 Ask comedian Tim Allen where the inspiration for his manifesto on male improvement came from, and he says, "I just stood up on stage one night in Akron, Ohio, and started talking about my garage and tools and that whole thing. Being the cheez weenie that I am -- his words and his spelling -- I saw the value of what looked like a very good bit, and I used it!" Born in Denver on June 13, and raised from the age of 13 in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Allen was one of seven brothers raised by his mother. The class cut-up, his favorite high-school subject was shop, and his first true love was cars. Allen graduated from Western Michigan University in 1975 with a degree in TV production, and went to work as a creative director for a small advertising firm in Detroit. On a dare from a friend, Tim Allen made his first stand-up appearance in 1979 at Detroit 's Comedy Castle, which he still considers his "comedy birthplace." He went on to not only play every major national comedy club and sell out concert engagements all over the country, but has become a major television and motion picture star, as well as a best-selling author. In 1994, Allen penned his first book, "Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man." Topping The New York Times Bestseller List and selling out in bookstores, it reveals his philosophy about male behavior -- replete with comedic meditations and anecdotes. For his work on "Home Improvement," Tim won the People's Choice Award naming him Favorite Male Television Performer every year from 1992 through 1995; and won the title of America's Favorite TV Personality for the third year in a row from the Harris Poll. In 1995, he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series and was again nominated in 1996 for the same category. He was also awarded in 1996 with two Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the categories of Favorite TV Actor and the coveted Kids Choice Hall of Fame. In addition to the awards he has received for his work on "Home Improvement," he was recognized in 1995 by the film industry for his starring role in the top-grossing movie, "The Santa Clause," for which he received the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture. In addition, he received the Blockbuster Entertainment Award as Favorite Male Newcomer, Theatrical. Even though "Home Improvement" is Tim's first series, he has been nominated twice for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and was one of the co-hosts of the 1992 Primetime Emmy Awards presentation. Other television work includes appearances on five cable specials: "Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs," "Comedy Club All-Stars II," "Tim Allen Rewires America," "Comedy Club All-Stars VII," which he hosted; and "Just For Laughs Festival," for which he won a 1990 ACE Award as Best Performer in a Comedy Special.
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