Tim Allen (born
June 13,
1953) is an
American comedian,
actor,
voice-over artist and
entertainer, who became famous for his role in the
sitcom Home Improvement. He is also known for his roles in the
Disney film series of
The Santa Clause and
Toy Story.
[1]Early life
Allen was born
Timothy Allen Dick in
Denver, Colorado, the son of Martha Katherine, a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, a
real estate agent.
[2][3][1] His father died in a
car accident, colliding with a drunk driver, when Allen was eleven.
[4][1] Two years later, his mother married her high school sweetheart, a successful business executive,
[2] and moved with her six children to
Birmingham,
Michigan, a suburb of
Detroit, to be with her new husband and his three children.
[5] Allen attended Ernest W. Seaholm High School in Birmingham, where he was in theater and music classes (resulting in his love of classical
piano), and attended
Western Michigan University in
Kalamazoo. He later received an honorary degree, which was highlighted for the main plot of the fifth season
Home Improvement episode "Doctor in the House".
Allen began his career as a comedian in 1975.
[1] On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night at a comedy club in Detroit. 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. He later moved to Los Angeles and became a member of
The Comedy Store there. He began to do stand-up appearances on late-night talk shows and specials on record and film.
[1] Allen rose to fame in acting with the television series
Home Improvement (1991-1999) on ABC, playing Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor.
[1] During one week in November 1994, he simultaneously starred in the highest grossing film (
The Santa Clause) and appeared in the top rated television series (
Home Improvement),
[1] The following year, he provided the voice of
Buzz Lightyear in the blockbuster
Toy Story.
[1] Simultaneous with his time acting in
Home Improvement, Tim Allen formed a race team with
Steve Saleen and race driver
Bob Bondurant, called the Saleen/Allen "RRR" Speedlab. The team raced
Saleen Mustangs in the
SCCA World Challenge, with Allen and Saleen as the team's drivers. On the last season of
Home Improvement he received a check of $1.25 million for every episode he starred in.
In 2006, 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 will begin airing nationally in 2009.
Awards
Allen was nominated for One Emmy and 5 Golden Globe Awards. He won the Golden Globe for
Best Actor In A Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 1995.
[6]In 1999, Allen was named a
Disney Legend for his work on the
Toy Story and
Santa Clause.
[7] Tim Allen was honored with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame Personal life
Allen was married to Laura Deibel from
April 7,
1984, until their divorce in 2003. They have a daughter, Katherine, born in 1989. Deibel once served as chief executive officer of Allen's tool line.[
citation needed] Allen married actress Jane Hajduk October 7 2006 in a small private ceremony in Grand Lake, Colorado. They had dated for five years. Allen was raised as an
Episcopalian.
[ Arrest
On October 2, 1978, before the start of his comedy career, Allen was arrested in the
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport for possession of 1.4 lb (.65 kg) of
cocaine. He subsequently listed the names of drug dealers in exchange for a reduction in his sentence from a possible
life imprisonment to three to seven years. He was paroled on June 12, 1981 after serving 28 months in the
Sandstone,
Minnesota Federal Correctional Institution.
[9] In 1997, Allen was arrested for drunk driving, and was recorded as having a .16 blood-alcohol content. He was sentenced to one year probation.
Television work
Books
References
11.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1544253,00.htmlExternal links
