Jonathan Taylor Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
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Thomas in 1998
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| Born |
Jonathan Taylor Weiss
September 8, 1981 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University Columbia University (BA) University of St Andrews |
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| Years active | 1990–2006, 2013–2016 |
| Relatives | Jeff Weiss (uncle) |
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (born September 8, 1981) is an American actor and director. He is well-known for playing Randy Taylor on the popular TV show Home Improvement. He also lent his voice to young Simba in Disney's 1994 animated movie The Lion King. Another famous voice role was Pinocchio in the 1996 film The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Contents
About Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Early Life and School
Jonathan Taylor Weiss was born on September 8, 1981. His birthplace was Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Later, his family moved to Sacramento, California, and then to Los Angeles. He has an older brother named Joel. His parents separated when he was 10 years old. Jonathan's uncle, Jeff Weiss, was also an actor and playwright.
After his acting career, Jonathan went to college. In 2000, he started studying at Harvard University. He focused on philosophy and history there. He even spent a year studying abroad in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. In 2010, he earned his degree from Columbia University School of General Studies.
His Acting Career
Jonathan Taylor Thomas started acting in television in 1990. His first role was Kevin Brady on The Bradys. This show was a spin-off of the classic 1970s TV series The Brady Bunch. In 1991, he appeared in three episodes of the comedy show In Living Color.
That same year, he got a big role as Randy Taylor. This was on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement. He played the middle son in the Taylor family. Even though he looked younger, Jonathan was actually a month older than Zachery Ty Bryan, who played his older brother, Brad. Jonathan stayed on Home Improvement for many years. He left the show in 1998 to focus on his studies. He only appeared in three episodes of the final season.
After leaving Home Improvement, Jonathan acted less often. In 2004, he had a small guest role on 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He also appeared on The WB's show Smallville in 2002 and 2004. In 2005, he was in the high school detective show Veronica Mars. He was also featured in an episode of The E! True Hollywood Story about Home Improvement.
In 2013, Jonathan reunited with Tim Allen, his TV dad from Home Improvement. He guest-starred on the show Last Man Standing. He appeared in the second-season finale and again in the third season. In 2015, he had a small appearance on Last Man Standing again. This time, he reunited with both Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson, his TV parents from Home Improvement.
Besides acting, Jonathan also directed. He directed three episodes of Last Man Standing between 2013 and 2016.
Movie Roles
Jonathan Taylor Thomas also starred in many movies. He had several voice acting roles when he was a child. One of his most famous voice roles was young Simba in Disney's animated movie The Lion King.
He also appeared in live-action films. Some of these were Disney movies like Man of the House, Tom and Huck, and I'll Be Home for Christmas. Other live-action films he starred in include The Adventures of Pinocchio. In this movie, he played and voiced the main character. He also appeared in Wild America, Speedway Junky, and Walking Across Egypt.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Lion King | Young Simba | Voice role |
| Pom Poko | Shoukichi | Voice role (2005 Disney dub) |
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| 1995 | Man of the House | Ben Archer | |
| Tom and Huck | Tom Sawyer | ||
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Pinocchio | Voice role |
| 1997 | Wild America | Marshall Stouffer | |
| 1998 | I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Boy at Beach | |
| I'll Be Home for Christmas | Jake Wilkinson | ||
| The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale | The Imperial Prince | Voice role | |
| 1999 | Speedway Junky | Steve | |
| Walking Across Egypt | Wesley Benfield | ||
| 2000 | Common Ground | Tobias Anderson | |
| The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas! | Tangie | Voice role; TV movie |
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| Timothy Tweedle the First Christmas Elf | Timothy Tweedle | TV movie | |
| 2001 | An American Town | Rafe | |
| 2005 | Tilt-A-Whirl | Customer #3 | Short film |
| Thru the Moebius Strip | Prince Ragis | Voice role |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1993 | The Adventures of Spot | Spot | Voice role; 26 episodes; (1989–1993 American version) |
| 1990 | The Bradys | Kevin Brady | 5 episodes |
| 1991 | In Living Color | Macaulay Culkin | 1 episode |
| 1991–1998 | Home Improvement | Randy Taylor | 179 episodes |
| 1994 | The Itsy Bitsy Spider | George | Voice role; Episode: "Spider Sense" |
| 1996 | The Oz Kids | Scarecrow Jr. | Voice role |
| 2000 | Ally McBeal | Chris Emerson | Episode: "Do You Wanna Dance?" |
| 2000–2001 | The Wild Thornberrys | Tyler Tucker | Voice role; 6 episodes |
| 2002–2004 | Smallville | Ian Randall | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The Simpsons | Luke Stetson | Voice role; Episode: "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" |
| 2004 | 8 Simple Rules | Jeremy | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars | Ben | Episode: "Weapons of Class Destruction" |
| 2013–2015 | Last Man Standing | John Baker / Randy | 4 episodes |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Human Pinocchio | |
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | Young Simba | Archive audio |
Production Work
| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Extra | Director | Short film |
| 2013–2016 | Last Man Standing | 3 episodes |
Awards and Nominations
Jonathan Taylor Thomas has won several awards for his acting. He has also been nominated for many others.
Awards Won
- 1994 – Young Artist Awards for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series (Home Improvement)
- 1996 – ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award for Young Star of the Year
- 1997 – Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Voiceover – Young Artist (The Adventures of Pinocchio)
- 1998 – Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favorite Television Actor (Home Improvement)
- 1999 – Kids' Choice Awards: Hall of Fame Award
Nominations
- 1993 – Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series (Home Improvement)
- 1995 – Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (The Lion King)
- 1995 – Young Artist Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Voiceover – TV or Movie (The Lion King)
- 1996 – Young Artist Awards for Best Young Leading Actor – Feature Film (Tom and Huck)
- 1996 – Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actor (Tom and Huck)
- 1997 – Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favorite Television Actor (Home Improvement)
- 1997 – Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (The Adventures of Pinocchio)
- 1997 – YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (Home Improvement)
- 1997 – YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film (Tom and Huck)
- 1998 – YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (Home Improvement)
- 1999 – Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favorite TV Actor (Home Improvement)
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Taylor Thomas para niños
