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More than 30 years after first suiting up as Buzz Lightyear, Tim Allen is still finding new adventures. This summer, the actor returns as the beloved Space Ranger in Toy Story 5, the latest chapter in a franchise that has become a touchstone for generations of families. Looking back, Allen is struck by the enduring success of the Pixar phenomenon, which premiered in 1995 as the world’s first fully computer-animated feature film. “It’s an amazing part of my life,” the 73-year-old actor tells Us Weekly. “Buzz has become such a part of me, and vice versa.”
In part five, Buzz, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the rest of the gang compete against the allure of tech after their owner, 8-year-old Bonnie, acquires a tablet named Lilypad. The passage of time since the original wasn’t only reflected in the storyline — Allen admits he received some constructive criticism when he sat down to film the new installment. “In their nicest way, Pixar said, ‘Buzz sounds a little old these days,’” he says with a laugh. The actor worked with an opera singer from New York to learn how to relax his voice. “I’d never warmed up before, but the longer you do this, you just can’t start off; you have to do warm-ups.”
Buzz is just one of many iconic characters the stand-up comedian has portrayed during his impressive film and TV career. After starring as Tim Taylor in the hit ’90s series Home Improvement, he went on to do nine seasons of Last Man Standing and, in 2025, he struck sitcom gold again with Shifting Gears. (He portrays a widowed dad who owns a classic car restoration business — Allen is a car enthusiast in real life, too. Season 3 begins filming in July.) “The fact that Shifting Gears is a success… I don’t sit with that very often, because who cares, really?” he says, adding, “Looking in the rearview mirror is a recipe for disaster. I just love entertaining.”
The dad of two (he shares Kate, 36, with ex-wife Laura Deibel, and Elizabeth, 17, with his wife of 19 years, actress/producer Jane Hajduk, 59) chats with Us about family life, his offscreen bond with Hanks and the latest on a Home Improvement reboot.
Congrats on Toy Story 5! What can you tell Us about the movie?
When we did Toy Story 4, I said, “We need a little more Buzz in this.” I was kidding, so it was very startling when I saw the storyboards. I said, “OK, you took that seriously.” It was very challenging to be that many Buzzes, and then it got very confusing [as to] who’s talking to who, and I’m not sure exactly how they smoothed it out, but it was very funny to be part of that. [The film features a whole cargo container of Buzz Lightyear toys becoming part of the action.]
The first film came out in 1995. Why do you think the franchise has been able to span multiple generations?
Essentially, it’s a story about a wonderful friendship. Kids recognize it, and adults recognize it, and they’ve added a whole color palette with the other toys, so it’s like a little community. I think [if it were with] stick figures, it would still be very popular.
What’s the best part about playing such an iconic character?
Seeing a kid’s face when I say, “To infinity… and beyond!” Tom taught me this trick — we’ll have [kids] shut their eyes and turn around, and then we do Woody and Buzz, and to see the look on their faces… What these characters have done for them is what Mickey and Donald Duck did for me at a certain time in my life. I think it’s time to [do] a high-end Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse [project], because those two were Woody and Buzz for me when I was a kid.
Is it cool when young family members discover you’re Buzz?
My niece just had her second child, and it’s amazing when the kids realize their uncle is Buzz Lightyear. I try to explain I’m not actually Buzz Lightyear, but then it gets creepy, like, “How come you sound like him, and you look like this?”
Did you have any idea the franchise would become so successful?
When we first saw Toy Story, everybody was in the room going, “I don’t know what to make of this.” [The] powers-that-be were very unsure it would [translate]. [They] thought, “Maybe we just go right to DVDs.”
This film pits the toys against tech. What did you think of that angle?
I’m amazed Pixar did this. They’re into tech, and yet they’re putting a light on their own tech. That scene where all the kids are on their phones in the houses, everybody got very quiet in the screening room. It was courageous to re-encourage kids to play.
Disney has said it plans to keep the franchise going. Where would you like to see Buzz go in the future?
I always thought it would be interesting if Buzz realizes where he was built. I love the indication that all of us can reinvent ourselves. I still have my girls’ stuffed animals. They throw them away for a while, but my daughter, every now and then, she still picks up this bear.
Do you remember watching your kids play with any toys for the last time?
I do. I got my daughter a lion rocking horse from FAO Schwartz when she was really little. She played with it, then she put it in a corner of her room, then it’s in the living room, then it’s just become [like a] sculpture. My daughter will watch the nieces, nephews and everybody’s kid play with it the same way she did. My mother — who’s really failing at 97, she can’t see or hear anything — [was over for] our big Thanksgiving dinner, and out of nowhere she goes, “That lion still looks at me.” I don’t know how she remembered it.
You’ve accomplished so much in your career. Do you ever have pinch-me moments?
Yes. There was a poster that said [I had the] No. 1 book, TV show and movie, and it all happened on a Monday. It’s funny, my publicist didn’t know it, Disney didn’t know it, ABC didn’t know it — but there was a Monday when Home Improvement and The Santa Clause were No. 1 and I’d done a book [1994’s Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man]. I’ll always look back and be content with that. Some great high-profile actor who I know saw me at an event and said, “You just keep reinventing yourself,” but I never look at it that way. I love what I do, so opportunities come up, and I take them.
Are there challenges to working in the biz at this point in your life?
I’m getting too experienced. I’ve done so many things that when we start a new project, it’s challenging to hear new people tell me how the business works. I’m respectful because they’re either bosses or higher-ups, but the comic [inside me] wants to say something outlandish. There’s a point where you’re too mature for something [so you just say,] “You guys deal with this, and I’ll deal with something else.” There are moments where I lose my patience, but I don’t want to be rude. I don’t want to be like, “Don’t look me in the eye.” I’m a successful actor because of the people who watch and because of the people who do all the real work, from craft services to camera people.
Your daughter Elizabeth played your daughter in the Disney+ series The Santa Clauses. What was that like?
We did Zoom auditions for the other actors, and [the producers said], “Who’s that reading with you?” And I said, “That’s my daughter, but she’s in school, and I don’t even want to think about [that].” Eventually, they said, “Can she read for the big role?” and she ended up playing my daughter. She’s really good at school, and her mom and I wanted her to finish that. But there was a scene where she was very upset [and] dare I say, she’s a natural. I hugged her as Santa Claus, but it was Dad and daughter there, and I told her as I walked away [feeling] very emotional, “This is going to sit with me forever.”
You’re close with Tom Hanks and Jay Leno. How important are those friendships to you?
When I’m around all my showbiz friends, there’s a camaraderie because they know exactly what it’s like [to be famous]. So then it’s about, “What are your kids doing?” It levels [things] off.
How do you feel about fame?
I’m more of an introvert than I thought I was. I don’t really like crowds. Sometimes I just want to eat my lunch or go to the dry cleaners. It’s a pleasure to have people love what you do. I love doing stand-up, and I’m getting more authentic on stage, and I love that moment of connecting with people. It’s a paradox: I love entertaining crowds, but I don’t like being in crowds. When I get out by myself, I’m a pretty quiet person.
Before you had kids, what kind of dad did you think you’d be?
I never really wanted to be a dad. I joke about it on stage; I’ve just never been a real fan of children. As people have said many times about parenting, you go through all this [stuff] to get a driver’s license or a passport, but there’s nothing about [raising] children. It was a work in progress. My wife says we wish we’d had five kids because you learn on the first two. With Kate, I was gone a lot, so her mom did most of the raising. I come from [a family of] seven boys and two girls, and it’s a very different world to me with girls. I have a different view of what will make a strong woman. The girl stuff I have little interest in — clothing, looks, gossip, and all that — [I focused on] learning finances, learning how to take care of yourself, and that works for boys and girls.
Were you scared of being a girl dad?
No. My sisters are well-rounded because they were around a very strong mom, and these girls are around strong moms. There’s a connection between moms and sons that’s undeniable, and there’s a connection between fathers and daughters that’s undeniable. We communicate on a different level. I didn’t realize how much I got through to my older one [but] now and then she’ll say, “You used to say this all the time,” and I go, “You actually listened.” Both daughters are very creative and self-assured, [more] than I was. They have natural abilities I never had, and they’re very modest about it.
What was it like for them to grow up with such a famous dad?
[With Elizabeth] it’s a double-edged sword. I’m able to be of assistance because I can put attention on things that can be helpful for her school, but it also gets in the way because I think people treat her differently to get access to me.
Are you in constant contact with your girls?
I adore my older daughter’s husband and they don’t live far away, and I see her all the time when we’re shooting Shifting Gears because she’s in the production office. Sometimes I’m in a crotchety mood when I’ve been working eight hours and I don’t want to deal with minutiae and she goes, “Just call me,” because she’s very good at that. She’ll stare me down [sometimes]. I tell her, “You’re the only one that ever talks to me like that.” My youngest and I love watching Avengers movies — I learned this from an old friend — make a movie night with your kid, along with a date night for your wife. Our joke is I’ll say, “I love you more than anything,” and she goes, “Well, I love you more.” It seems like the silliest thing, but we just did it about 25 minutes ago.
You lost your dad at a young age. [He was killed by a drunk driver in 1964.] How did that impact you?
I kind of turned into a different person after that. Trauma has that effect. I turned into my spiritual or metaphysical or religious self. My blood father was really involved in pruning the car [and] all the stuff I really like now. My dad got me into that. I really missed that connection. I didn’t have that with my stepfather, but he was an extremely wonderful guy.
When you were younger, you got off on the wrong foot — how would you say those experiences shaped you into the person you are today?
I’d lost focus after college, where I got into criminal stuff. [Allen spent two years in prison.] When I was incarcerated, I started reading books [about] men and women who had been successful out of nowhere, and I started focusing on where I wanted to be. I did not want to do that ever again. I humiliated my family and friends and myself. I did not want to make that mistake [again].
You and Jane will celebrate your 20th anniversary in October. What’s your secret to a successful marriage?
I think a sense of humor saves us so many times. We both struggle with golf, and [we were talking about how] Elizabeth will be a senior next year, and we’re going, “What’s that going to be like?” and then Jane sat in the golf cart and said something really funny. I’d forgotten how much I adore her sense of humor. We’re very different people. She’s a very good athlete and got me involved in training, and she’s a staunch Catholic, and I joined her with that. I’m not a Catholic, I don’t belong, so I don’t have to obey the rules, but I think she admires that I made that move. We both pull a bit on either side. We’re pretty good buddies.
How does faith fit into your life?
I’ve been a questioner most of my life. It’s been a long path to learn [how to] accept things as they are. If I look back at the horrible things that have happened to me or to others, am I supposed to be OK with that? Or is it none of my business? For a long time, I still enjoyed church services now and then, but underneath I was going, “I don’t like this creator because you can take anybody any time you want for no reason.” I remember one time a Catholic school bus fell off the road somewhere… I spent some time in behind bars, and there’s never a prison bus on the way to court that gets hit by another truck; it’s always a school bus. I’ve learned to stop asking.
How are you feeling about your youngest daughter flying the coop next year?
We’ve gone down to her room to say “good night” since she was a little kid, and now she’s up with glasses on and with her computer, finishing her math homework. She still says, “Are you guys coming down to say good night?” I told her I’m probably going to come down for quite a while after she’s gone. I’ll just sit in that room because I will really miss her presence.
You were 55 when you had Elizabeth. Did you set out to do things differently with her?
I was not sober for some of [Kate’s] formative years. I made amends to her. With the younger one, I see how much different it is when I’ve been sober almost 30 years. She never knew any of that guy. I’ve thought about it many times, and I’ve talked to Kate, and she doesn’t hold it against me.
How has sobriety changed you?
I’m still the same lunatic. I have a group of guys, we’ve been meeting for over 20 years; it’s all about honesty.
What can you share about season 3 of Shifting Gears?
My relationship with the grandkids is growing, and my son came back from the Navy. My question is — and we haven’t talked about it yet — but is [love interest] Jenna [Elfman] going to move in with me, or am I going to move in with her? I’d like to stretch it out where we’re just dating for a bit. A show I really like is Kim’s Convenience — it [split] out from the different apartments and everybody’s got their own life; our show has [the] capacity to [do that with] Kat [Dennings] and her kids if they move out. I don’t want them to because I love them, but you’ve got so many great people who can do a scene by themselves.
You’ve mentioned doing a new version of Home Improvement. Where does that stand?
They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys. [Zachery Ty Bryan was arrested in November 2025 over a domestic violence violation; he was previously arrested for suspicion of DUI, felony assault and robbery; in 2024, Patricia Richardson said on a podcast that fellow alum Jonathan Taylor Thomas isn’t “interested in acting.”] They’ve got their own issues. I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly.
You’re also doing stand-up again…
My younger brother encouraged me to be more ad-libby, so I spend 20 minutes [talking about] what’s going on in my life. It’s been amazing. I have my big block of material, but I’m opening up.
What’s left on your to-do list?
My older daughter and I have traveled a bunch, we got close to Antarctica and the North Pole, but scheduling [didn’t work out]. I really want to do those. Those are on my bucket list.
Well, we have to get Santa to the North Pole…
That’s right!
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