1995 The Entertainers

Sometimes, riddling well is the best revenge. ''Val Kilmer took three parts from me when I was a nobody trying out for movies,'' recalls Jim Carrey. ''But I never resented him. I admired him.''

It's easy for Carrey to claim no hard feelings, since his manic portrayal of the Riddler upstaged Kilmer's low-key debut as the Dark Knight in Batman Forever, this year's biggest box office hit. His green meanie also blew fellow supervillain Two-Face, played by veteran scenery chewer Tommy Lee Jones, right off the screen. In his skintight bodysuit and fire-engine-red brush cut, Carrey seemed so well suited for the part, it's tough to imagine anyone else playing it—even Frank Gorshin from the '60s TV series seems a foggy footnote now. But Warner Bros. originally considered another actor for the role. ''I thought it would be Robin Williams or someone else in the establishment,'' Carrey admits. ''But when I got the call in Cannes that they wanted me to be the Riddler, I just couldn't believe it.''

Believe it. Batman Forever became Carrey's third straight $100 million-plus smash, after The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. Striking while the iron was ssssmokin', Carrey quickly turned out Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, a follow-up to his 1994 breakthrough vehicle, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. With a $40 million opening, it set a record for a non-holiday November weekend and has grossed — and we do mean grossed — in excess of $100 million.

Besides launching another spate of catchphrases (''Spank you very much,'' ''Re-e-e-e-e-eally''), Nature proved superstardom hasn't tamed Carrey's wild side. Unlike Eddie Murphy, he'll do anything for a yuk—let a loogey dribble down his chin, do a Tarzan yell with his butt, you name it. ''There are different levels of need in this world,'' he says. ''And my need for attention is great.''

Carrey's offscreen antics have also attracted attention. He replaced Nature's first director, Tom DeCerchio, with screenwriter (and old pal) Steve Oedekerk. He went through a messy divorce while dating his Dumber costar Lauren Holly. And he signed for two new comedies, Cable Guy (as a psychotic cable-TV installer) and Liar, Liar (as a compulsive fibber who tries to reform), at a reported $20 million a pop. Then he'll take on a heavier role as an insurance man in The Truman Show. (Think Carrey can't do drama? Check out his acclaimed turn as an alcoholic in the 1992 TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive.)

Some critics may decry him as the poster boy for the dumbing of America, but there's no denying Carrey's wacky physical shtick appeals to our unruly inner child. What's the secret of his success? ''I just work hard,'' he says. ''There's something about me that people like.'' Re-e-e-e-e-eally.

-- Bruce Fretts, with reporting by Dana Kennedy