Biographie
Tom Thayer served as the final President of Universal Television before the Seagram acquisition in 1997. Prior to that, he was the founding President of MCA Television Entertainment, MCA/Universal's initial foray into cable programming. Under his leadership, the division produced HBO's Dream On and over 40 cable television films, featuring the directorial debut of Frank Darabont and the television directorial debut of Bill Condon, with performances by Faye Dunaway, Isabella Rossellini, Gregory Hines, and Pierce Brosnan.
After MCA's sale, Thayer founded his own production company, Traveler's Rest Films. His credits include The Great Gatsby, starring Mira Sorvino, Toby Stephens, and Paul Rudd; the John McCain biography Faith of My Fathers; and the HBO adaptation of Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which he executive produced alongside Dick Wolf. In 2007, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee became HBO’s most Emmy-nominated production ever, winning six Emmys including Best Picture, as well as the Critics Choice Award, PGA and DGA Awards, and the Humanitas Prize. In 2008, Thayer and Ridley Scott produced a four-hour adaptation of Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain for A&E, which became the network’s second highest-rated telecast and received seven Emmy nominations. Earlier, in 2004, Thayer created and sold Ghost Hunters with Pilgrim Television; the series became the most successful and longest-running paranormal show on television. In 2012, he produced the theatrical film Hitchcock for Fox Searchlight, starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson.
In 2013, Thayer teamed up with Dick Wolf to launch a non-scripted television venture in partnership with Wolf Entertainment. Together, they produced NBC/Universal’s highest-rated cable shows, including the ongoing eight-season run of Cold Justice. In March 2024, their series Homicide, produced with Alfred Street, became the top crime franchise on Netflix. In September 2025, Wolf Entertainment released Death Row Confidential in collaboration with Vanity Fair Studios and Fireside Pictures. Additionally, Thayer and Wolf recently secured a 16-hour deal with Condé Nast and Discovery ID for Notorious, a groundbreaking true crime anthology series that will launch alongside companion reporting from Vanity Fair. Upcoming projects include producing the CBS 25th Anniversary Tribute to 9/11 in collaboration with filmmaker Marc Levin and producer Daniel Voll.
