Tinker was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Margaret (née Hessin) and Arthur Almerin Tinker. During World War II, Tinker served in the United States Army Air Forces Reserve. He graduated from Dartmouth College. His sons, Mark and John, are also producers. In 1961, Tinker rejoined NBC and was the head of West Coast programming, where he developed I Spy, Dr. Kildare, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Tinker married Moore in 1962. In 1969, they formed the television production company MTM Enterprises. Tinker hired Room 222 writers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to create and produce the...
