Heidi Van Pelt- Ex-wife of Taran Noah Smith

Publish date: 2024-05-06

Who is Heidi Van Pelt?

Heidi Van Pelt is the former wife of Taran Noah Smith. Taran is an actor and a philanthropist. She resurfaced as a topic of interest in the media after Taran’s drunk-and-drive case in 2012.

Though she lives a private life, some interesting facts to know about her.

Heidi gained notoriety instead of fame. In her case, her marriage ended with a dispute over money.

Let’s dive in then!

Table of Contents

Quick facts

Full NameHeidi Van Pelt
NicknameHeidi
BirthdayJuly 11, 1968
Age55 years old
SunsignCancer
TraitsPositive– Loyal, selfless and intuitive
Negative– Overreact, stubborn and volatile
BirthplaceMissouri, USA
Current residenceKansas City, Missouri, USA
NationalityAmerican
Education
Blue Springs
Oak Park High School
Stephens College in Columbia (Fashion designing)
University of Missouris
University of Washington (Russian Studies program)
ParentsMarsha Duncan (Mother)
GrandparentsUnknown
SiblingsUnknown
Marital statusDivorced with Taran
ChildrenNolan Eric Smith
ProfessionChef and entrepreneur
Net worthUSD 150k
Height5 feet 8 inches (1.72 m)
Weight55 kgs (121.25 lbs)
EthnicityWhite Caucasian
ReligionChristian
Eye colorGreenish blue
Hair colorGolden brown
Hobbies/ InterestsCooking, watching movies, and makeup
Favorite colorRed and blue
Best match for relation   Aries
Lucky number2, 7 and 9
Best foodVegetarian dishes, including cheese
Favorite actorLouis Lombardie

Early life

Heidi Van Pelt was born on July 11, 1968, in Missouri, to Marsha Duncan. She is from the Midwestern state of Missouri.

The origin of the name Heidi is Germanic which means Noble one.

Her zodiac sign is Cancer. They are loyal, selfless, and intuitive; however, they can be overreactive, stubborn, and volatile.

Heidi Van Pelt had a rough childhood. Her parents divorced when she was only one. As a result, her father never visited and celebrated her birthday.

Marsha worked in many firms and as a city clerk to raise Heidi as a single mother. She was a single mother, and she worked hard to make both ends meet. 

But, she didn’t have time to take proper care of Heidi. Her get-up was offbeat for a child, even offensive at times.

She joined Oak Park School in her early days and later shifted to Blue Springs. She graduated from Blue Springs High School of Missouri in 1986.

After her graduation, Heidi joined Stephens College in Columbia to study design. 

She was a sorority girl. Heidi even tried studying multiple subjects like German and Philosophy together. But, she eventually left the program for a better opportunity.

Heidi moved to attend the University of Washington’s Russian Studies program in 1988. 

She joined a course to become a CIA agent there. However, she could not complete the course and left one semester before graduation.

Heidi tried her luck in a media company, which soon ran out of business. Then, she left Missouri and went to Los Angeles. 

She worked as a production assistant and a prop master for various TV and movie sets. However, the job seemed too tiring for her, so Heidi wanted a change of career. 

This time, she found her true calling.

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Fashion sense

Heidi based most of her appearances on skirts, accrediting her “lady” looks. She is fond of bright colors and picks subtle red and blue hues for her tops and t-shirts. She wears caps and puffed sleeves tops very often.

One of Heidi’s famous pictures is of the red carpet of the PETA 25th Anniversary Gala and awards. She had worn a dashing sky blue colored bateau neck dress skirt for the event.

Heidi had perfectly matched the outfit with pointed-heel light-golden shoes. She also wore a collier bead necklace and complimentary blue earrings.

Heidi’s favorites include the red low waist bell-bottom jeans and half-sleeved belly t-shirt. In addition, she styled her front hair in red wine highlights.

Heidi has a keen interest in jewelry. But, she does not seem to care as much about her earrings as her neck accessories. She has clicked pictures wearing different forms of necklaces, be it an occasion or not.

Heidi is a fantastic cook and an extensive food lover. She tries new and delicious recipes and is a vegetarian. Her old pictures with cheese nuts and curry are as popular as Hawaii’s latest pictures.

Relationships

In 1998, Heidi Van Pelt and Taran Noah Smith met at a party for the first time. He was only 14, and Heidi had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, things changed in 2000; she went through a bad breakup.

They met at a movie premiere, where they talked about their mutual interest in music. The attraction was a mutual one.

So Taran invited her to jam in his recording studio.

They both hit it off.

Heidi agreed to move with him to Sherman Oaks. Taran even lied about her age for approval from her parents.

After two months, a speeding ticket incident revealed Heidi’s actual age. His parents freaked out and kicked Heidi out. Taran also moved out.

Due to a lack of finance, they stayed at a friend’s place. Taran worked as a landscaper, and Heidi taught cooking.

The media covered Taran’s disappearance in great detail, presenting him as a missing person rather than a runaway.

Heidi arranged their secret marriage with the help of her old friend David Scott Whinery. However, California’s judge rejected the wedding as the groom was a minor.

Additionally, the authorities denied Taran access to his trust.

After some time, they moved back to LA and started their own business.

Heidi and her husband also invested in clean energy technologies. The teen wanted to party, but the mature Heidi wanted some to relax.

Moreover, they started quarreling about cleaning up after the parties and cheating. They ended up fighting evil about the ownership and Heidi filed for a divorce, and Taran filed for an annulment.

The couple broke off on terrible terms with each other.

Heidi Van Pelt left with her business.

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Taran Noah Smith (ex-husband)

Taran played in the sitcom “Home improvement,” which ran for eight years from 1991 to 1999. He is widely known for his role as Mark Taylor in the sitcom.

Taran Noah was also awarded twice, in 1992 and 1994, for the same sitcom.

He married Heidi on April 27, 2001, in Topeka. Taran was only 17.

He worked in media throughout his teenage. Their marriage was a perfect recipe for controversy. 

As expected, it created a lot of headlines and shook the world due to their age difference, the age of Taran, and his popularity.

In their seven-year-long married life, Nolan Eric Smith, they had a son together.

Heidi lived with Taran in Lawrence, near the industrial state. She was 33, and her husband was 18. Her ex-husband had access to his trust fund’s income, which amounted to USD 1.5 million.

He wrongly accused his parents of squandering his hard-earned money to buy a mansion. But unfortunately, it took Taran a long time to realize it and confess his guilt in front of the media.

People were skeptical about their marriage and predicted that it wouldn’t work out.

In an interview, Heidi Van Pelt said that the reason for divorce was the infidelity and the excessive partying habit of Taran

Additionally, police convicted Noah of DUI and possession of illegal substances. 

Her husband accused Heidi’s sexual preference as the reason. He stated that she preferred girls over guys. So they agreed to have an open marriage. But when Taran started dating other girls, she was furious. His lawyer stated, “You can thank his gold-digging ex-wife for the debacle he’s in.”

But, sparks of controversy arose in the media when rumors about Taran’s infidelity spread. 

Heidi’s current relationship status shows nothing. And she has maintained privacy after her divorce.

Career

People say you meet the right people at the right time when you have sheer good luck.

Vegan cooking was not a new thing for a mid-western vegetarian – Heidi. She met an animal rights activist in Seattle, which helped her find a vegan chef job at the center of Hollywood parties.

Heidi Van Pelt met her future husband Taran at such a party for the first time.

She returned to Kansas in 1994. 

In LA, Heidi worked as a nutritional counselor after taking an online course from the American Academy of Nutrition.

She was on the verge of divorce when she started teaching about balanced diets. 

Taran’s controversy went to the next level when he announced that he
Heidi had appeared with her ex-husband Taran at various events. One of them was the PETA 25th Anniversary Gala and awards in LA.

Even after Heidi’s divorce, her pictures with famous actors like Louis in 2008 went viral.

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Charity work for Heidi Van Pelt

Heidi and her husband were more conscious of animal rights. That is why she had formed a non-dairy cheese manufacturer. It encouraged vegan practice to reduce animal abuse.

Heidi had also promoted a vegan diet by opening a restaurant called Playfood. Her ex-husband is a vegan, too. In addition, Taran had an interest in social activities like volunteering and teaching.

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The net worth of Heidi Van Pelts

Her net worth is approximately USD 150 thousand.

Social media

Heidi’s formal Instagram page is not yet available to the media. However, her Facebook page is public.

She rarely posts on her wall. However, her recent post has a stylish look at her living room. She also wrote about mental health and girl child abuse for awareness-raising.

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