Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Born September 8, 1981 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Jonathan Taylor Thomas began acting at a young age. His earliest work came playing the role of Tiny Tim in a theater production of "Scrooge." He then appeared in a number of reunion television films of "The Brady Bunch" in the late 1980's.
In 1991, Thomas was chosen to play Tim Allen's son on "Home Improvement" based on the physical similarities between the two actors. Thomas became a fan favorite on the hit ABC sitcom early on. Thomas' character Randy Taylor' shared his father's sense of humor and made him a likable kid.
In 1993, Thomas supplied the voice of Simba, a young lion cub who will one day be king of the jungle like his father, in The Lion King. (Adult Simba's voice was done by Matthew Broderick.) The Disney film, which contained more realistic animation than in earlier films from the studio, was an outstanding box office hit. The Lion King grossed more money than any other film in 1994.
Meanwhile, Thomas' show kept getting more attention and finished #1 in ratings for the 1993-94 season. During his 1994 summer break, Thomas shot another film for Disney, this one a live action comedy co-starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett, and George Wendt. The movie, Man of the House, was a surprise box office hit when it was released in March 1995.
After another successful season of "Home Improvement" ended, Thomas spent his time off in 1995 on two different projects. First he completed the third film of his three-film deal with Disney in makine a film version of Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Jonathan played Tom Sawyer and Brad Renfro played Huckleberry Finn in Tom and Huck, another successful film. Tom and Huck was released in December 1995. The other film mostly consisted of Jonathan only providing the voice of another legendary character, Pinocchio in a live-action film The Adventures of...Pinocchio. Thomas appears as Pinnocchio when he becomes a boy and gives voice to the wooden puppet when he is created by Geppetto (Martin Landau).
Thomas' other credits include the 1997 Morgan Creek film Wild America portraying aspiring nature filmmaker Martin Stoufer. In addition, Thomas appeared in the 1998 Disney holiday film I'll Be Home For Christmas.
In 1998, Thomas stopped being a regular on "Home Improvement." He appeared in only 3 of the 26 episodes of the series' final season, and his character's absence was explained by Randy being part of rainforest study program in Costa Rica.
Thomas has recently changed the focus of his career, appearing in more dramatic roles in 1999's poorly-reviewed I Woke Up Early The Day I Died and the more acclaimed Common Ground, a television movie which recently debuted on Showtime. In addition, Thomas' independent drama Walking Across Egypt, co-starring Ellen Burstyn and Star Wars' Mark Hamill, is now out on video.
Thomas also starred in Speedway Junkie, an independent film produced by Gus Van Sant, the director of Good Will Hunting. Speedway Junkie was limitedly released to theaters last year by Regent Entertainment.
Thomas has received a number of awards for his work on "Home Improvement" and his films. In May 1999, Thomas was inducted into the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Hall of Fame, joining his co-star Tim Allen. In 1998, Thomas won the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite TV Actor. Thomas makes a number of public appearances in events such as MTV's Rock-and-Jock Basketball Game. He also supports a number of causes, including Nickelodeon's The Big Help, and The Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Thomas is currently attending Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachussetts. In the fall of 2002, Jonathan had a guest appearance in an episode of "Smallville."
JTT's MOVIES
CLASSIC JONATHAN EPISODES
114 / 5.14 - High School Confidential
Randy's science and math abilities land him in classes at the high school where his older brother Brad feels overshadowed. Tim and Al introduce "The Man's Bedroom" on Tool Time.
122 / 5.22 - The Longest Day
After a routine medical checkup for the boys, it is discovered that Randy may be suffering from cancer. The family endures a long and painful wait for the results of Randy's blood test. One of the most memorable "Home Improvement" episodes.
153 / 7.02 - The Clash of the Taylors
Randy and Tim face off over Binford's environmental policies, Jill gets an internship counselling families.
178 / 8.02 - Adios
The Taylor family has to say some tough goodbyes to Randy after he is accepted into a year long environmental study program in Costa Rica.
187 / 8.11 - Home for the Holidays
Randy surprises the family when he returns home for Christmas. Everything has changed: Marty and his daughters have moved in, Brad and Mark are now living in his room, and well, he expected everything to remain the same from when he left for Costa Rica, but they haven't. Meanwhile, Tim prepares for the annual Christmas lighting contest and learns that his biggest competition is Al. This would turn out to be Jonathan's last episode.
JTT: THROUGH THE YEARS
JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS LINKS
The Official JTT Page
JTT FAN CLUB
Page last updated March 17, 2003.
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