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Who is Jonathan Taylor Thomas?
American actor and director Jonathan Taylor Thomas was born as Jonathan Taylor Weiss in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania USA, on 8 September 1981, making Virgo his zodiac sign – he apparently changed his name to avoid confusion with another actor. He has 37 acting credits, and is perhaps still known best for voicing Young Simba in the critically acclaimed 1994 animated adventure movie “The Lion King”, which starred Jeremy Irons and Matthew Broderick, and was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. It follows the lives of lion prince Simba and his father, and the movie won 43 of its 79 award nominations, including two Oscar wins for Best Music, Original Song (Hans Zimmer and Elton John). This was also Jonathan’s debut film role.
He hasn’t been active in the film industry since 2015, but hasn’t officially retired from acting.
Education and early life
Jonathan and his brother Joel Thomas Weiss were raised in Bethlehem by their father Stephen Weiss and mother Claudine Gonsalves; not many details have been disclosed about Jonathan’s family, because he respects their privacy.
He grew up being interested in acting, mostly looking up to his uncle Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Weiss who was a famous American playwright and actor. Jonathan studied at Chaminade College Preparatory School and was into several activities during his time there, including playing various sports and appearing in school plays. Jonathan matriculated in 1989 and made his debut TV series appearance in the same year, playing Randy in the comedy “ABC TGIF”.
He still chose to continue working on his education, and thus enrolled at Harvard University; Jonathan spent his third year attending Scotland’s University of St Andrews, and then graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy in 1993. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Columbia University’s School of General Studies, which he earned in 2010.
Roles in TV series
In 1990, Jonathan played Kevin Brady in four episodes of the comedy “The Bradys”, which starred Robert Reed and Florence Henderson, and was created by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz; if follows the lives of members of the Brady family.
The following years heard Jonathan voice Spot in the popular animated family drama “The Adventures of Spot”, which also starred Paul Nicholas and Corey Burton, and follows the adventures of a little yellow puppy. The ’90s also saw him win roles in the musical comedy “In Living Color”, the animated drama “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” (voice role) and the fantasy comedy “Ally McBeal”, but what marked the decade for him was playing Randy Taylor in 179 episodes of the family comedy “Home Improvement”, which starred Earl Hindman and Tim Allen, and was created by David McFadzean and Carmen Finestra. It follows the life of TV show host Tim ‘The Tool Man’ Taylor, the series aired from 1991 through 1999 and won 43 of its 106 award nominations.
Jonathan voiced Tyler Tucker in six episodes of the 2001 animated adventure comedy “The Wild Thornberrys”, while he then voiced Luke Stetson in the 2003 episode “Dude, Where’s My Ranch?” of the animated comedy “The Simpsons”. In 2004, he portrayed Jeremy in three episodes of the comedy “8 Simple Rules”, which starred Kaley Cuoco and Katey Sagal, and was created by Tracy Gamble. It follows the lives of members of the Hennessy family, the series aired from 2002 through 2005 and won nine of its 21 award nominations.
Jonathan’s since had roles in only two TV series: he played Ben in the 2005 episode “Weapons of Class Destruction” of the crime mystery “Veronica Mars” and Randy in four episodes of the comedy “Last Man Standing” from 2013 through 2015.
Roles in movies
In 1994, Jonathan voiced Shokichi in the English version of the critically acclaimed Japanese animated comedy “Pom Poko”, which starred Makoto Nonomura and Shincho Kokontei, and was written and directed by Isao Takahata. It follows a community of shape-shifting raccoon dogs as they’re trying to prevent humans from destroying their habitat, and the film won three of its four award nominations.
Some of Jonathan’s following roles were in 1995 in the family comedy “Man of the House” and the adventure comedy “Tom and Huck”, and the 1996 family drama “The Adventures of Pinocchio”. In 1997, he played the lead character Marshall in the action adventure comedy “Wild America”, which also starred Scott Bairstow and Devon Sawa, and was directed by William Dear. It follows three brothers as they’re travelling around the US and documenting wildlife – the film won only a single award. The remainder of the ‘90s saw Jonathan appear in the crime thriller comedy “I Woke Up Early the Day I Died” and the family comedy “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” both in 1998, and the 1999 romantic crime drama “Speedway Junky”.
Jonathan’s three most recent film roles have been in the 2005 short drama “Tilt-A-Whirl”, the 2005 animated science fiction adventure “Thru the Moebius Strip” (voice role) and the 2006 short comedy “The Extra”.
We're not saying Jonathan Taylor Thomas was our sexual awakening…but we're not NOT saying it. He was just publicly photographed for the first time in 8 years. See the pic: https://t.co/vIoh7z9QbY pic.twitter.com/9kGABYoUd8
— E! News (@enews) July 1, 2021
Other credits
Jonathan sang three songs in the 1995 episode “Room Without a View” of the series “Home Improvement” and the song “I Got Rolled” in the 1998 movie “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”.
He directed three episodes of the comedy “Last Man Standing” from 2013 through 2016.
Jonathan’s three most recent talk-show appearances have been in “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and “The Reichen Show”.
Awards and nominations
Jonathan’s won five of his 17 award nominations. Some of his wins include a 1994 Young Artist Award for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series, for his and his colleagues’ performance in “Home Improvement”, a 1996 ShoWest Convention Award for Young Star of the Year, and a 1998 Kids’ Choice Blimp Award for Favorite Television Actor, also for “Home Improvement”.
Love life and relationships
Jonathan’s quite secretive when it comes to speaking about his love life in public, but it’s known that the popular actor was once engaged.
In 2007, Jonathan became engaged to American author and former actress Natalie Wright; she retired from acting in 1996, after having appeared in an episode of the series’ “Dramarama”, “The Bill” and “2point4 Children” – they broke-up without exchanging vows.
There’s only one other girl whom Jonathan’s dated, that we know about. Sometime in the second half of the ‘90s, he dated American actress Jessica Bowman; she’s had roles in 16 movies and TV series, and is perhaps still remembered best for starring as Colleen Cooper in the family western series “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” from 1995 through 1998.
Jonathan seems to be single as of June 2023, hasn’t married and doesn’t have children.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Jonathan was inducted into the Kids’ Choice Hall of Fame in 1999.
His fan-made Instagram account is today followed by nearly 6,000 people, while there are over 200 pictures and videos posted onto it; most of these show Jonathan when he was a teenager.
His father was a construction supplies salesman; his mother was a social worker prior to becoming his manager; Jonathan’s parents divorced when he was a teenager.
Jonathan’s a huge lover of animals, and has a pet dog McCormick and pet cats Samantha and Simba.
One of his best friends is American actress, producer and director Danielle Fishel, and he attended her wedding in 2013.
VH1 ranked Jonathan #25 on their list ‘100 Greatest Kid Stars’.
Jonathan was featured on the cover page of the gay and lesbian magazine “The Advocate” in 2001.
His brother Joel’s working at a college in Louisiana as a assistant football coach.
One of Jonathan’s favorite actors is Ewan McGregor, and some of his favorite movies include “The Ghost Writer”, “Moulin Rouge!” and “Trainspotting”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Jonathan’s age is 41. He has blue eyes and brown hair, is 5ft 6ins (1.68m) tall and weighs around 145lbs (66kgs).
Jonathan’s net worth’s been estimated at over $12 million, as of June 2023.
