Tim Taylor (fictional character)

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Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Home Improvement, played by Tim Allen, where his name is partially derived from. He also attended WVU college. Tim Taylor is the husband of Jill Taylor and father of Brad, Randy and Mark, and lives in the suburbs of Detroit. Most of his time is spent in his garage, working with his large collection of tools on his hot rod, which he loves almost as much as he loves his wife. A hot rod enthusiast, Tim is knowledgeable on all things related to cars, and is fond of listing the different parts inside a particular car that catches his attention. This is usually followed by his trademark grunting. He is also somewhat obsessed with modifying machines and household appliances for "more power" (a favorite catchphrase of his), because he likes doing things the "man's way". Most of the time, the rewired machines will backfire and cause some kind of accident. Nevertheless, he tries to pass these qualities to his sons. It has been shown on some occasions, most notably at the end of the episode 'Ye Olde Shoppe Teacher', that if Tim pays attention and follows instructions without trying to give things more power, he can be an effective craftsman.

Taylor is deliberately funny, and caring, but hastily incompetent. He hosts his own television program, Tool Time, in which he and his assistant Al Borland teach audiences about home improvement. Before becoming the host of Tool Time, Tim was a travelling parts salesman for Binford Tools. While Tim considers himself to be the star of the show and is a celebrity in Detroit, Al is always the more popular one with the viewers. Tim's rival is real-life home improvement specialist Bob Vila, who made a few guest appearances on the show.

Living next door to the Taylors is Wilson, the man who helps Tim with his problems by quoting philosophers and historical figures. Tim, who is apparently not as intelligent as his wife Jill, has trouble understanding what Wilson tells him but eventually manages to figure it out on his own. However, he tends to mix up the words when trying to repeat Wilson's quotes, always to humorous effect.

Tim has four brothers, although only two appear on the show. His father died when he was about 11 years old.

[edit] Trivia

• As a running gag, Tim always bangs his head on a large pipe hanging overhead when entering the family's basement.
• Whenever Tim finds something characteristically manly or interesting, he is known to make a grunt sound 3 times in a row. It bears a resemblance to the classic Santa Claus "Ho Ho Ho", only in a deeper "Oh Oh Oh" voice.
• Tim's four brothers' names are Rick, Steve, Jeff, and Marty. Only Jeff and Marty have appeared on the show.