Tim Kring
A television creator who specializes in weaving vast, interconnected narratives about ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American screenwriter & producer·Birthday: July 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Tim Kring built his career in television by thinking on an epic, sprawling scale. After cutting his teeth on shows like 'Knight Rider' and 'Teen Wolf,' he found his signature with 'Heroes,' a series that captured the mid-2000s zeitgeist by applying the language of comic books to a global ensemble drama. The show's first season was a cultural event, asking a simple, powerful question: What if superpowers emerged in everyday people around the world? While later projects like 'Touch' and 'Heroes Reborn' continued his fascination with interconnected destinies and hidden patterns in the universe, Kring's legacy is that of a bold conceptualist. He pushed network television toward serialized, myth-heavy storytelling, proving that audiences would embrace complex, character-driven sagas about latent human potential.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Tim was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Tim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and executive produced the hit NBC series 'Heroes,' whose first season was a major ratings and critical success.
- Developed and produced the drama 'Crossing Jordan,' which starred Jill Hennessy and ran for six seasons.
- Pioneered the use of transmedia storytelling with 'Heroes,' expanding the narrative through webcomics and online videos.
- Co-created the Fox series 'Touch,' starring Kiefer Sutherland, which explored mathematical patterns connecting all life.
Did You Know?
He worked as a journalist for the Associated Press before moving into television writing.
Kring is a dedicated advocate for social change through media, founding the 'Heroes' global initiative 'The Eclipse.'
He directed his first feature film, 'The Grief Tourist,' in 2013.
“The idea was to take the superhero genre and ground it in a very real world, with real people.”
