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"You don't know what people are really like until they're under a lot of stress." Tim Allen has had one of the most fascinating careers in Hollywood history. From humble beginnings to federal jail-time, Allen has managed to rebound with style. He's the voice of one of the most celebrated animated characters of all time, the face of Christmas, and one of the first male role models many Millennials ever had. 

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Thanks to his charismatic demeanor and wicked comedic timing, Allen has managed to survive the droughts that every former TV star has had to deal with. Despite being in Hollywood since the mid-70s, Allen still feels like he is finding his way to newer, more exciting, and equally entertaining projects. Let's look back to Allen's humble beginnings in order to see how he became the performer that we know of, today.

A Crowded Household

Tim Allen was born on June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado. He was born to Martha Katherine and Gerald M. Dick. Martha worked as a community-service employee while Gerald operated as a real estate agent.  Allen would find himself in a family with four other brothers, so he had to really fight for attention. Tragically, Allen's father would pass away in a car accident in 1964. Two years later, Martha would get married to her high school sweetheart and the family would relocate to Birmingham, Michigan.

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In Birmingham, which is a suburb of Detroit, Allen would move in with his stepfather and his three children. Allen would go to Seaholm High School where he studied music and theater. During his childhood, Allen would fall in love with performing on the classical piano. From there, Allen would go on to attend Central Michigan University before transferring to Western Michigan University. Allen would graduate with his B.S. in Communications.

Shortly after graduation, Allen would begin pursuing a career in comedy. Before his career could take off, it was almost completely derailed. Allen would face serious problems with the law, but his ability to overcome those obstacles would overshadow the story altogether.

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Career of a Comedian

After graduating from college, Allen would get in trouble with the law thanks to his side-business as a narcotics' dealer. Allen would get caught at an airport where he was arrested. He would serve 28 months behind bars at the Sandstone Federal Correctional Institution.  During his time behind bars, Allen didn't give up on his dreams. Instead, he began to perform for fellow inmates as well as the guards themselves.

Allen made parole in 1981 where he returned to Detroit to work on his comedy.  Allen would begin to have success as a stand-up comedian thanks to his gruff and manly yet outgoing demeanor. He would appear in several advertisement campaigns for Goodwrench in the late 80s in the lead-up to his professional performing career.

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During the early 90s, Allen would gain attention for his 'Men Are Pigs' routine. That routine would be adapted into the hit television show, Home Improvement (1991). Allen would star as Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor in the family-driven sitcom about a tool loving lunkhead, his family, and their lovable neighbor, Wilson. Home Improvement would run for almost a decade and Allen would stay for the entire ride, appearing in 200+ episodes.

Thanks to the success of Home Improvement, Allen was able to land a starring role in the hit animated film, Toy Story (1995). In Toy Story, Allen would steal the show as the space commander, Buzz Lightyear. Alongside Tom Hanks, who voiced Woody in the series, Allen would help to prop up one of the most successful franchises of all time. Allen has reprised his role as Buzz in Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019).

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Toy Story would become a career-defining project for Allen, and he would suddenly find himself as the face of 90s comedy. Allen would land starring roles in several notable 90s films, including Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), The Santa Clause (1994) and Galaxy Quest (1999). The Santa Clause, in particular, was a smash Holiday hit. Allen's performance as a reluctant Santa would spawn off two sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). Allen would reprise his role in both films.

As Allen's career continued to advance, his appearance in major motion pictures began to slow down. After appearing in films like Christmas with the Kranks (2004) and Wild Hogs (2007), Allen would get more selective with his work. In recent years, Allen has been largely focused on his television work in the hit series, Last Man Standing (2011 – 2019). Allen would star in the series as Mike Baxter, a conservative every-man trying to make it in America with a diverse family.  Allen currently has two other film projects in development, including Amigos and Brothers.

In his personal life, Allen was raised as an Episcopalian. Allen is currently married to Jane Hajduk after the two tied the knot in 2006. Allen has two children, though he keeps them far from the spotlight that Hollywood brings. Allen is semi-controversial due to his political views. He has appeared on several Fox News programs including Sean Hannity's show.