‘Home Improvement’ Cast – Where Are They Now?

Home Improvement first aired back in 1991. The beloved sitcom brought the comedy of Tim Allen to prime time TV and would run for a total of 203 episodes over an eight-year period.

The show centered around Tim Allen, as Timothy Taylor, and was focused on his home life with his wife Jill (played by Patricia Richardson) and his three sons Brad, Randy, and Mark (played by Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathon Taylor Thomas, and Taran Nolan Smith, respectively.)

Since the series went off-air, all the actors have gone in their separate directions and found success in their various endeavors. Also, the young boys, who were all pre-teens on the show, have grown up and are in their mid-thirties and look so different. Check out where the cast of Home Improvement is now.

First up…Tim Allen

Home Improvement revolved around Tim Allen’s character, Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, and his family life in Detroit, Michigan.

After Home Improvement, the 64-year-old actor went on to star in a slew of movies including The Santa Claus franchise, 2007’s Wild Hogs, and 1998’s Galaxy Quest. However, one of his most beloved roles was voicing Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies. The fourth film in the franchise is set to hit theaters in 2018.

Most recently, Allen starred on an ABC sitcom Last Man Standing. Even though the show was one of the most highly-rated comedies on the network, it was canceled earlier this year.

Patricia Richardson

Patricia Richardson portrayed the family matriarch on Home Improvement.

The now 66-year-old actress went on to star as Dr. Andy Campbell on Lifetime show Strong Medicine, and also briefly appeared on The West Wing. She also took part in multiple TV movies and took her talents from the screen to the stage and made appearances on Broadway. In 2016, she performed a stage version of Steel Magnolias.

Richardson has three children with her ex-husband Ray Backer. They have a son named Henry, and twins Roxanne and Joseph. The former couple called it quits back in 1995.

Back in 2011, Richardson was part of a Home Improvement reunion and she said it felt like “no time passed,” even though all the youngsters are all grown up.

“It was awesome,” she said. “You know where you can pick up and it feels like no time has passed at all? And at the same time you look at them and say, ‘How can you possibly be that age because that makes me way old!’”

Zachery Ty Bryan

Before being cast as Brad in Home Improvement, Zachery had already made a career out of starring in commercials. While his acting success hit an all-time high on Home Improvement, he did pop up on a slew of beloved shows as he grew older.

Zachery went on to be featured in guest spots on shows like Smallville, ER, Cold Case, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His role in Home Improvement also landed him a brief slot on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Bryan is now a producer. In addition to his acting career, Bryan went on to create the Flash Mafia app.

Zachery, who is now 35, welcomed his third child back in June of last year with his wife of ten years Carly Matros. They are also parents to twin daughters Gemma and Taylor.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was a bonafide tween heartthrob during his stint on Home Improvement. He was featured on the cover of a seemingly endless number of Tiger Beat and Teen Bop magazines in his younger years.

JTT was much like his onscreen persona, middle kid Randy, who was always the smartest of the bunch. The 35-year-old actor went on to study at Harvard, St. Andrews, and Columbia universities. He spoke out during an interview with People magazine last year about his decision to temporarily walk away from fame.

“I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old,” he said. “I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break. To sit in a big library amongst books and students, that was pretty cool. It was a novel experience for me.”

Currently, JTT is working his way back into the film and TV industry.

“I watch a lot of movies, I hike, I stay up on shows and theater.”

While JTT reunited with Tim Allen for a guest starring role on the now-canceled ABC series Last Man Standing, he says that he never took being in the limelight too “seriously.”

“I never took the fame too seriously,” he says. “It was a great period in my life, but it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.”

 

Taran Noah Smith

Smith, who played youngest son Mark Taylor, is now 33-years-old. When he started on Home Improvement, Taran was only 7-years-old. 

He once stated, “When I was 16, I knew that I didn’t want to act anymore.” Taran has not acted since the show ended in 1999.

Even though he stopped acting, Taran remained in the spotlight after being involved in several different controversies. In one situation, he sued his parents for control of his $1.5 million trust fund in 2001.

A year after hanging up his acting career at the ag of 16, Taran married Heidi van Pelt, who is 17 years his senior. They divorced six years later.

After his stint on Home Improvement Taran went on to become an installation artist and even started his own vegan food company.

The most recent reports state that Taran lives on a sailboat in Sausalito, California.

 

Richard Karn

Richard Karn, who portrayed the “Tool Time” sidekick, cashed in on his fame from Home Improvement to host game shows. 

From 2002 to 2005, Karn hosted Family Feud and then in 2008, he was the host of Bingo America.

The 60-year-old actor still makes regular appearances on TV. He even made a cameo on Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing. Other TV credits for Karn include his short-lived DIY show titled You Karn Fix It Yourself. His most recent work includes roles in F*&% the Prom and Eastern Market.

Richard Karn and his wife Tudi Roche have one son named Cooper.

 

Pamela Anderson

The famed Playboy model starred as Lisa in the “Tool Time” segment of the show.

The blond beauty’s spot on Home Improvement was enough to land her a role on Baywatch, and she went on to don the iconic red swimsuit on the series. She also starred in other films such as Scary Movie 3 and V.I.P. Most recently, Pamela reprised her role as C.J. Parker on the 2017 Baywatch movie reboot.

When the 49-year-old isn’t acting, she has been busy spending time with her rumored boyfriend, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Earlier this year, she penned a lengthy poem about Assange and even called him “sexy.”

“My relationship with Julian—It’s no secret, He is one of my favorite people—and He might be the most famous, most politicized refugee of our time,” she wrote.

 

Earl Hindman and Debbe Dunning

Earl Hindman starred as Wilson on Home Improvement and appeared (well…kind of) on every episode of the show. He portrayed the friendly neighbor whose entire face was always somewhat hidden either behind the fence or from a conveniently placed object.

Hindman’s most notable credits included Lt. Bob Reid on Ryan’s Hope, and as George Steever on The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

Earl Hindman passed away at the age of 61 on December 29, 2003.

Debbe Dunning starred as Heidi Keppert on Home Improvement. She stepped in to be the “Tool Time” assistant once Pamela Anderson left after Season 2.

The 50-year-old actress stepped away from the camera for about a ten-year stretch from 2006 to 2016. Her most notable film credits before then were Leprechaun 4: In Space, The Spiral Staircase, and Now You Know. However, she is currently in pre-production on a TV series called The Prophet.