Byron Stewart (born May 1, 1956 in Baxter Springs, Kansas) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Warren Coolidge in the television series
The White Shadow and the television medical drama
St. Elsewhere. Stewart's first credited acting role came in 1977 at age 21 in the movie
Fire Sale, a comedy in which a Jewish basketball coach adopts a tall African-American teenage boy (played by Stewart) to help him win games. Ken Howard stated in
The White Shadow season 1 DVD commentary that, after seeing a re-run of
Fire Sale, he immediately phoned Bruce Paltrow and said he wanted Stewart for a role as one of his basketball players. Howard wanted at least one "player" taller than himself for the "team." Stewart, who is 6'8" tall, later reprised the role of Warren Coolidge in another Paltrow-directed series,
St. Elsewhere"> ()