Taran Noah Smith is an American businessman and former

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He performed the role of Mark Taylor on the sitcom ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

'', for which he won two

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

in 1992 and 1994.

Personal life

At 18, he gained control of his $1.5 million trust fund, which he accused his parents of squandering by purchasing themselves a mansion."Former 'Home Improvement' star turns 18 Monday, wins right to trust fund", ''Associated Press State & Local Wire'', April 8, 2002 His mother, Candy Bennici, stated in 2015, "Of course we didn't touch his money... It was in a trust fund. We couldn't have touched it if we wanted to. They were trying to get it when he was 17, and we were trying to protect it. Luckily the Marin courts were very good about it and didn't give it to them". He later said, "I'd gotten out of the teenage phase and realized my parents weren't doing anything wrong but were trying to protect me." In 2001, Smith was quoted as saying, "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." At the age of 17, Smith married Heidi van Pelt on April 27, 2001. The marriage sparked much controversy due to the couple's age difference, as van Pelt was 16 years older. The couple filed for divorce on February 2, 2007. Smith is a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

. In 2005, Smith and his then-wife formed a California-based non-dairy cheese manufacturer and restaurant, Playfood, specializing in vegan and organic foods. In 2014, he volunteered doing disaster relief with Communitere in the Philippines. Smith is also the Technical Manager for the Community Submersibles Project, where he teaches people how to pilot submarines.

Filmography

Awards

Nominations

* 1993,

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

, ''Home Improvement'', Outstanding Actor Under Ten in a Television Series * 1999,

, ''Home Improvement'', Best Performance in a TV Drama or Comedy Series – Leading Young Actor

Won

* 1992,

, ''Home Improvement'', Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under Ten * 1994,

, ''Home Improvement'', Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series (shared with

Zachery Ty Bryan Zachery Tyler Bryan (born October 9, 1981) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his role as Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement''. He also appeared in the films '' First Kid'' and '' The Fast and the Furiou ...

and Jonathan Taylor Thomas)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Taran Noah Living people American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from San Francisco 20th-century American male actors Child marriage in the United States Year of birth missing (living people)