Tinker was born inStamford, Connecticut,[1] the son of Ruth Prince Tinker (née Byerly) (1927–2004) and future NBC chairmanGrant Tinker (1926–2016), and is the brother ofJohn Tinker, with whom he worked onSt. Elsewhere. His stepmother wasMary Tyler Moore, who was married to Grant Tinker from 1962 until 1981. His brother Michael was a Los Angeles policeman and detective for over 30 years.
Tinker was an executive producer and regular director on theHBO seriesDeadwood. Tinker joined theHBO western dramaDeadwood for the third and final season in 2006. The series was created byDavid Milch and focused on a growing town in the American West. Prior toDeadwood, Tinker served as a director/producer onNYPD Blue, which was co-created byDeadwood writerDavid Milch. Tinker also produced and/or directed episodes ofThe White Shadow,St. Elsewhere,Capital News,Civil Wars,Chicago Hope,L.A. Law,Grey's Anatomy,Private Practice,Scandal,Chicago P.D.,Magnum P.I., andAmerican Gods.Tinker last collaborated with David Milch on the short-lived HBO drama seriesJohn from Cincinnati, which began airing in June, 2007. Tinker directed the pilot and served as executive producer. Tinker has 4 Emmy awards - 1 for producing NYPD Blue, 1 for directing NYPD Blue, 1 for St. Elsewhere and 1 for directing the Brooklyn South pilot. Additionally he has 3 George Foster Peabody awards, 3 Humanitas Prize awards and 7 DGA nominations.
