Tighe was cast in his first major film as an extra in 1967's "The Graduate". After being under contract with Paramount and Universal, Tighe's career took a turn from bit parts and extra work when he was cast as Roy DeSoto on "Emergency!". Following "Emergency!", Tighe went on to make numerous guest television appearances in shows such as "Ellery Queen", "Cos", "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries", and "The Six Million Dollar Man". Aside from "The Graduate", some of Tighe's film credits include "Road House", "City of Hope", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", and "Jade". Tighe won a 1994 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor in "I Love a Man in Uniform". In the 2000s he played Anthony Cooper on the ABC television series "Lost", as well as Giles Corey in the premiere episode of the original WGN America series "Salem".