PHOTOS'90s 'Home Improvement' Star, 41, Unrecognizable With Full Beard and Long Hair After Years Away From Spotlight
'90s child star Taran Noah Smith, best known for his role on 'Home Improvement,' returned to the spotlight after 14 years with a completely unrecognizable look.
Nov. 18 2025, Published 2:10 p.m. ET
Taran Noah Smith, known for his portrayal of Tim Allen’s youngest son on Home Improvement, sported a completely different look when he returned to the spotlight for the first time in 14 years.
Smith, 41, made an appearance on the “The Best Show With Tom Scharpling” podcast on Monday, November 17, where he rocked long, shoulder-length curly blonde hair and a full beard.
Home Improvement's Taran Noah Smith Showed Off New Look
Taran Noah Smith is known for his role as Tim Allen's youngest son on 'Home Improvement.'
Smith’s interview comes more than 25 years after the ABC sitcom Home Improvement ended.
He rose to fame playing Mark Taylor, a role he began at just 7 years old, and the recent podcast marked his first public appearance since 2011.
Taran Noah Smith's Last Public Appearance Was in 2011
Taran Noah Smith reflected on his time on 'Home Improvement.'
During the episode, the former child star reflected on his time on the sitcom and how his height influenced his character’s unexpected goth phase.
“The whole storyline of the older brothers beating up on me or teasing me didn’t really work anymore because now I was taller than both of them,” he said of Zachery Ty Bryan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who played his two siblings.
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Taran Noah Smith Discussed Goth Phase
Taran Noah Smith told the unique story behind his character's unexpected goth phase on 'Home Improvement.'
He added, “I found out later the head writer on the show, he had a son that was right around my age, and after about halfway through the season, I’m in wardrobe, black fingernails, and dog collar and all the stuff on, and I went backstage and came face to face with his son, who was not in wardrobe, but looked just like me, and we had this very awkward moment of like, ‘Oh, I’m your dad’s way of kind of dealing with you, sorry.'”
Taran Noah Smith Has Kept a Low Profile
Taran Noah Smith retired from acting at age 16.
Smith has continued to keep a low profile after ending his acting career as a teen and now works at SpaceX as a sea recovery technician, according to his LinkedIn page. In 2019, Smith made headlines when a submersible he owned was spotted docked in Monterey Bay, Calif.
“I started Home Improvement when I was 7, and the show ended when I was 16. I never had the chance to decide what I wanted to do with my life,” he told The Mirror in 2001 of the change. “When I was 16, I knew that I didn’t want to act anymore.”
