June 13th, 2007 - Happy Birthday Tim Allen!

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Tim Allen (born Timothy Allen Dick on June 13, 1953) is a Golden Globe-winning American comedian, character actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer perhaps best known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement and his roles in Disney films, such as The Santa Clause and Toy Story.

He's 54!

Allen, one of six children, was born in Denver to Martha Katherine, a community-service worker, and Gerald M. Dick, a real estate agent. His father died in a car accident, colliding with a drunk driver, when Allen was eleven. Two years later, his mother re-married William Bones, a business executive and an Episcopalian deacon. Allen was raised in the Episcopalian religion. His family moved to Detroit when he was thirteen. Allen attended Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan, and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He later received an honorary degree, which was highlighted for the main plot of a Home Improvement episode.

Allen began his career as a stand-up comedian. On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in an open-mic night at a nightclub in Detroit. He soon became a regular act at the city's Comedy Store. 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.

He rose to fame in acting with the television series Home Improvement (1991-1999) on ABC in which he played Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. At one point in late 1994, he starred in the most watched television show, Home Improvement, the highest grossing film, The Santa Clause, and had the best selling book in North America, Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man, simultaneously. The following year he provided the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the blockbuster Toy Story. His Home Improvement fame spawned Tim Allen Signature Tools, a line of power tools distributed by Ryobi.

Allen's material consists mainly of discussions on masculinity, male-female relationships, raising children, hardware and tools, themes which make him accessible to a wide audience. He writes in his first book that although he is enthusiastic about hardware, he is far from expert. This became the basis for his sitcom. Near the end of the show, Allen published I'm Not Really Here, a book detailing his thoughts on quantum philosophy, inter gender relationships, and the male mid-life crisis.

Allen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal Life:

Allen was married to Laura Diebel from April 7, 1984, until their divorce in 2003; they have a daughter, Katherine, born in 1989. Diebel once served as chief executive officer of Allen's tool line. On Saturday October 7, 2006, in Grand Lake, Colorado, Allen married his girlfriend of five years, actress Jane Hajduk.

Classic Tim Allen Standup:

Other June 13th Birthdays:

Siegfried-Magician -68
Malcolm McDowell-Actor -64
Richard Thomas-Actor -56
Ally Sheedy-Actress -45
Steve-O-Actor/Comedian/Jackass -33
Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen-Actresses -21