There are many actors and actresses known to the public for their on-screen exploits and personas, but there are few who are as well-loved as Tim Allen.

Having held down a spot at the top of Hollywood for decades, there isn’t much that hasn’t been said about the 69-year-old, whether by critics or fans.

It should go without saying that he’s had his fair share of friendships over the years – after all, when you’ve worked with as many people as Tim has, you’re bound to have a veritable who’s who of contacts in your phone book.

Yet, according to the man himself, there’s one person he trusts above all others in the world of showbiz.

Fittingly, it’s a man who played his on-screen counterpart in one of the most memorable children’s

movies of all time.

In a recent interview on the Kelly Clarkson show, Allen spoke of the fast friendship he has built with the widely-adored Tom Hanks.

“He and I differ on so many things. I adore that man’s heart and mind,” Allen said of Hanks.

The A-list pair were reportedly recent seen out and about together, prompting rumors that they might be working on a new film.

“We’ve been going to lunch since Toy Story 1, two times a year, and we’re like two older women ’cause we will sit almost too close to each other at a booth,”

Allen said.

“It’s just weird.”

Indeed, Allen added that during filming for Toy Story 1, Hanks had helped himself to fries from his costar’s plate.

Allen admitted it wasn’t something he had ever been used to – especially since he grew up in a home where that wasn’t a done thing.

On the friendship he shares with Hanks, who played Woody to Allen’s Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise, the latter said:

“And I don’t think l’ve ever trusted a human being as much as Tom to even listen to me and vice versa. We have very different opinions on so many things, but he’s gotten me to accept — he’s really a wonderful and engaging person. He’s the first guy to listen to me and doesn’t judge.”

I don’t know about you, but it warms my heart to see two such likable men forming such a close friendship. Both Allen and Hanks have been at the pinnacle of their profession for so long, and somehow have managed to stay relatively free of controversy.

I think that says more about their moral character than anything else does.