Tim Allen

Timothy Alan Dick[1] (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999) and Mike Baxter on the ABC/Fox sitcom Last Man Standing (2011–present). He voices Buzz Lightyear for the Toy Story franchise and played Scott Calvin and Santa Claus in the Santa Clause film trilogy (1994–2006). Allen's other films include For Richer or Poorer (1997), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Galaxy Quest (1999), Big Trouble (2002), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Wild Hogs (2007), Redbelt (2008), and Crazy on the Outside (2010).

Tim Allen
Allen in 2012
Birth name	Timothy Alan Dick
Born	June 13, 1953 Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film, television, books
Alma mater	Western Michigan University Central Michigan University
Years active	1975–present
Genres	Observational comedy, physical comedy, surreal humour
Subject(s)	Marriage, gender differences, family, everyday life, social awkwardness, politics
Spouse	Laura Deibel ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 2003)​ Jane Hajduk ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	2
Website	timallen.com

Early life

Allen was born in Denver, Colorado, to Martha Katherine (née Fox), a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, a real estate agent.[2][3] He is the third oldest of six children. Allen has two older brothers as well as two younger brothers and a younger sister. His father died in a car accident in November 1964, colliding with a drunk driver when Allen was 11.[2][4] Two years later, his mother married her high school sweetheart, a business executive,[3] and moved with her six children to Birmingham, Michigan, to be with her new husband and his three children.[5] Allen has said the move meant going from "being in a cool group at one school to being at the bottom [of the social hierarchy at another]."[6]

Allen attended Seaholm High School in Birmingham, where he was in theater and music classes (resulting in his love of classical piano). He then attended Central Michigan University before transferring to Western Michigan University in 1974.[7] At Western Michigan, Allen worked at the student radio station WIDR and received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications specializing in radio and television production in 1976 with a split minor in philosophy and design.[5] In 1998, Western Michigan awarded Allen an honorary fine arts degree and the Distinguished Alumni Award.[7]

Career

Allen in 1993

Allen started his career as a comedian in 1975.[2] On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit.[8] While in Detroit he began to get recognition appearing in local television commercials and appearing on cable comedy shows such as Gary Thison's Some Semblance of Sanity.

Allen was arrested in 1978 and imprisoned for drug trafficking. Following his release from prison in 1981, he returned to comedy. He moved to Los Angeles and became a regular performer at The Comedy Store. He began to do stand-up appearances on late-night talk shows and specials on record and film.[2]

Despite his admitted limited acting range (he once told a magazine his range as an actor is "... strictly limited. I can only play a part if I can draw on personal experience, and that well can go dry pretty quickly"),[9] Allen rose to fame in acting with the ABC sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999) produced for ABC by Wind Dancer Productions, a company he co-founded with producer Carmen Finestra. Allen played the main character Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor.[2] In November 1994, he simultaneously starred in the highest-grossing film (Walt Disney Pictures' The Santa Clause), topped the New York Times bestseller list with his book Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, and appeared in the top rated television series (Home Improvement) within the span of one week.[2] Home Improvement ran until 1999, for which he was paid US$1.25 million per episode.

Allen at the 45th Emmy Awards, 1994

In 1995, Allen provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Disney/Pixar blockbuster Toy Story.[2] In 1997, he starred in the family comedy Jungle 2 Jungle from Disney. The next year he returned to voice Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 2 which was a financial and critical hit. That same year, Allen was arrested for DUI in Birmingham, Michigan. At the time, his blood alcohol content was 0.15, nearly double the legal limit in Michigan.[10] He was sentenced to one-year probation and entered a rehabilitation clinic for alcohol abuse as part of his court obligation.[11] In 1999, he starred in the sci-fi parody Galaxy Quest alongside Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Sam Rockwell.

In 2002, he reprised his role as Scott Calvin in The Santa Clause 2. Two years later, he starred as Luther Krank in Christmas with the Kranks. In 2006, Zoom was released, starring Allen as Jack Shepard. The same year, he also starred in The Shaggy Dog and The Santa Clause 3. 2008 marked his first dramatic turn with a supporting role as an aging action film star in David Mamet's Redbelt.

Allen began narrating the "Pure Michigan" television and radio commercials for the "Travel Michigan" agency. These commercials can be seen and heard throughout the Midwest and began airing nationally in 2009.[12]

In December 2009, he started a preview tour of Crazy on the Outside, a film that debuted in January 2010. Allen accompanied the film, helping promote it with a series of stand-up acts beforehand. During the performances, he told audiences that he planned a 2010 comedy tour. Allen also directed the film, marking his film directorial debut.[13]

Allen hosted the 8th Annual TV Land Awards on April 25, 2010.[14] That same year, he became the official voice of the Chevrolet Cruze, narrating commercials for the vehicle, and he became the voice of Campbell Soup's "It's Amazing What Soup Can Do" campaign.[15] Allen returned to ABC with the sitcom Last Man Standing (2011–2017). He played the role of Mike Baxter, a conservative father fighting for his manhood in a house filled with women.[16] The character is loosely based on his own life, as a Republican father of three girls.[17] After six seasons, the show was canceled in May 2017. ABC Entertainment Chief Channing Dungey denied claims of political bias against Allen, explaining that the network simply could not accommodate the program on their schedule.[18] On May 11, 2018, Fox TV's CEOs and chairmen announced that Fox had officially picked up Last Man Standing for a seventh season.[19][20][21][22]

Shortly before the cancellation of Last Man Standing, Allen had been announced as part of the cast of the Netflix original comedy film El Camino Christmas (2017).[23]

Personal life

Allen (left) with members of the United States Navy, 2010

Allen was raised as an Episcopalian.[3] He married Laura Deibel on April 7, 1984. In December 1989, their daughter Katherine was born. He and Laura legally separated in 1999. Their divorce was finalized in 2003.[24] Allen married actress Jane Hajduk on October 7, 2006, in a small private ceremony in Grand Lake, Colorado.[25][26] They had dated for five years.[27] In March 2009, their daughter Elizabeth was born.[28]

On October 2, 1978, Allen was arrested in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport for possession of over 650 grams (1.43 lb) of cocaine.[29] He subsequently pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking charges and provided the names of other dealers in exchange for a sentence of three to seven years rather than a possible life imprisonment.[29] He was paroled on June 12, 1981, after serving two years and four months in Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone in Sandstone, Minnesota.[30][31][32]

Allen is a Republican.[33] He endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.[34] After the storming of the US Capitol he said the incident was "horrible, embarrassing, and shameful" and that the rioters must have had inside help.[6] He said the incident had caused people to be embarrassed to be known as conservative.[6]

Allen is a car enthusiast and competed in endurance racing for Saleen in a co-owned car in the 1990s, including the 24 Hours of Daytona.[35] [36]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1988	Tropical Snow	Baggage Handler
	Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen	Himself
1989	Rodney Dangerfield: Opening Night at Rodney's Place
1990	Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs
1991	Tim Allen Rewires America
1994	The Santa Clause	Scott Calvin / Santa Claus
1995	Toy Story	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
1997	Meet Wally Sparks	Himself	Cameo
	Jungle 2 Jungle	Michael Cromwell
	For Richer or Poorer	Brad Sexton
1999	Toy Story 2	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
	Galaxy Quest	Jason Nesmith
2000	Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role; direct-to-video
2001	Who Is Cletis Tout?	Critical Jim
	Joe Somebody	Joe Scheffer
2002	Big Trouble	Eliot Arnold
	The Santa Clause 2	Santa Claus / Scott Calvin / Toy Santa
2003	Top Speed	Narrator	Voice role
2004	Christmas with the Kranks	Luther Krank
2006	Cars	Buzz Lightyear Car	Voice cameo
	The Shaggy Dog	Dave Douglas
	Zoom	Jack Shepard/Captain Zoom
	The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause	Santa Claus / Scott Calvin
2007	Fired!	Documentary
	Wild Hogs	Doug Madsen
2008	Redbelt	Chet Frank
2009	The Six Wives of Henry Lefay	Henry Lefay
2010	Crazy on the Outside	Tommy Zelda	Also director
	Toy Story 3	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
	I Am Comic	Himself
2011	Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
	Toy Story Toons: Small Fry
2012	Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex
	Chimpanzee	Narrator	Documentary
	The Penguin King		U.S. version
2013	3 Geezers!	Tim
	Adventures of the Penguin King	Narrator
2017	El Camino Christmas	Larry Michael Roth
2018	Ralph Breaks the Internet	Buzz Lightyear	Voice cameo
2019	Toy Story 4		Voice role
	No Safe Spaces	Himself		[37][38][39]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1991–99	Home Improvement	Tim Taylor	Lead role (204 episodes); also executive producer (seasons 6–8)
1996	The Drew Carey Show	Himself	Episode: "The Front" (Uncredited)
1997	Soul Man	Tim Taylor	Episode: "Communion Wine and Convicts"
	The Wonderful World of Disney	Buzz Lightyear	Episode: "Toy Story" (voice role)
1998	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	Episode: "Flip"
	Spin City	Rags (voice)	Episode: "The Kidney's All Right"
2003	These Guys	Narrator	Television film
2004	Jimmy Neutron: Win, Lose and Kaboom	Meldar Prime (voice)	Television film
2011–present	Last Man Standing	Mike Baxter / Tim Taylor	Lead role (173 episodes); also executive producer	[40][41]
2013	Toy Story of Terror!	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
2014	Toy Story That Time Forgot
2015	Cristela	Mike Baxter	Crossover appearance: "Last Goose Standing"
	Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond	Himself	Documentary
2016	88th Academy Awards	Buzz Lightyear	Voice role
2020	Reno 911!	Space Force Commander	Episode: "Space Force"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1994	Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit	Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor
1999	Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue	Buzz Lightyear
2001	Toy Story Racer
2010	Scene It? Disney Magical Moments
	Toy Story 3: The Video Game
2016	Disney Magic Kingdoms

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result	Ref(s)
1992	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Series	Home Improvement	Won	[42]
1993	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated	[43]
1993/94 1996/97	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy		Nominated	[44]
1995				Won	[44]
1993–99	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Male TV Performer		Won
1994–97	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Male TV Actor		Won
1998/99				Nominated
1995	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actor	The Santa Clause	Won	[42]
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance		Nominated
		Best Comedic Performance		Nominated
1996	Kids' Choice Awards	Hall of Fame induction	N/A	Honored	[45]
1997	Golden Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical	Home Improvement	Nominated
1999	TV Guide Awards	Favorite Actor in a Comedy		Won	[46]
2000	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production	Toy Story 2	Won
2009	TV Land Awards	Fan Favorite (given to the cast)	Home Improvement	Won
2011	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie	Toy Story 3	Nominated
2012	TV Guide Awards	Favorite Comeback	Last Man Standing	Won
2017	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedic TV Actor		Nominated	[47]

Other honors

• 1999: Named a Disney Legend for his work on the Toy Story and The Santa Clause franchises[48]
• 2004: Received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry[49]
• 2017: Inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame[50]

Books

• Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man (1994) – ISBN 0-7868-6134-7
• I'm Not Really Here (1996) – ISBN 0-7868-6257-2

References

1. "Tim Allen Marries Longtime Girlfriend Jane Hajduk – Marriage, Tim Allen". People.com. October 9, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
2. Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
3. Rader, Dotson (October 27, 2002). "Facing My Fear of Intimacy". Parade. Archived from the original on November 26, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2007 – via timallen.com.
4. "Tim Allen Biography". Yahoo! Movies.
5. "Tim Allen: Actor: Biography". timAllen.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
6. Hibberd, James (January 12, 2021). "Tim Allen breaks silence on Capitol attack: 'Shameful' and bad for conservatives". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
7. "WMU awards Tim Allen honorary degree". Western Michigan University. June 27, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
8. "Tim Allen | Standup to Sitcom | Pioneers of Television | PBS". Pioneers of Television. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
9. "Tim Allen: 'Home' is where the heart is". Midwest Today Magazine. April–May 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
10. "Tim Allen Enters Rehab Clinic". CBS News. CBS Interactive. April 17, 1998. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
11. Sutton, Larry; Baram, Marcus (April 17, 1998). "Self – 'Improvement': Tim Allen Enters Rehab". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
12. "Tim Allen and Pure Michigan". michigan.org. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
13. "Stand Up and Show It Tour Dates". TimAllen.com.
14. Ward, Kate (March 30, 2010). "Tim Allen to Host TV Land Awards". News Briefs. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
15. Brady, Shirley (September 7, 2010). "Campbell's Soup Shirks Canned Cool for Wholesome Warmth". brandchannel. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
16. "Tim Allen to Join ABC's The Last Days of Man". tvguide.com. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
17. "Tim Allen: 'I'm What They Call Fiscal Conservative' – Washington Free Beacon". Washington Free Beacon.
18. "ABC Is Reiterating Its Claim That 'Last Man Standing' Wasn't Canceled Because Of Tim Allen's Politics". MoviePilot.com. Moviepilot. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
19. Corriston, Michele (May 11, 2018). "Tim Allen's Last Man Standing Is Returning to TV 1 Year After Cancellation". People. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
20. Levin, Gary (May 11, 2018). "Last Man Standing' resurfaces at Fox, a year after ABC canceled it". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
21. Andreeva, Nellie (May 11, 2018). "'Last Man Standing' Resurrected at Fox For Season 7 With Original Cast Led By Tim Allen". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
22. Battaglio, Stephen. "Tim Allen's 'Last Man Standing' returns – this time on Fox's fall schedule". latimes.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
23. Busch, Anita. "'Hidden Figures' Filmmaker Ted Melfi Lines Up Strong Ensemble Cast For 'El Camino Christmas' At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
24. "Actor Tim Allen and wife settle their divorce | Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET". Findarticles.com. March 15, 2003. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
25. "Tim Allen Marries Longtime Girlfriend Jane Hajduk". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
26. Dibdin, Emma (October 13, 2018). "Tim Allen and His Wife Jane Hajduk's Relationship Rivals Even His Best TV Romances". Country Living. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
27. "Tim Allen Marries Longtime Girlfriend Jane Hajduk". People.com. October 9, 2006.
28. Lapowsky, Issie (March 30, 2009). "It's a girl for Tim Allen, wife Jane Hajduk". Daily News. New York. NYDailyNews.com.
29. "Celebrity arrests they wish they could forget". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
30. Pratt, Monica (March 3, 1997). "650-Lifer Punishment Is a Crime". Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
31. Connelly, Chris (April 1997). "Broken Home". Ladies' Home Journal. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010 – via timallen.com.
32. King, Gary C. "Tim Allen: From Convicted Drug Dealer to Hollywood Star". Investigation Discovery. Discovery. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
33. Paulette Cohn. "'Last Man Standing' star Tim Allen: 'We're going to drill Hillary'". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
34. France-Presse, Agence. "ABC denies axing Tim Allen's Last Man Standing over Donald Trump support". Telegraph. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
35. Huffman, John Pearley (January 31, 2018). "What I'd Do Differently: Tim Allen". Car and Driver. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
36. "Tim Allen and others to drive at Daytona". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
37. Schultz, Marisa (January 29, 2018). "Tim Allen joins docudrama taking down PC culture".
38. "Review: Free speech doc 'No Safe Spaces' clearly sides with one set of voices". Los Angeles Times. November 15, 2019.
39. "No Safe Spaces Roundtable "Can't Say It Anymore"" – via www.youtube.com.
40. Petski, Denise (December 4, 2020). "'Last Man Standing': Tim Taylor Meets Mike Baxter In 'Home Improvement' Crossover". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
41. Hibberd, James (December 4, 2020). "Tim Allen revives Home Improvement character for a Last Man Standing crossover episode". EW.com. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
42. "People's Choice Awards". E! Online.
43. "Tim Allen". Television Academy.
44. "Golden Globes". GoldenGlobes.org. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008.
45. "Kids' Choice Awards, USA: 1996".
46. TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7624-3007-9.
47. "People's Choice Awards 2017: Nominees and Winners List – Us Weekly". Deadline. January 18, 2017.
48. "Disney Legends". Walt Disney Company.
49. "Hollywood Walk of Fame – Tim Allen". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
50. "Diecast Hall of Fame 2017 Inductees Announcement". Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Tim Allen at IMDb
• Tim Allen at the TCM Movie Database
• Tim Allen at AllMovie