{{short description|American television executive (born 1952)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Warren Littlefield | image = Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield and John Cameron at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards (cropped).jpg | caption = Littlefield at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|5|11}} | birth_place = Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Executive | spouse = | years_active = 1979–present | children = }}
'''Warren W. Littlefield''' (born May 11, 1952) is an American television executive.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Littlefield attended Montclair High School and graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where he was awarded a BA in Psychology.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/527517%7C0/warren-littlefield#biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511012516/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/527517%7C0/Warren-Littlefield#biography |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |title=Biography for Warren Littlefield |publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=2019-06-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Derr |first=Christian |title=2024 Warren Littlefield |url=https://njhalloffame.org/2024-inductees/2024-warren-littlefield/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=New Jersey Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=7vYwAIpnYYA|title=Warren Littlefield: Television Audiences Will Find Great Content, Wherever}}</ref>
== Career at NBC == A protégé of Brandon Tartikoff, Littlefield developed ''Cheers'', ''Seinfeld'', ''The Cosby Show'', and ''The Golden Girls'' as senior and executive vice president of NBC Entertainment under Tartikoff. During his time as President of NBC Entertainment (1991–1998), Littlefield oversaw the creation of many shows for the network throughout the 1990s such as ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', ''Wings'', ''Blossom'', ''Mad About You'', ''Sisters'', ''Frasier'', ''Friends'', ''ER'', ''Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''Caroline in the City'', ''NewsRadio'', ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', ''Suddenly Susan'', ''Just Shoot Me!'', ''Will & Grace'' and ''The West Wing''.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
In 2012, he wrote a book, with T. R. Pearson, about his time at NBC entitled ''Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV Paperback |first=Warren |last=Littlefield |date=2013 |publisher=Anchor Books | isbn=978-0-307-73976-6}}</ref>
== Television producing == Since leaving NBC, Littlefield has executive produced TV series such as ''My Generation'', ''Fargo'', ''The Handmaid's Tale, and The Old Man.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Derr |first=Christian |title=2024 Warren Littlefield |url=https://njhalloffame.org/2024-inductees/2024-warren-littlefield/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=New Jersey Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Other appearances == Littlefield can be seen sitting at the bar during the series finale of ''Cheers''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reinhold |first=Robert |date=1993-04-02 |title=One Last Round as 'Cheers' Finale Is Taped |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/02/news/one-last-round-as-cheers-finale-is-taped.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Littlefield had a brief cameo as himself in a 1997 episode of ''The Larry Sanders Show'' and again appeared as himself in the 1999 film ''Love Stinks''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Larry Sanders Show: “Montana”/“You're Having My Baby” |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-larry-sanders-show-montana-youre-having-my-baby-1798177052 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=AV Club |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=By |date=1999-09-10 |title=‘Love Stinks’ stinks |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1999/09/10/love-stinks-stinks/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> He also appeared in an episode of ''Blossom''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
== In popular culture == Littlefield was played by Bob Balaban in ''The Late Shift''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=1996-02-20 |title=The Late Shift |url=https://variety.com/1996/tv/reviews/the-late-shift-1200444917/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Balaban had previously played Russell Dalrymple, a character based on Littlefield, during the fourth season of ''Seinfeld''. == References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|0514716}}
{{start box}} {{s-bus}} {{succession box | title = President of NBC Entertainment | before = Brandon Tartikoff | after = Scott Sassa | years = 1991-1998 }} {{end box}}
{{Presidents of NBC Entertainment}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Littlefield, Warren}} Category:1952 births Category:American television executives Category:Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni Category:Living people Category:Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni Category:NBC executives Category:NBCUniversal people Category:Mass media people from Montclair, New Jersey Category:Presidents of NBC Entertainment