Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Taylor Thomas is an American actor, voice actor
, former child star
, and teen idol
. He is best known for his role as the middle child Randy Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement, as Pinocchio in New Line Cinema
's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and as the voice of the young Simba
in Disney
's The Lion King
.
, the son of Claudine (née
Gonsalves), a personal manager and social worker, and Stephen Weiss, an industrial sales manager; the two divorced in 1989. His uncle is playwright/actor Jeff Weiss
. Thomas is of Portuguese and Pennsylvania Dutch
ancestry. Jonathan has an older brother, Joel Thomas Weiss, who is an assistant coach for a college in Louisiana
. His stage name is taken from his real first name (Jonathan), his middle name (Taylor), and his brother's middle name (Thomas).
In 2000, he graduated with honors from Chaminade College Preparatory School
in West Hills, California. Upon graduation, he enrolled at Harvard University
, where he studied philosophy and history and spent his third year abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland. In 2010, he graduated from Columbia University
, under his legal name, Jonathan Weiss. His classmates recall, "He loved to talk. He'd say really intelligent things."
Thomas currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and in September 2011, reunited with the rest of the Home Improvement
cast for a photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly
. At that time, Patricia Richardson
tweeted
an update about Jonathan, stating, "Jonathan is acting, and he wants to direct!"
He has been vegetarian for much of his life.
, a spin-off of the 1970s TV show The Brady Bunch
. In 1991, at the age of 10, he won the role of Randall William "Randy" Taylor on the television show Home Improvement. He remained with Home Improvement well into his teenage years, but left the show in 1998
in order to further his acting career.
He had a guest role on the ABC
sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter in early 2004, and appeared in the WB
's Smallville
in 2002 and 2004. In 2005, he had a guest role in UPN
's high school detective drama Veronica Mars
, and was also featured on The E! True Hollywood Storys show on Home Improvement.
in the 1994 Disney
film The Lion King
.
He starred in such films as I'll Be Home for Christmas, Man of the House
, Tom and Huck
, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Wild America
, Common Ground
, Walking Across Egypt, and Speedway Junky
.
1996 - ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award for Young Star of the Year
1997 - Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a Voiceover - Young Artist ( he Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 fiFavourite Television Actor (Home Improvement)
1999 - Kids' Choice Awards: Hall of Fame Award
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
, former child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, and teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
. He is best known for his role as the middle child Randy Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement, as Pinocchio in New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and as the voice of the young Simba
Simba
Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
in Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
's The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
Personal life
Thomas was born Jonathan Taylor Weiss in Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, the son of Claudine (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Gonsalves), a personal manager and social worker, and Stephen Weiss, an industrial sales manager; the two divorced in 1989. His uncle is playwright/actor Jeff Weiss
Jeff Weiss
Jeffrey Weiss is an American playwright and actor on Broadway. Weiss grew up in Allentown, PA, in a Lutheran family of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. In 1992, Weiss' play Hot Keys won an Obie award. His nephew is actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas...
. Thomas is of Portuguese and Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
ancestry. Jonathan has an older brother, Joel Thomas Weiss, who is an assistant coach for a college in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. His stage name is taken from his real first name (Jonathan), his middle name (Taylor), and his brother's middle name (Thomas).
In 2000, he graduated with honors from Chaminade College Preparatory School
Chaminade College Preparatory School
Chaminade College Preparatory School may refer to:*Chaminade College Preparatory School *Chaminade College Preparatory School...
in West Hills, California. Upon graduation, he enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he studied philosophy and history and spent his third year abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland. In 2010, he graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, under his legal name, Jonathan Weiss. His classmates recall, "He loved to talk. He'd say really intelligent things."
Thomas currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and in September 2011, reunited with the rest of the Home Improvement
Home Improvement
Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen, that aired from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms in the American market, winning many awards...
cast for a photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. At that time, Patricia Richardson
Patricia Richardson
Patricia Castle Richardson is an American television and film actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the sitcom Home Improvement.-Early life and education:...
tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
an update about Jonathan, stating, "Jonathan is acting, and he wants to direct!"
He has been vegetarian for much of his life.
Television
In 1990, Thomas garnered the role of Kevin Brady, the son of Greg Brady, on the short-lived TV show The BradysThe Bradys
The Bradys is a six-episode American drama series that aired on CBS in 1990. It was a revival of the early 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch , and was about the trials and tribulations of the extended Brady family some 15 years after the end of the earlier series...
, a spin-off of the 1970s TV show The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. In 1991, at the age of 10, he won the role of Randall William "Randy" Taylor on the television show Home Improvement. He remained with Home Improvement well into his teenage years, but left the show in 1998
1998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
in order to further his acting career.
He had a guest role on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter in early 2004, and appeared in the WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
's Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
in 2002 and 2004. In 2005, he had a guest role in UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
's high school detective drama Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
, and was also featured on The E! True Hollywood Storys show on Home Improvement.
Film
During his run on Home Improvement, Thomas voiced the role of young SimbaSimba
Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
in the 1994 Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
film The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
He starred in such films as I'll Be Home for Christmas, Man of the House
Man of the House (1995 film)
Man of the House is a 1995 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Marking Thomas' motion picture debut, this Disney comedy is about a boy who must come to terms with his potential stepfather , a well-meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt...
, Tom and Huck
Tom and Huck
Tom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe"...
, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Wild America
Wild America (film)
Wild America is a 1997 adventure comedy film directed by William Dear, written by David Michael Wieger, and starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa and Scott Bairstow.-Plot:...
, Common Ground
Common Ground (film)
Common Ground is a 2000 Showtime television movie directed by Donna Deitch and written by Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally and Harvey Fierstein. It stars Brittany Murphy, Jason Priestley, Steven Weber, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Edward Asner and James Le Gros...
, Walking Across Egypt, and Speedway Junky
Speedway Junky
Speedway Junky is a 1999 film written and directed by Nickolas Perry. It stars Jesse Bradford, Jordan Brower, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Daryl Hannah.-Plot:The film stars Jesse Bradford as Johnny, a young man with dreams of becoming a stock car racer...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Young Simba Simba Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane... (voice) |
||
| 1994 | Pom Poko Pom Poko is a 1994 Japanese animated film, the eighth written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli.Consistent with Japanese folklore, the tanuki are portrayed as a highly sociable, mischievous species, able to use "illusion science" to transform into almost anything, but too... |
Shokichi (voice) | |
| 1995 | Man of the House Man of the House (1995 film) Man of the House is a 1995 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Marking Thomas' motion picture debut, this Disney comedy is about a boy who must come to terms with his potential stepfather , a well-meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt... |
Ben Archer (Little Wing) | |
| 1995 | Tom and Huck Tom and Huck Tom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe"... |
Tom Sawyer Tom Sawyer Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom... |
|
| 1996 | Pinocchio Pinocchio The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an... (voice) |
||
| 1997 | Wild America Wild America (film) Wild America is a 1997 adventure comedy film directed by William Dear, written by David Michael Wieger, and starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa and Scott Bairstow.-Plot:... |
Marshall Stouffer Marty Stouffer Martin Luther Stouffer Jr. , is the narrator and producer of the animal documentary show Wild America. He was raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas.-Life:... |
|
| 1998 | I Woke Up Early The Day I Died I Woke Up Early The Day I Died I Woke Up Early The Day I Died is a camp comedy film written by Edward D. Wood, Jr.. The film, directed by Aris Iliopulos, stars Billy Zane, Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, and Christina Ricci, among many others.-Production:... |
Boy at Beach | |
| 1998 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Jake Wilkinson | |
| 1999 | Speedway Junky Speedway Junky Speedway Junky is a 1999 film written and directed by Nickolas Perry. It stars Jesse Bradford, Jordan Brower, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Daryl Hannah.-Plot:The film stars Jesse Bradford as Johnny, a young man with dreams of becoming a stock car racer... |
Steve | |
| 1999 | Walking Across Egypt | Wesley Benfield | |
| 2005 | Tilt-A-Whirl | Customer #3 | Short film |
| 2005 | Thru the Moebius Strip Thru the Moebius Strip Thru the Moebius Strip was a Hongkong produced 3D-CGI feature film, made in mainland China.-Plot:The story is about the coming of age of a 14 year old boy who grew up refusing to accept the loss of his father... |
Prince Ragis (voice) | |
| 2006 | Director | Short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Spot (voice) | TV series short | |
| 1990 | Kevin Brady | Episode: "Start Your Engines/Here We Grow Again" Episode: "Hat in the Ring" |
|
| 1991 | In Living Color In Living Color In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century... |
Macaulay Culkin | Episode: "Home Alone Again" Episode: "The Jackson Bunch" |
| 1991-1998 | Home Improvement | Randy Taylor | 179 episodes |
| 1993 | In Living Color In Living Color In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century... |
Episode: "Forever Silky" | |
| 1994 | George (voice) | Episode: "Spider Sense" | |
| 1996 | Who Stole Santa? | Scarecrow Jr (voice) | Video |
| 1996 | Scarecrow Jr (voice) | TV series | |
| 1996 | Christmas in Oz | Scarecrow Jr (voice) | Video short |
| 1996 | Scarecrow Jr (voice) | Video | |
| 1996 | Toto Lost in New York | Scarecrow Jr (voice) | Video |
| 2000 | Common Ground Common Ground (film) Common Ground is a 2000 Showtime television movie directed by Donna Deitch and written by Paula Vogel, Terrence McNally and Harvey Fierstein. It stars Brittany Murphy, Jason Priestley, Steven Weber, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Edward Asner and James Le Gros... |
Tobias | TV movie |
| 2000 | Ally McBeal Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia... |
Chris Emerson | Episode: "Do You Wanna Dance?" |
| 2000 | Tyler Tucker (voice) | 5 episodes | |
| 2000 | Tangie (voice) | Video | |
| 2000 | Timothy Tweedle the First Christmas Elf | Timothy Tweedle | TV movie |
| 2001 | An American Town | Rafe | TV movie |
| 2001 | Smallville Smallville Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross... |
Ian Randall | Episode: "Dichotic" |
| 2003 | The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... |
Luke Stetson (voice) | Episode: "Dude, Where's My Ranch? Dude, Where's My Ranch? "Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:... " |
| 2004 | Smallville Smallville Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross... |
Ian Randall | Episode: "Asylum" |
| 2004 | 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003... |
Jeremy | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... |
Ben | Episode: "Weapons of Class Destruction" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Human Pinocchio (voice) |
Wins
- 1994 - Young Artist Awards for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series (
Nominations
- 1993 - Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series (Home Improvement)
- 1995 - Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (The Lion KingThe Lion KingThe Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
) - 1995 - Young Artist Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Voiceover - TV or Movie (The Lion KingThe Lion KingThe Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
) - 1996 - Young Artist Awards for Best Young Leading Actor - Feature Film (Tom and HuckTom and HuckTom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe"...
) - 1996 - Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favourite Movie Actor (Tom and HuckTom and HuckTom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe"...
) - 1997 - Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favourite Television Actor (Home Improvement)
- 1997 - Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film))
- 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 HuckTom and HuckTom and Huck is a 1995 Disney film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Joey Stinson, and Rachael Leigh Cook; it is based on Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In the film, mischievous young Tom Sawyer witnesses a murder by the vicious Native American known as "Injun Joe"...
) - 1998 - YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (Home Improvement)
- 1999 - Kids' Choice Awards: Blimp Award for Favourite TV Actor (Home Improvement)