Beloved American actor Tim Allen is best known for playing Santa Claus in the Santa Claus films and the handyman in the 1990s Home Improvement series. He was also a Christmas hit with the Cranks in 2004 and as the voice of Bósa Ljósár in Toy Story 1 through Toy Story 4.
But the actor has a colorful criminal career behind him and few remember he would have spent his life behind bars rather than on the big screen.
Tim Allen was a drug dealer in his thirties. In October 1978, he was caught red-handed with 700 grams of cocaine at the Kalamazoo airport in Michigan. He faced life in prison, but testifying against his associates and other criminals ended up only serving two and a half years in prison. He was imprisoned for two years and four months, released on June 12, 1981.
The capture of Tim Allen.
After Allen was released from prison, he turned things around and a decade later got his big break when he landed the lead role in Home Improvement. The series became one of the most popular shows of the 1990s and propelled Allen to stardom.
Despite his fame and fortune, Allen struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. He said the dramatic loss of his father aged 11, who died in a car crash after being hit by a drunk driver, influenced his drinking. In 1997 he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. In 1998, he began treatment after being charged with drunk driving. Allen has been sober ever since, for almost 25 years.
