| Tim Taylor | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Last appearance | "The Long and Winding Road Part 3" |
| Created by | Tim Allen |
| Portrayed by | Tim Allen |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Tim the Tool Man Taylor |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Tool Man (1989–1999) TV Show Host (1989–1999) |
| Family | Lucille Taylor (mother) Michael Taylor (father, deceased) Marty Taylor (brother) Jeff Taylor (brother) Rick Taylor (brother) John Taylor (brother) Danny Taylor (brother) |
| Spouse(s) | Jill Taylor married 1979 |
| Children | Brad Taylor (son) Randy Taylor (son) Mark Taylor (son) |
Timothy "Tim The Tool Man" Taylor is the main character on the American television sitcom Home Improvement, portrayed by Tim Allen, from which his first name and alma mater (Western Michigan University) are derived. Tim Taylor is the husband of Jill Taylor and father of Brad, Randy and Mark Taylor, and lives in the suburbs of Detroit.
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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. Tim is also obsessed with building things. 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. He is also a big fan of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings.
Tim is a witty, caring, but hastily incompetent, accident-prone, know-it-all handyman. He hosts his own television program, Tool Time, in which he and his assistant Al Borland teach audiences about home improvement. Audiences think Tim's outrageous accidents and fiascos are done on purpose to tell the audience what not to do. In actuality however, Tim just does not know as much as he thinks he does and tries to show off too; Al, on the other hand, often proves his knowledge with a warm, respectable modesty. Before becoming the host of Tool Time, Tim was a traveling parts salesman for Binford Tools. While Tim considers himself to be the star of the show and is a celebrity in Detroit, Al eventually becomes the more popular one with the viewers. Tim is initially concerned that Binford may switch hosts, but eventually embraces Al's popularity and his own tendency to overdo things. Tim's rival is real-life home improvement specialist Bob Vila, who made a few guest appearances on the show. A running gag is when Tim accidentally causes destruction to anything he touches-from the world's smallest car to running over golf carts-with a Marine Corps tank.
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, or any of the other Taylors, have a crisis ending conversation with Wilson in nearly every episode, even when traveling considerable distances. In one episode, Wilson points out that "Tim Taylor" is an anagram of "mortality" and that "Jill Taylor" is an anagram of "Jolly Trail".
Though ultimately good friends, there is a tense relationship between Tim and Al. Al is portrayed as a slightly geeky character, usually having more knowledge, skill, and audience popularity than Tim. His catchphrase, as an opposition to Tim's ill-advised ideas or jokes is, "I don't think so, Tim." He also comes up with many puns and giggles and snorts when a joke is made at Tim's expense. The cautious, insecure, brighter Al always bears the brunt of Tim's jokes and constant put-downs. Al is frequently taunted by Tim because of his weight, beard, and somewhat bland personality, his overweight mother, poor sense of humor and his preference of flannel shirts (and often other flannel items such as an oversized pair of flannel briefs in the episode "The Karate Kid Returns"); though many of these jokes seem mean spirited, Tim sees them as a form of male bonding, explaining that he jokes around the same way with his brothers. Tim typically uses his television show to vent about numerous problems he has in his personal life, and Al is usually very annoyed by this. A running joke for Tim is commenting on Al's overweight mother, who is often referred to but is never seen throughout the series although in the penultimate episode of the series, "Dead Weight", she dies, and the characters are shown paying their respects at her extra-wide coffin which shows her body but not her face. Also, prior to her death, her arm can be seen waving (with a leg of chicken in hand). Ironically, Tim's kids like Al, and look up to him.
Tim's family lives in a suburb in Detroit, Michigan. His father, Michael Taylor, died when Tim was only 11 years old which had a profound impact on Tim's life, however Tim found somewhat of a father figure in John Binford, the CEO of Binford Tools but is again profoundly affected when he dies from a heart attack. His mother, Lucille Taylor is seen mostly in Christmas episodes and various others.
There as always been some disparity as to how many brothers Tim has. In earlier seasons, he is stated several times to have five brothers. In later seasons, he is stated to have four, however six have been mentioned by name - Marty and Jeff, who have each appeared on screen several times; John and Rick, who are mentioned only in the episode "Oh, Brother"; Steve, who is mentioned in "The Write Stuff" among other episodes; and Danny, who was mentioned to owe Tim money by Jill in Marty's first episode. In order from oldest to youngest is Jeff, Steve, Tim, Danny, John, Rick and Marty.
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