Take A Look Back At Tim Allen’s Career As He Celebrates 70th Birthday
By Movieguide® Contributor
As celebrated actor and comedian Tim Allen celebrates his 70th birthday, his fans are taking a look back at his impressive career.
Allen started in the entertainment industry as a standup comedian, but soon pivoted to movies and television.
His big break came with the classic 90s sitcom HOME IMPROVEMENT, where Allen played Tim “The Tool-Man” Taylor, a handyman with his own home improvement TV show. HOME IMPROVEMENT quickly became a hit and Allen received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the show.
Another one of Allen’s most beloved roles was in 1994’s THE SANTA CLAUSE, where he played Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who accidentally gets turned into the next Santa. The movie was so popular, it spawned two sequels and a TV show, THE SANTA CLAUSES.
Many fans also remember Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, the space explorer from the hit TOY STORY movie franchise.
“Buzz is really who I like to be,” Allen said of the character. “I really do like being Buzz. He’s really a character I developed with [director] John Lasseter, I like that character.”
A portion of the Movieguide® review for the first TOY STORY reads:
The first totally computer animated movie is TOY STORY. It answers the question “What happens to my toys when I leave the room?” in a wonderful, moral, fantastic way. TOY STORY is funny, clean, wholesome, and virtuous — a classic beginning to a new genre and a masterpiece which is sure to capture the imaginations of young and old alike.
After all his success on the big screen, Allen decided to return to television in 2011 with LAST MAN STANDING, which followed Mike Baxter (Allen) as he and his wife raised three daughters with differing views than him.
“What we wanted to do is not make fun of religion, not make fun of family, celebrate wanting to have a relationship that’s affectionate, just celebrate what’s good about American family but be provocative enough,” Allen said of the show’s humor.
He continued, “The liberal side would make fun of the liberals, the conservatives would make fun of the conservatives, but overall you’ve got people who made fun.”
LAST MAN STANDING was canceled by ABC in 2017, but was later picked up by Fox, where it ran for three more seasons.
The show received favorable reviews from Movieguide® for its moral and faith-based content. A portion of the review for episode “The Passion of Paul” reads:
“The Passion of Paul” episode is filled with laughs. All the characters are well-defined by the writing and the performances. “The Passion of Paul” has a strong Christian, biblical, inspiring message based on the story of Noah and the Great Flood. It extols prayer, listening to God, renewing your faith, taking biblical and Sunday School messages to heart, and treating people kindly.
Allen also has a rich family life. He has two daughters — Catherine, with first wife Laura Deibel, and Elizabeth, with wife Jane Hajduk.
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