Comedian, actor, and author Tim Allen has come a long way from his early days of stand-up comedy. He is loved by millions as a TV and movie star, as well as the author of best-selling books.
His star began to rise with the highly successful “Home Improvement,” one of the most popular TV shows throughout the 1990s. His movie hits have included “The Santa Clause” trilogy and his voiceover role as Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story.”
He has been known for his conservative views in widely liberal Hollywood, and fans were stunned when ABC canceled his “Last Man Standing” sitcom, which was loosely based on his life as a Republican dad of daughters.
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Here are five things you didn't know about Tim Allen:
1. He changed his name — He was born Timothy Alan Dick in 1953. After his first stand-up comedy appearance in 1979 at Detroit’s Comedy Castle, he was invited on a local talk show. The producers asked him to consider changing his name from Tim Dick because people would think he made it up to be funny. So, Tim Allen was born.
2. His faith is strong — Allen hit a few bumps in the road following his father’s death when he was 11, according to Fox News. He spent two years in jail on drug trafficking charges in the 1970s, but turned his life around after becoming a comedian. He now focuses on God’s plans for him. “I always ask, whoever put me here — the builder — ‘what did you want me to do?’” he said in a 2011 ABC interview.
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3. He was a close friend of Apple creator Steve Jobs — “It was a friendship based on mutual interests in technology, in life, and religion,” Allen told Ellen DeGeneres in 2011. They’d often communicate through texting, emails, and over the phone.
4. Allen turned down TV roles before “Home Improvement” — Disney executives offered him starring roles in TV versions of “Turner and Hooch” and “Dead Poets Society,” Mental Floss noted. He wasn’t interested, but, fortunately, Disney decided on a sitcom based on his stand-up character, and “Home Improvement” was launched in 1991.
5. Hillary Clinton almost appeared on his show — In 1995, the then-first lady’s press secretary asked the chief of staff at “Home Improvement” to consider having Hillary appear on the “most popular television show on the air,” Politico reported. The idea never developed into a guest spot.
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