Allen was born inDenver,Colorado, on June 13, 1953. He is the third oldest of six children of Martha Katherine (née Fox), a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, areal estate agent.[1][2] Allen has two older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. His father died in a car accident in November 1964, colliding with adrunk driver when Allen was 11.[1][3] Two years later, his mother married her high school sweetheart, a business executive,[2] and moved with her six children toBirmingham,Michigan, to be with her new husband and his three children.[4] Allen has said the move meant going from "being in a cool group at one school to being at the bottom [of thesocial hierarchy at another]."[5]
Allen attendedSeaholm High School in Birmingham, where he was in theater and music classes (resulting in his love of classical piano). He then attendedCentral Michigan University before transferring toWestern Michigan University in 1974.[6] At Western Michigan, Allen worked at the student radio stationWIDR. In 1976, he earned aBachelor of Science degree in communications, specializing in radio and television production, with a split minor in philosophy and design.[4]
Career
1975–1990: Standup comedy and film debut
Allen in 1993
Allen started his career as a comedian in 1975.[1] On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night atMark Ridley's Comedy Castle inRoyal Oak, a suburb of Detroit.[7] While in Detroit he began to get recognition appearing in local television commercials and appearing on cable comedy shows such as Gary Thison'sSome Semblance of Sanity. Following his release from prison in 1981, he returned to comedy. He moved to Los Angeles and became a regular performer atThe Comedy Store. He began performing stand-up appearances on late-night talk shows and specials on record and film.[1] In 1998, Western Michigan awarded Allen an honorary fine arts degree and the Distinguished Alumni Award.[6] In a magazine interview, Allen once said, "I can only play a part if I can draw on personal experience, and that well can go dry pretty quickly".[8] His initial film debut was as a baggage handler inTropical Snow (1988).
1991–2010:Home Improvement and franchise roles
Allen rose to fame in acting with thesitcomHome Improvement (1991–1999) produced for ABC by Wind Dancer Productions. Allen played the main characterTim "The Tool-Man" Taylor, the father of three boys.[1] Much of the show was based on his stand-up comedy act. In November 1994, Allen simultaneously starred in the highest-grossing film (Walt Disney Pictures'sThe Santa Clause), toppedThe New York Times bestseller list with his bookDon't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, and appeared in the top-rated television series (Home Improvement) within one week.[1] For his role on the show, Allen won aGolden Globe Award in 1995.Home Improvement ran until 1999, for which he was paid US$1.25 million per episode during the eighth and final season.[9]
Allen began narrating the "Pure Michigan" television and radio commercials for the "Travel Michigan" agency. These commercials can be seen and heard throughout theMidwest and began airing nationally in 2009.[14] In December 2009, he started a preview tour ofCrazy 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 he planned a 2010 comedy tour. Allen also directed the film, marking his film directorial debut.[15]
Allen returned to ABC with the sitcomLast Man Standing (2011–2021). He played the role of Mike Baxter, aconservative father fighting for his manhood in a house filled with women.[19] The character is loosely based on his own life. After six seasons, the show was canceled in May 2017. On May 11, 2018, Fox TV's CEOs and chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden saidFox had officially picked upLast Man Standing for a seventh season.[20][21][22][23] The show ended in May 2021 after nine seasons.[24]
Shortly before the 2017 cancellation ofLast Man Standing, Allen had been announced as part of the cast of theNetflix original comedy filmEl Camino Christmas (2017).[25] In 2018, he had a cameo voice role as Buzz Lightyear inRalph Breaks the Internet. In 2019, he voiced the character inToy Story 4 and appeared as himself inNo Safe Spaces, a documentary film.[26] In 2022, it was announced that Allen would reprise the role of Scott Calvin in aDisney+ mini-series,The Santa Clauses, based onThe Santa Clause franchise.[27]
On June 30, 2022, theHistory Channel seriesMore Power premiered, with co-host Allen reunited withRichard Karn. The show covered the history of tools and included field reports of people who use powerful tools.[28] In February 2023, Allen announced that he would return as the voice of Buzz Lightyear inToy Story 5.[29]
On March 6, 2024, Allen announced on his Facebook page that he would be starring in a third sitcom calledShifting Gears. His character is Matt, a “stubborn, widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop. When Matt’s estranged daughter and her teenage kids move into his house, the real restoration begins.” The series premiered on ABC on January 8, 2025.
Personal life
Marriages and family
Allen (left) with members of the United States Navy, 2010
Allen was raised as anEpiscopalian.[2] He married Laura Deibel on April 7, 1984. Their daughter, Katherine, was born in December 1989. He and Deibellegally separated in 1999 and finalized theirdivorce in 2003.[30] Allen married actress Jane Hajduk on October 7, 2006, in a small private ceremony inGrand Lake, Colorado.[31][32] They had been dating for five years.[31] Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born in March 2009.[33]
Legal issues
Tim Allen's mug shot after his arrest on October 2, 1978
In 1998, Allen was arrested forDUI inBirmingham, Michigan. At the time, his blood alcohol content was 0.15%, nearly double the legal limit in Michigan.[41] He was sentenced to one-year probation and entered a rehabilitation clinic for alcohol abuse as part of his court obligation.[42]
Allen is also involved in philanthropic efforts to help reduce homelessness.[44]
Car interests
Allen is a car enthusiast and competed in endurance racing forSaleen in a co-owned car in the 1990s, including the24 Hours of Daytona.[45][46] He also owns a car collection, which he houses in a former paint shop in Southern California. As of 2022, the collection includes a 1956Ford F-100 custom made byMcLaren, a 1965Shelby Cobra, and a 1966Ferrari 330 GTC.[47] While some sources claim the latter's standalone value to exceed $3,000,000,[48] there is no proof of this, and typical sales of the same model net far less.[improper synthesis?][49]
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