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Tom Thayer was the last President of Universal Television prior to the Seagram acquisition in 1997. Before that, he was the founding President of MCA Television Entertainment, MCA/Universal's premiere venture into cable programming. During Thayer's tenure the division produced Dream On for HBO and more than 40 films for cable television, which included the directorial debut of Frank Darabont and the television directorial debut of Bill Condon, with performances from Faye Dunaway, Isabella Rossellini, Gregory Hines, and Pierce Brosnan.
Following the sale of MCA, Thayer started his own production company, Traveler's Rest Films. His productions 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 classic Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which he executive produced with Dick Wolf. In 2007, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee became the most Emmy-nominated picture in the history of HBO, winning six Emmy Awards, including Best Picture, the Critics Choice Award, the PGA and DGA Awards, and the Humanitas Prize. In 2008, Thayer, alongside Ridley Scott, produced a four-hour adaptation of Michael Crichton's bestseller The Andromeda Strain for A&E. The miniseries became the network's second highest-rated telecast and earned seven Emmy nominations. Earlier, in 2004, Thayer created and sold Ghost Hunters with Pilgrim Television. The series went on to become television's most successful and longest-running show in the paranormal genre. In 2012, Thayer produced the theatrical film Hitchcock for Fox Searchlight, starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson.
In 2013, Thayer partnered with Dick Wolf to create a non-scripted television venture in association with Wolf Entertainment. Together, they produced NBC/Universal's highest-rated cable shows, including the current eight season run of Cold Justice. In March of 2024, Thayer and Wolf's series Homicide, produced in association with Alfred Street, became the number one crime franchise on Netflix. In September 2025, Wolf Entertainment released Death Row Confidential in partnership with Vanity Fair Studios and Fireside Pictures. Additionally, Thayer and Wolf recently closed a 16-hour commitment with Condé Nast and Discovery ID, entitled Notorious, for a first-of-its-kind, true crime anthology series, launching alongside companion reporting from Vanity Fair. Upcoming, Thayer and Wolf are producing the CBS 25th Anniversary Tribute to 9/11 in association with filmmaker Marc Levin and producer Daniel Voll.
