TARAN SMITH
as Mark Taylor in "Home Improvement"
Home Improvement Click names to see bios of the cast.
Taran Smith
Click here for a larger image

Taran Smith is Mark, the youngest of the Taylor clan, on "Home Improvement." Despite a hectic production schedule and school activities, Smith has kept himself busy with numerous television and film projects. He costarred with Susan Lucci in the Lifetime cable movie "Ebbie," a '90s version of "A Christmas Carol," in which he played Tiny Tim. He made his feature debut starring in "Little Bigfoot, the Journey Home," which has recently been released on video.

     Tim Allen
     Tim Taylor

     Patricia Richardson
     Jill Taylor

     Earl Hindman
     Wilson

     Jonathan Taylor Thomas
     Randy

     Zachery Ty Bryan
     Brad

     Taran Smith
     Mark

     Richard Karn
     Al Borland

     Debbe Dunning
     Heidi
Smith has been a guest on such talk shows as "Entertainment Tonight," "Good Morning America," "John & Leeza," and "LIVE with Regis and Kathie Lee," and has been featured on shows such as "Front Runner" and Australia's "Talk to the Animals." Along with periodic appearances in national teen magazines, Smith has been featured on the front cover of over one million copies of the "Crayola Kids Magazine" and has been recognized for his athletic ability in "Sports Illustrated for Kids." He also made history as the youngest guest ever to appear on the talk show "Politically Incorrect," hosted by Bill Maher.

Having landed his first job at the age of six months, Smith is a veteran in the entertainment industry with print ads and numerous commercials to his credit, including ads for J.C. Penney, Macy's, and other retail stores. "Home Improvement" is his first series role.

Smith was born on April 8 in San Francisco and is now 14. He spent the first four years of his life on a 41-foot wooden powerboat docked at Sausalito, California. In spite of his hectic schedule, Smith has managed to excel at school. He attends a special program for gifted children and shows a great aptitude for math, in which he is working at an advanced level. His hobbies include riding his motorcycle and mountain bike, fencing, paintball competitions, chess, sailing, roller hockey, and piloting his family's home-built experimental airplane.

In between his work on "Home Improvement" and acting classes, Smith continues to make time to support charitable organizations such as the Make a Wish Foundation and the National MS Society. He also donates his time to Hollywood for Children, which benefits the Audrey Hepburn Foundation; "Sail with the Stars," granting wishes for terminally ill children; and D.A.R.E. and RAAADD Kid (Recording Artists and Actors Against Drunk Driving). In addition, he has served as the honorary chairperson for the Orange County chapter of the MS Read-A-Thon and was the spokesperson for the national Kids 'R' Us coat drive for needy children and the Salvation Army.

Recently, Smith hosted a half-hour series for the "Great Kids Network," profiling children who have made a difference in their communities. He also costarred with Alan Thicke in a series of educational videos that teaches children values. Smith is currently starring in "Milk Carton: The Way Home" -- an educational home video dealing with child abduction, which Child Quest International is distributing to schools.