Tannenbaum was born Thomas David Tannenbaum on February 4, 1932 in Beverly Hills, California. His father was a lawyer who represented several actors in and around Beverly Hills. His father also was the mayor of Beverly Hills for two non-consecutive terms.
1952 and 1956.
Tannenbaum was a producer for more than 40 years. And in that time, Tannenbaum served as an executive at several film and television studios. They include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, David Wolper Productions, Paramount Television, Universal Television, and Columbia Pictures Television.
He also had a several year association with producer David Gerber during the 1950s and "60s.
Tannenbaum was also the first president of Viacom Productions. He served in that position from 1984 until 1991.
Tannenbaum, most noted for his television work, started out in film. He began working on staff for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1952.
He worked on several films for the studio.
His most noted film for the studio was Raintree County which starred Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. In the late 1950s, Tannenbaum started working with famed producer David Gerber and his Famous Artists Agency television division. He moved from Seven Arts to Wolper Productions where he stayed until 1969.
In 1969, he took the offer of Stanley R. Jaffe of joining the staff of Paramount Television in New York City.
He became vice president of sales for the studio. The studio sent Tannenbaum to Hollywood in 1970 where he was promoted to vice president in charge of production, succeeding Douglas South. Cramer.
Tannenbaum supervised such series as Mannix, The Odd Couple, The Brady Bunch and Mission: Impossible. Leaving from Paramount in 1971, Tannenbaum became senior vice president of Universal Television.
Under Tannenbaum came several made-for-television movies including The Marcus-Nelson Murders, Sunshine and Lauren Becall"s first television special Applause.
The television series Kojak and The Incredible Hulk were also supervised under Tannenbaum. He stayed there until 1977. In 1977, Tannenbaum became executive vice president of production for Columbia"s television division.
At Columbia, Tannenbaum oversaw the soap operas The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.
He also oversaw production of Fantasy Island. He left Columbia in 1980.
He went back to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer this time for its television subsidiary. While there, Tannenbaum developed and packaged five primetime series, including Fame and Chicago Story, as well as several made-for-television movies and attracted such talent as David Gerber, Valerie Harper’s TLC Productions and Fred Silverman, who he would later bring into Viacom Productions.
After leaving Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in 1980, Tannenbaum went to Centerpoint Productions where he stayed until 1982.
In 1984, Tannenbaum became president of Viacom Productions. He was the first president of the production company. Tannenbaum brought together Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove to producer the Perry Mason movies.
He served as president until 1991.
He had three children, Audrey, Eric and Madelyn. He also had four grandchildren.
Tannenbaum died on December 1, 2001 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital at the age of 69 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. The cause was complications of heart and liver failure.
