Grant Tinker







































Grant Tinker

Grant Tinker at the 64th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg
Grant Tinker at the 64th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2005

Born
Grant Almerin Tinker


(1926-01-11)January 11, 1926

Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.

Died November 28, 2016(2016-11-28) (aged 90)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Alma mater Dartmouth College
Occupation Television producer and executive
Known for CEO of NBC (1981–86)
Spouse(s)

  • Ruth Byerly
    (m. 1950; div. 1962)


  • Mary Tyler Moore
    (m. 1962; div. 1981)

  • Brooke Knapp

Children 4, including Mark and John Tinker
Awards
Television Hall of Fame (1997)

Grant Almerin Tinker (January 11, 1926 – November 28, 2016) was an American television executive who served as Chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Additionally, he was the co-founder of MTM Enterprises and a television producer. Tinker was the husband of actress and producer Mary Tyler Moore for 19 years (1962–1981).




Contents






  • 1 Life and career


  • 2 Personal life


  • 3 Death


  • 4 Awards and honors


  • 5 References


  • 6 Further reading


  • 7 External links





Life and career


Tinker was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Margaret (née Hessin) and Arthur Almerin Tinker.[1][2]


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.[3]


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 company's first television series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. MTM produced such popular American sitcoms and drama television series as Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, and St. Elsewhere. After his divorce from Moore in 1981, Tinker left MTM to become the chairman and CEO of NBC, then the perennial last-place American television network (in terms of Nielsen ratings and profits). During Tinker's tenure in NBC's top position, the network regained ratings and produced the popular shows The Cosby Show, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues. Tinker left the network in 1986, shortly after its parent company RCA was bought by General Electric. After leaving NBC, Tinker tried to repeat his success with MTM by forming GTG (Grant Tinker-Gannett) Entertainment, but the business venture failed and the company closed in 1990.[citation needed]



Personal life


Tinker was married three times. In 1950 to Ruth Byerly, with whom he had three sons and a daughter.[4] Two of their sons, Mark and John, are successful producers. Tinker's marriage to Byerly ended in divorce in 1962.[4] Later that same year, Tinker married actress Mary Tyler Moore. This marriage also ended in divorce 19 years later in 1981. Tinker's third marriage was to aviator Brooke Knapp, with whom he remained married until his death in 2016.



Death


Tinker died at his Los Angeles home on November 28, 2016, at the age of 90.[3] His death came just two months before the death of his ex-wife Mary Tyler Moore.[5]



Awards and honors



  • Tinker was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1997.

  • In 2004, Tinker won a personal Peabody Award "for recognizing, protecting, and fostering creativity of the highest order."[6]



References





  1. ^ "Miss Ruth Byerly Connecticut Bride; a Bridal Couple, a Bride and an Engaged Girl". The New York Times. 1950-03-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-17..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ "Arthur Almerin Tinker". longislandsurnames.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.


  3. ^ ab McFadden, Robert D. (2016-11-30). "Grant Tinker, Former Chairman of NBC, Dies at 90; Made Network a Ratings Powerhouse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-17.


  4. ^ ab Shah, Diane K. (1987-10-25). "Starting Over: Tv's Grant Tinker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-20.


  5. ^ Heffernan, Virginia (2017-01-25). "Mary Tyler Moore, Who Incarnated the Modern Woman on TV, Dies at 80". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-17.


  6. ^ "Personal Award: Grant Tinker". Peabody Award. Winter 2004.




Further reading



  • Tinker, Grant; Rukeyser, Bud (1994). Tinker in Television: From General Sarnoff to General Electric. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671759407.


External links




  • Grant Tinker on IMDb


  • Grant Tinker at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television


  • Grant Tinker profile at the Museum of Broadcast Communications website









Business positions
Preceded by
Fred Silverman

CEO of NBC
1981–1986
Succeeded by
Bob Wright











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