s impression of beloved actor Jimmy Stewart. As the bit goes, Stewart had such a calm and positive energy that he could make even the worst news sound quaint and almost tolerable. And the interesting part about this particular impression is that it honestly doesn’t seem like much of a leap for Carrey. Jim also has this calming and upbeat aura about him, even if he is detailing the pitfalls of fame, or deriding the modern world for its lack of spirituality. In some ways, Jim Carrey is like the Jimmy Stewart of today: crazy versatile, instantly recognizable, and able to turn any part into a memorable one.

#12: E.T.

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Not every impression needs to be cerebral and borne of long hours of study and practice, some can be downright fun and gratuitous, like Jim Carrey’s E.T. The loveable alien took the 80s by storm and became a cultural phenomenon, and yes, we’re talking about Carrey... But seriously, Jim’s version of the Spielberg brainchild is sweet, simple, and strangely endearing, kind of like the real E.T. Like we’ve already said, sometimes an impression is about catching one overarching aspect of the character, and what most people remember from E.T. is that loveable shriek early on in the film. And like with every impression, Jim nails it.

Just like with billionaire magnates, not even former presidents get a pass from Jim. We’re not sure how Reagan might have reacted to his being caricatured by Carrey, but we like to think that as a former actor himself, he might have appreciated the work that goes into getting in the mind of another person, especially one as hard to follow and understand as Reagan himself. We’ll leave politics out of this one and remember the impression as yet another showing of how wildly funny Carrey can be with body language and facial expression alone.

William Shatner is a fun person to imitate. His mannerisms are unique to him, his acting style is way over-the-top, and he’s played such iconic television characters that he’s basically known far and wide. He took the role of Captain Kirk to unforeseen heights on “Star Trek,” but even he isn’t above the wrath of Carrey. In this sketch from “In Living Color,” Carrey’s Kirk has to not only navigate space, but also the racial tensions aboard the Starship Enterprise, and it makes for some comedy gold. As with other impressions on this list, this is a clear case of exaggeration over accuracy. But hey, doesn’t that kind of also define the way Shatner goes about his acting?

#9: Matthew McConaughey

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Let’s be honest, somebody had to take those Lincoln commercials down a peg or two. And who better than Jim Carrey? From the sleepy eyes to the slow Texas drawl, Carrey’s McConaughey seems so effortless and natural that if you close your eyes, well you might just fall asleep. Lincoln should probably release a disclaimer warning drivers to never listen to McConaughey’s commercials while actually operating the vehicle, but we’ll let them figure that out. As far as we’re concerned, this impression from Carrey is basically flawless, but we guess Lincoln didn’t want to fork over millions of dollars to have Carrey in the commercials instead.

#8: Kevin Bacon

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As Jim himself acknowledges, this impression is kind of mean, kind of lazy, and totally hilarious. Who knew all you needed was a shirt or a hood to do a spot-on impression of the longtime actor? Leave it to Carrey to dissect what it really takes to be Kevin Bacon, and while we’re on on the subject, let’s also acknowledge the six degrees of separation here: Jim played The Riddler in “Batman Forever” and impersonated Kevin Bacon as Batman on “The Tonight Show.” Eerie, isn’t it?

If this impression doesn’t get the nostalgic juices flowing, then you didn’t do childhood right. Carrey’s impersonations of Kermit and Miss Piggy are so charming, accurate, and full of love that it’s a wonder he wasn’t offered a job with the Muppets. His body somehow even moves in perfect sync with Kermit’s, and his ability to go back and forth between the voices literally makes him a one-man wrecking crew. We’d like to say more, but this impression basically speaks for itself.

#6: Pee-Wee Herman

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Younger audiences may not be familiar with Pee-Wee Herman, but nobody who grew up in the 80s and 90s can deny the perfection with which Jim captures the once-massive TV star. Pee-Wee is no easy imitation; there’s more than one voice going on, and a whole whack of facial expressions and body movements. But leave it to the master to out Pee-Wee Pee-Wee himself. You know it’s an incredible impression when Jim actually comes to look like Pee-Wee Herman, to the point that it would be hard to pick one or the other out of a-- err, let’s not go there.

#5: Jay Leno

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Ah, the high-pitched voice, the twitchy head movements, the oversized chin… There’s so much to Jay Leno that’s ripe for the taking in Jim Carrey’s impression, it’s hard to harp on just one thing. Jim becomes Jay for a surprisingly long time, basically long enough to run through an entire episode of Leno’s late-night show, and every bit of it works. The ribbing of Sinead O’Connor is ultimately a bonus, but the laughs are heavy throughout this one. It’s nice when the mirror is held up to a great humorist like Jay Leno known for picking others apart, and here again, there’s no mirror more accurate than Jim Carrey.

#4: Robin Williams

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There’s likely only one comic on the planet capable of matching the energy and charisma of a young Robin Williams, and that’s Jim Carrey. Almost like they were cut from the same cloth, these two shared many similarities, which shines through in this impression. Jim’s Robin Williams is downright genius, and given how young he was at the time of the impression, it’s truly amazing how he captures the latter’s mood, mind, and mannerisms. There will never be another Robin Williams, but as long as Carrey is around to imitate him, he’ll never fully be gone, much less forgotten.

#3: Jack Nicholson

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Seriously, how do eyebrows even move like that? Yet again, this impression is about so much more than just a voice or an expression. It’s about capturing an essence and no Hollywood actor has a more recognizable essence than Jack Nicholson. From “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to “A Few Good Men,” few living screen legends have more classics under their belt. And with all that time and fodder to choose from, Jim makes no mistake in his impression, and if you don’t know that, then you don’t know Jack. If you need further proof, look no further than the deepfake of Carrey in “The Shining.”

Even back in the early 80s, long before he hit Hollywood gold, Jim was cracking audiences up and making a name for himself not just as a great up-and-coming comic, but also as an uber-talented performer. In his Elvis impersonation, Jim shows off his surprising singing pipes, and suffice it to say that somewhere up there on the moon, Andy Kaufman is smiling down on him. It’s clear even at a young age that Jim was here to stay, and despite the countless Elvis impressions we’ve had to endure over the decades, there’s something particularly endearing about Jim’s portrayal of the King.

What separates Jim Carrey from most other impressionist comedians is the full-body commitment he gives to his characters. And the full breadth of his talent is on display in his spot-on Clint Eastwood impression. From the facial contortion, to the intimidating glint in the eyes, to the uncanny voice and mannerisms, Jim captures the screen legend in a way that few others could. Who better to honor the Man with No Name for his Lifetime Achievement Award than Jim? After all, mimicry is the highest form of flattery, and it’s probably safe to say that Jim Carrey only imitates the ones he loves.