Mark Tinker

Executive Producer, Director

After graduating from Syracuse University in 1973, Mark Tinker was fortunate enough to secure an entry-level position with a two-year stint as a production assistant at Lorimar Productions where he worked on such shows as "The Waltons." His next opportunity was as an Associate Producer at MTM Productions on various programs including "The Bob Newhart Show" where he was given his first shot at directing. In 1978, Bruce Paltrow offered Tinker the job of Producer on "The White Shadow." That pairing led to a decade-long producing relationship highlighted by the long running medical drama "St. Elsewhere." Tinker wrote and directed episodes for both series.

In 1990, Tinker began his first working relationship with the inestimable David Milch, producing the newspaper themed "Capital News." Following a fifteen-year run at MTM, Tinker directed several pilots and movies-of-the-week before landing at 20th Century Fox as Executive Producer for Steven Bochco's acclaimed divorce attorney series "Civil Wars." He then Executive Produced "L.A. Law's" last season before rejoining Milch as Executive Producer of "NYPD Blue." After "Blue" concluded its twelve-year run and before transistioning to John From Cincinnati Tinker was Executive Producer and a director of HBO's Deadwood and helmed a pair of season finale episodes of Grey's Anatomy. In addition to Executive Producing Milch's latest effort for HBO, John From Cincinnati, he directed the series pilot.

During his thirty-five year career in television, Tinker has been nominated for sixteen Emmy Awards , taking home four: one for producing (NYPD Blue, 1995) and three for directing (St. Elsewhere, 1993; NYPD Blue, 1997; Brooklyn South, 1998). Additionally, he has two George Foster Peabody Awards and has been nominated for seven Director's Guild of America Awards.

Mark has a son, Jake, 27, and is married to actress Chandra West.