- Born
- Birth nameJonathan Taylor Weiss
- Nicknames
- JTT
- Jon
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas was born Jonathan Taylor Weiss on September 8, 1981 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Claudine (Gonsalves) and Stephen Weiss. He has an older brother, Joel, and has Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and Portuguese ancestry. Growing up, he liked the music group Boyz II Men, and his favorite TV shows were Roseanne (1988) and Grace Under Fire (1993), but he also liked watching CNN news, to keep up to date with current events. One thing that Jonathan does not like is meat. He has been a vegetarian since he was four years old, and he doesn't use products that are tested on animals because he believes that it is wrong to hurt them.
When Jonathan was four years old, his family moved from Bethlehem to Sacramento, California. At the age of seven, Jonathan was working as a model for print advertisements in Sacramento, and over the next few years, he appeared in TV commercials for Kelloggs cereal, Mattel toys and for many other products. By this time, Jonathan was ready for bigger roles, and in 1989, he landed the part of Greg Brady's son Kevin in the TV special The Bradys (1990). In 1990, he landed his biggest role yet, as Randy Taylor on Home Improvement (1991). Jonathan's audition went well, but what really gave him an edge over the other boys was that the casting directors thought that he looked a lot like his TV dad-to-be, Tim Allen.
In 1991, Jonathan's parents divorced. He lived with his mother and his brother. He began work in feature length movies, as the voice of young Simba in Disney's The Lion King (1994), and as Ben Archer in Man of the House (1995) opposite Chevy Chase. Among his other movies are Tom and Huck (1995), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Wild America (1997), and I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Lisa Buckley <buckley@idirect.com> and M.S.
- ParentsStephen WeissClaudine Gonsalves
- RelativesJoel Thomas Weiss(Sibling)Joel Thomas Weiss(Sibling)Jeff Weiss(Aunt or Uncle)
- Raspy voice
- His natural blond hair.
- His pearly, bright, white, toothy smile.
- When he was a young child, his mother worked for an organization for underprivileged adults. She often brought him to work and work-related functions because she wanted him to grow up to be thankful for what he had and to have the willingness to help others.
- His stage name is derived from his real first name (Jonathan), his real middle name (Taylor), and his brother's middle name (Thomas).
- Attended Harvard University for two years (2000-2002), then studied abroad for his third year at St. Andrews University in Scotland. He finally graduated from Columbia University in 2010.
- Was the first actor to win the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards '99 (1999) for his memorable 8 year role as "Randy Taylor" on Home Improvement (1991).
- In Home Improvement (1991), Jonathan played the middle child, Randy, while Zachery Ty Bryan played the oldest brother, Brad. Their characters were 13 months apart. In reality, Jonathan is older than Zachery by a month and a day (Jonathan was born on September 8, Zachery was born on October 9).
- An education is a more surefire guarantee that you have possibilities opened to you.
- "It [rumors of his homosexuality] was just a blatant lie put on the Internet, and then it was just a feeding frenzy... And I'm sure it was validated by my recent roles. What startled me was how willingly people accepted it." Interview with The Advocate, February 1, 2000.
- The whole thing started on this Web site called Cyber Sleaze, which should probably tell you something. My agent called me and said, 'There's this stuff going around.' I got phone calls from my friends saying, 'What are you going to do about this?' It was just a blatant lie put on the Internet, and then it was just like a feeding frenzy. And I'm sure it was validated by my recent roles.
- I can't tell you how many shows I've done with full-blown migraine headaches.
- I'd been going nonstop since I was 8-years-old. I wanted to go to school, to travel, and have a bit of a break. I never took the fame too seriously. It was a great period in my life, but it doesn't define me. [Interview with People Magazine, 2013]
- Tom and Huck (1995) - $600,000
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