Jim Carrey has paid an emotional tribute to The Mask director Chuck Russell after the filmmaker died aged 74, describing him as the creative force behind one of his career highlights17:10, 25 Jul 2026Jim Carrey has shared an emotional tribute following the death of The Mask director Chuck Russell, describing the filmmaker as one of the key people behind one of the highlights of his career.‌Russell, who also directed A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob, Eraser and The Scorpion King, died at his home in San Diego, California, earlier this week at the age of 74.‌In a statement to TMZ, Carrey reflected on working with Russell on the 1994 comedy, praising the atmosphere he created on set and thanked him for a 'jewel' of a film in his career.‌"I consider it a privilege to have worked with Chuck Russell, who, during the shooting of The Mask, created an ebullient, childlike atmosphere of wonder and camaraderie on his set," he said."The entire cast and crew were touched and inspired by his playfulness. Every one of us has been many years blessed by that buoyant and timeless moment. I consider The Mask one of the jewels of my creative life. Thank you, Chuck."‌The Mask was a huge hit for Jim Carrey which was released the same year as Carrey's other career milestones including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb and Dumber. The comedy starred Carrey as a shy bank teller who discovered a mask that possesses him with the spirit of Norse God Loki which gives him superhero-like abilities.TMZ was first to report Russell's death, saying firefighters responded to his home after receiving reports of an unconscious man suffering a medical emergency.The director's death was later confirmed to Variety by his attorney. No cause of death has been announced. Chuck, who had Logan, Riley, and Carlyn with his ex-wife Patti Rao, had been married to actress Ania Zeyne since 2007, and it's thought that the family are now travelling to his home.‌Chuck found International acclaim in 1994 when he helmed The Mask, and the superhero slapstick film starring Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz which became a box office smash. What followed was action films Erasure, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and The Scorpion King, the 2002 move that gave Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson his first leading role.In more recent years, Chuck was behind Paradise City, which starred Bruce Willis and John Travolta, and his film film was supernatural horror Witchboard, which was released in 2024 and served as a remake of the 1980s classic.In one of his final interviews, which was released just over a month ago, Chuck reflected on just how much had changed in the industry during his lengthy career.‌He told The Hollywood Reporter : "Well, obviously culturally everybody's a lot more sensitive. So, some some things that I boldly enjoyed doing, you'd be more cautious about, I suppose, these days."I personally am like aware of it. I was raised by strong women and I like those in my films. I think the 90s had a gutsiness about it was ingrained because of the amount of live action work we were doing and a little less cynical storytelling. These films are edgy by nature but we're allowed to give the audience a good time, and potentially, at least a half-happy ending.Article continues below"I think people know that they're to be entertained with less political messages than the subsequent films. Nothing against those kind of films, there's some wonderful thought-provoking ones."Russell's most recent directing credit was the 2024 horror film Witchboard, centred on a cursed game that unleashes a sinister force.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .