He made his debut as a standup comedian at Detroit's Comedy Castle in 1979 after accepting a dare from a good friend, but his career was cut short when he was arrested for dealing cocaine and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. In 1976, Allen graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in television production and went on to work in a sporting goods store and then in an advertising agency. Eventually the family moved to a suburb of Detroit. His father died in an auto accident in 1964 when Allen was 11, and his mother later married an old high school flame who had also lost his wife in a car crash. Mercilessly teased by his peers because of his last name, Allen developed a keen sense of humor to protect himself.

He was born Timothy Allen Dick, in Denver, CO, one of ten brothers and sisters. A successful standup comedian, the headliner of one of television's most popular sitcoms, a movie star, and a best-selling author, Tim Allen spent much of the '90s being a 'Male Pig,' a source of pride for countless men, and a franchise unto himself.

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