"Take care now. Bye bye, then"
―Ace Ventura to Vincent Cadby as Vincent shows him a room of stuffed animal heads.
Development
Bernstein had wanted to do a comedic version of Sherlock Holmes, and when watching the Stupid Pet Tricks segment on Late Night With David Letterman, got the idea for a pet detective.
Personality
Ace Ventura is an eccentric , possibly insane, self styled 'pet detective' who gave up regular police work so he could focus more on crimes against animals. Like all the great fictional sleuths, he is also an insufferable narcissist with incredible powers of observation. Ventura's many personality quirks include his persistent, almost pathological, vulgarity and exceedingly flamboyant, extrovert behaviour. Despite his frequently psychotic personality, he is an intelligent, dedicated gumshoe driven by an insatiable love of animals and a desire to protect them from the sinister machinations of man.
Regarding appearance, he usually wears an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt over a plain white wife beater, with red and black striped trousers. Many of Ace's mannerisms (such as his laugh) are drawn from the character Fire Marshall Bill , played by Jim Carrey during his time on In Living Color. He lives in an apartment alongside many different animals, all of whom he hides from his pet-hating landlord Mr. Schickadance.
Upcoming Ace Ventura movie
A third installment, featuring the son of the original Ace, is scheduled for a March 3rd, 2009 release. Jim Carrey, however, is not involved in this entry. Ace's father is also introduced in this film.
Reception
Ace was ranked the 60th Greatest Movie Character in a November, 2008 list by Empire Magazine.