Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn (born July 29, 1953) is an American fashion consultant, television personality, actor, and voice actor. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative officer. He is well known as on-air mentor to designers on the reality television program Project Runway. Gunn's popularity on Project Runway led to his spin-off show, Bravo's Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, as well as his book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. He will voice Baileywick, the castle's steward in the Disney Junior television show Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess.

Early life

Gunn was born and raised in Washington, D.C. His father, George William Gunn, was an FBI agent during the administration of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Gunn was a champion swimmer throughout high school, and later attended the Corcoran College of Art and Design, receiving a BFA in sculpture.

Gunn, who is gay, was raised in an intensely homophobic household and viewed homosexuals as predators. According to a video Gunn created for the It Gets Better project, he attempted to commit suicide at the age of 17 by swallowing over 100 pills. He denied his sexual orientation until his early twenties, and didn't share it with anyone in his family until he came out to his sister when he was 29.

Career

Gunn started working at Parsons in 1982 and served as associate dean from 1989-2000, then became chair in August 2000. He was credited with "retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century."

Gunn began appearing on Project Runway during its first season in 2004, and is known for his catchphrase "Make it work." Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, a reality show in which Gunn gives advice to the fashion-challenged, debuted in September 2007 on the Bravo television network.

Gunn also played a version of himself as a reporter for the fictional Fashion TV in two episodes of ABC's Ugly Betty in February 2007 and later guest starred on Drop Dead Diva in August 2009 as himself.

Gunn left Parsons in 2007 and joined Liz Claiborne as the company's chief creative officer in March of that year.

In April 2007, Abrams Image Publishers released Gunn's book A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, co-written with Kate Moloney, cover photo by Markus Klinko & Indrani. While on tour in Palm Springs, California, the nearby city of Palm Desert honored him with an official resolution declaring April 27, 2007 (the day of his visit) "Timothy M. Gunn Day". He was also presented with a certificate by the city of Palm Springs and a plaque by the nearby city of Rancho Mirage in recognition of his career achievements. While promoting the book in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2007, Gunn joined the judging panel of Project FiveFour 07, to judge gowns designed by 12 students from San Francisco's Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. The competition benefited The Princess Project, a Bay Area charity that gives free prom dresses to high school students who can't afford to buy them on their own. In July 2007, Gunn was interviewed by R. Christian Anderson for Palm Springs Life Magazine. The article entitled "Style Tips for Summer", featured Gunn's sound advice to women who wish to remain fashionable, even during intense desert heat.

In May 2009, Gunn served as commencement speaker at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and received an honorary doctorate from the institution.

He makes sporadic appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson's "Dear Aquaman" segments, helping or standing in for Aquaman (Ferguson), answering letters and dispensing advice.

He guest starred as Barney's personal tailor on the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Gunn is guest-starring as himself on the 6th episode of CW's fourth season of Gossip Girl, "Easy J".

In other media

In August 2007, "Tim Gunn's Podcast (a reality chamber opera)" by Jeffrey Lependorf premiered at the Cornelia Street Cafe in New York City. It received its first run one year later at New York International Fringe Festival.

Gunn appeared in a backup story in the first issue of Models Inc., a fashion-themed comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics that debuted in September 2009 to coincide with New York City's style showcase. Gunn appeared on a variant cover of the issue illustrated by Phil Jimenez. In the series, which is written by Project Runway fan Mark Sumerak and illustrated by Jimenez, Gunn dons the Iron Man armor to foil an attack against the New York Fashion Museum.

Gunn appeared in the opening skit on the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards to style Jimmy Fallon to look like Bruce Springsteen, from his Born in the USA album.

Personal life

Gunn lives in New York City. In a 2006 interview with Instinct, Gunn stated that he had not been in a relationship since the early 1980s, following the abrupt end of a six-year relationship, and that he still loves his former partner, though they are not in contact.

Gunn is an outspoken critic of clothing designs using animal fur. In 2008, he narrated a video about rabbit fur farming in China for animal rights group PETA. He termed the treatment of animals used for fur as "egregiously irresponsible".

Filmography

• Project Runway (2004-present)
• Drinks with LX (2006)
• Ugly Betty (2007)
• Tim Gunn's Guide to Style (2007–2008)
• American Dad! (2008)
• The Replacements (2008)
• Drop Dead Diva (2009)
• Project Runway: All-Star Challenge (2009)
• The Biggest Loser: Second Chances (2009)
• How I Met Your Mother (2010)
• Sex and the City 2 (2010)
• Gossip Girl (2010)
• Teen Spirit (2011)
• Gossip Girl (2011)
• Smurfs (film) (2011)
• The Revolution (2012)
• Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess (2012)

Published works

This biography article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tim Gunn". Reality TV World is not responsible for any errors or omissions this article may contain.