Tim Allen

Tim Allen married Laura Deibel in 1984, and they had a daughter, Katherine, in 1989. The couple legally separated in 1999 and finalized their divorce in 2003.

He married actress Jane Hajduk in 2006 in a private ceremony in Grand Lake, Colorado. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 2009.

Born Timothy Alan Dick, Allen grew up with his family in Birmingham, Michigan, after moving there from Denver. His father, Gerald M. Dick, was killed in a car collision involving a drunk driver when Allen was 11. Allen later attended Western Michigan University, where he earned a degree in communications with a focus on radio and television production.

Allen began performing stand-up comedy in 1975 after taking part in a comedy night at Detroit's Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle on a friend's dare. His early comedy included the specials Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen and Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs, which helped establish his observational style and his exaggerated masculine persona.

In 1978, Allen was arrested for cocaine possession and later pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking charges. He served 28 months at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota, and was paroled in 1981. He later entered a rehabilitation clinic after a 1997 driving-under-the-influence arrest.

Allen became widely known as Tim Taylor, the family man and host of the fictional home-improvement program Tool Time, on ABC's Home Improvement. The sitcom ran from 1991 to 1999, and much of its humor was adapted from Allen's stand-up material. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1995, while the show also brought him several People's Choice Awards.

In 2011, Allen returned to series television as Mike Baxter on Last Man Standing. He played a conservative father and outdoor sporting-goods marketing director in the sitcom, which began on ABC, moved to Fox after its cancellation, and ended in 2021. Allen also served as an executive producer on the series and played Tim Taylor again in a crossover with Home Improvement.

Allen's film career expanded with The Santa Clause in 1994, in which he played Scott Calvin, a man who becomes Santa Claus. He reprised the role in The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses.

In Toy Story (1995), Allen began voicing Buzz Lightyear opposite Tom Hanks as Woody. He returned for Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, and the 2026 film Toy Story 5, as well as related television specials and video games. His performance in Toy Story 2 won an Annie Award for voice acting.

Other notable film roles include Jason Nesmith in Galaxy Quest, Doug Madsen in Wild Hogs, and supporting roles in Redbelt and El Camino Christmas. He made his feature-film directorial debut with Crazy on the Outside in 2010.

Allen co-hosted the History Channel series More Power with Richard Karn, reuniting the pair after their work on Home Improvement. He also hosted and executive produced Assembly Required, a program centered on tools and makers. In 2025, he began starring as Matt Parker in the ABC sitcom Shifting Gears.

Allen was named a Disney Legend in 1999 for his work on Toy Story, The Santa Clause, and Home Improvement. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004 and honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from Western Michigan University and Hillsdale College.

A car enthusiast, Allen competed in endurance racing for Saleen in the 1990s, including the 24 Hours of Daytona. He has also designed custom cars and developed a signature line of power tools manufactured by Ryobi.