Home Improvement child star, now 41, totally unrecognisable as he’s spotted for first time in 14 years
The Home Improvement star was spotted for the first time in 14 years, looking completely different.
A Home Improvement child star has stunned with his completely unrecognisable appearance in a rare on-camera sighting.
Taran Noah Smith, who portrayed the youngest Taylor sibling, Mark, resurfaced for the first time in 14 years, reports The US Sun.
The former actor appeared on The Best Show with Tom Scharpling podcast, where he reminisced about his time on the popular sitcom.
Smith stepped away from acting after the show ended in 1999, when he was 16.
Fast-forward to today, at 41, the TV star looks drastically different, with long, curly brown hair and a beard, which he showcased in a video recording of the episode that circulated on Instagram.
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Also during the sit-down, Smith reflected on his character’s dramatic transformation toward the end of the show’s nearly eight-year run.
Mark transitioned from an innocent little boy who was regularly picked on by his two older brothers, portrayed by Zachary Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, to a rebellious goth teenager.
Smith explained that his character’s makeover wasn’t his decision, but the head writer’s, who got the idea from his son, who dressed similarly.
It was the California native’s first public appearance since 2011, when he reunited with his on-screen family for an Entertainment Weekly magazine spread.
Several of Taran’s former Home Improvement co-stars recently got together again for Tim Allen’s comedy, Shifting Gears.
Season two of the series premiered on October 1, featuring special appearances by Tim’s former castmates, Patricia Richardson, Richard Karn, and Debbe Dunning.
Smith opted not to return to the small screen after reaching stardom on the show and instead focused his efforts as a vegan restaurant owner and submarine piloting instructor.
In a 2021 interview, the former child star explained his decision to move on from acting after nearly a decade in the industry.
“I started Home Improvement when I was seven, and the show ended when I was 16. I never had the chance to decide what I wanted to do with my life. When I was 16, I knew that I didn’t want to act anymore,” the ex-TV personality said.
Smith shocked fans when he got married at 17 to vegan chef and entrepreneur, Heidi van Pelt, who was nearly 20 years his senior.
Their considerable age gap caused a stir in the media, but their romance was short-lived, as they split in 2007 after six years together.
Smith also had a complicated relationship with his family, mainly his parents, who he sued in 2001 after accusing them of withholding money from his trust fund.
They reconciled in 2015, and Smith later reflected on the situation, saying, “I’d gotten out of the teenage phase and realised my parents weren’t doing anything wrong but were trying to protect me”.
This article originally appeared in The US Sun and was reproduced with permission.
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Originally published as Home Improvement child star, now 41, totally unrecognisable as he’s spotted for first time in 14 years
