Tim Allen Biography

Tim Allen was born Timothy Alan Dick in 1953 in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a working class household and tragically lost his father to a car accident when he was only eleven. His mother re-married, prompting a family move to Michigan, and so Tim grew up in Michigan and attended Western Michigan University, graduating in 1976.

While attending Western Michigan University, Tim worked at the school’s radio station. He began frequenting local comedy clubs and taking advantage of open-mic opportunities around town in his senior year of college, and within a chart period of time he began appearing also on local television. His success on stage and his love of entertainment prompted Tim to move to Los Angeles, where he changed his stage name to Tim Allen and continued performing stand-up and appearing on talk shows.

Eventually, Tim’s stand-up routine caught the eye of the producers at ABC, and he was offered his pinnacle role on the television show Home Improvement. The show was a smash hit, running for an entire decade in the 1990’s and becoming an iconic representation of middle class family life during the era. Tim Taylor and his family entered the homes of millions of families every week, and lines from Tim’s schtick as the “tool man” became part of every American family’s vernacular. The show launched the careers of nearly all its key players, and is even credited as being Pamela Anderson’s first legitimate acting gig.

During his tenure with Home Improvement, Tim Allen also starred in some of the 1990’s most successful films, including: The Santa Clause (1994), Toy Story (1995), Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Soul Man (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Galaxy Quest (1999.) After Home Improvement finished its run in 1999, Allen continued appearing in: Joe Somebody (2001), Big Trouble (2002), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), Cars (2006), The Shaggy Dog (2006), The Santa Clause 3 (2006), Wild Hogs (2007), The Six Wives of Henry Lefay (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Hawaiian Vacation (2011.)

For his contributions to television and film, Tim Allen has received a TV Guide Award, a Kids Choice Award, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy for Home Improvement. He received a Disney Legend Award in 1999 for his participation in all three Toy Story movies and all three Santa Clause movies, and recieved his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Despite past struggles with drug addiction and other personal challenges, Tim Allen has endured as one of America’s favorite fathers, favorite character voices, and favorite film stars. He continues with plans for future projects in film and television, and Tim can currently be seen on Last Man Standing, the ABC sitcom in which he plays the role of Mike Baxter. He has also published two best-selling books: Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, and I’m not Really Here.