Carr was born into an acting family on July 4, 1907 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was the actor William Carr and his mother was the actress Mary Carr. Thomas Carr followed the family profession, and in 1915 began acting in silent films. From 1915 through 1953, Carr played small supporting roles in a number of low budget Hollywood films, but Carr's star as an actor did not rise.

In 1945, he turned to directing, and from 1945 through 1951 Carr directed numerous B movies for Hollywood's Poverty Row. Most of Carr's films were Westerns, but in 1948 he was co-director (along with Spencer Gordon Bennet) of the live-action Superman serial. From 1951 to 1968, Carr's directing was focused mainly on television. He directed episodes of numerous television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, including episodes of Lassie, Adventures of Superman, Daniel Boone, Wanted: Dead or Alive, and Gunsmoke.

His older brother Stephen was a recurring cast member, in various roles, during the first season of Adventures of Superman. Steve is also seen pointing "up in the sky" during the opening credits of the black and white episodes.

Thomas Carr retired from directing in 1968. He died in Ventura, California on 23 April 1997.

• Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 30.

• Thomas Carr at IMDb
• Tommy Carr in middle age, signed portrait (archived)