Tinker was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Prince (née Byerly) (1927–2004) and former NBC chairman Grant Tinker (1926–2016), and the brother of John Tinker, with whom he worked on St. Elsewhere. His stepmother was Mary Tyler Moore, who was married to Grant Tinker from 1962 until 1981.
Tinker was born in Stamford, Connecticut and graduated from Syracuse University in 1973. Formerly married (1988–2000) to the Actress and Painter Kristin Harmon, he married Actress Chandra West in October 2005.
Tinker joined the crew of the HBO western drama Deadwood as an executive Producer and Director for the third and final season in 2006. The series was created by David Milch and focused on a growing town in the American West. Tinker directed the episodes "Tell Your God to Ready for Blood", "Unauthorized Cinnamon", "A Constant Throb" and "Tell Him Something Pretty".
Tinker last collaborated with David Milch on the short-lived HBO drama series John from Cincinnati, which began airing in June, 2007. Tinker directed the pilot and served as executive Producer.
