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Richard Karn Wilson (born February 17, 1956, in Seattle, Washington) is an American television actor.
Karn is best known for his role as Al Borland, the sidekick of Tim Allen's character, on the sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999). In 2002, Karn replaced Louie Anderson as host of the game show Family Feud. In 2002, Karn also made an appearance in The Strokes' music video for "Someday", which featured segments of the band on a fictional showing of Family Feud against the band Guided by Voices.
Karn is sometimes referred to as "Richard Jr." because he and original Feud host Richard Dawson share the same first name. Richard stepped down as the host of Family Feud in the fall of 2006 and was replaced by John O'Hurley.
Karn is the son of Gene and Louise Wilson and has a sister, Sue. His mother was a painter and died of bone cancer in 1983. His father was a building contractor. Karn is married to Tudi Roche, who occasionally appeared on Home Improvement as Jill's sister, since 1985. They live in Los Angeles, California with their son Cooper (born 1992).
After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Washington, where he was in the drama program, he attended the University of Washington. Karn received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Professional Actors Training Program. He was also a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity while there.
Karn and his wife managed an apartment building before joining the cast of Home Improvement. They even kept the job through the first season of the show, not sure if it was going to be a hit.