Patricia Richardson

Jill Taylor in "Home Improvement"

Actress Patricia Richardson portrays Jill Taylor, the only woman in a household of men on "Home Improvement". Jill's no shrinking violet though. Between raising three sons and keeping tabs on her tool-happy husband, Jill is at times a diplomat and a drill sergeant, and more than a match for her husband's mock-macho posturings.

Television audiences will remember Patricia's engagingly feisty acting style from her last television role on the series "FM." As the sassy radio personality Lee Ann Plunkett, she regularly squared-off against her program director and ex-husband, played by Robert Hayes.

A self-described "Navy brat," Patricia was born in Bethesda, Maryland and moved with her family from base to base during her childhood. Making new friends in every town forced the young girl to be outgoing, and sparked her early interest in a career as an actress.

After an unlikely stage debut as a male cop in an all-girls school play, Patricia started seriously pursuing her craft. Following her graduation from Southern Methodist University, she moved to New York, where her first audition won her the understudy role of young Gypsy Rose Lee in the Angela Lansbury revival of "Gypsy." She ended up working with the company on Broadway and on tour for 11 months in a variety of roles. Additional Broadway credits include "Loose Ends" and "The Wake of Jimmy Foster."

Off Broadway, Patricia appeared in productions of "Vanities," "Hooters," and "The Miss Firecracker Contest," which was written by her former classmate, noted playwright Beth Henley. In "Cruise Control," her performance was heralded by New York Magazine as "one of the ten best of 1985." Her work in the play also earned her a 'Hirschfeld' cartoon in the New York Times, a sure signal to the New York theater community that she had arrived.

In 1988, Patricia relocated to Los Angeles with her husband, actor Ray Baker ("Down Home"), and their young son, Henry, to pursue television full-time. In addition to her roles on "Home Improvement," "FM," "Eisenhower and Lutz," and "Double Trouble," Richardson has guest-starred on episodes of "Love, Sidney," "Kate and Allie," "Spenser for Hire," "The Equalizer," "The Cosby Show," and "Quantum Leap." She also appeared in the ABC miniseries "Hands of a Stranger," the NBC telefilm "Parent Trap III," and the ABC Weekend Special "Con Sawyer and Hucklemary Finn."

In addition to her work in television, Patricia has expanded into film, applying her talents to roles in "Lost Angels" with Donald Sutherland and "In Country" with Bruce Willis.

With the birth of twins -- a girl and a boy -- last year, Patricia now has the same number of children as her "Home Improvement" family. The growth of her family has prompted a recent move to a new, larger home which she emphasizes is off limits to the antics of her TV husband's "home improvements."

Thanks to Touchstone Television for providing the information.

This page is part of the Home Improvement Archive