About Jeff Greenfield
Born 1943. Jeff Greenfield is an American journalist and novelist.
Henry Jeffrey Greenfield (born June 10, 1943) is an American television journalist, lawyer, and author.
Early life and education He was born in New York City, to Benjamin and Helen E. Greenfield.
In 1964, he graduated with honors, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Cardinal.
Greenfield was chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor John Lindsay and also worked for seven years with political consultant David Garth.
Over the course of his journalistic career, Greenfield has reported mainly on domestic politics and the media, with occasional pieces on cultural matters. He appeared on the Firing Line television program as early as 1968. For five seasons, he hosted the national public television series "CEO Exchange" where he featured in-depth interviews with high-profile chief executive officers. He served as media commentator for CBS News from 1979 to 1983 and as political and media analyst for ABC News from 1983 to 1997, often appearing on the Nightline program. He was a senior analyst at CNN from 1998 to 2007. On May 1, 2007, Greenfield returned to CBS News, where he served as a senior political correspondent until April 2011. He hosted PBS's "Need to Know" from May 7, 2010, to June 28, 2013. More recently he has done political commentary on NBC Nightly News.
He has also authored or contributed to fourteen books and has written for Time, The New York Times, National Lampoon, Slate, and POLITICO Magazine. He wrote one novel, The People's Choice, with a plot that centers on the Electoral College.
Greenfield has won five Emmy Awards, two for his reporting from South Africa (1985 and 1990) and one for a profile of H. Ross Perot (1992). His bestseller Then Everything Changed was a finalist for the 2011 Sidewise Award for Alternate History, Long Form.
In the fall of 2020, Greenfield served as a Fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future. There, he led a study group discussing political media in the United States.
Personal life Greenfield has been married three times. His first wife was Carrie Carmichael, an author, whom he divorced in February 1993. They have two children: daughter Casey, also a Yale Law School graduate, and son David. Casey married screenwriter Matt Manfredi in 2004 and they divorced in 2006. Casey has a son with CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. from whom he is now divorced. In June 2002, he married Dena Sklar, a real estate broker. They live in Santa Barbara, California, and New York City.
Greenfield has seven grandchildren.
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Important facts
People in Jeff Greenfield's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Jeff Greenfield?
American television journalist and author
When was Jeff Greenfield born?
Jeff Greenfield was born on 10 June 1943 in New York City.
What is Jeff Greenfield's occupation?
Jeff Greenfield is a journalist and novelist.
What nationality is Jeff Greenfield?
Jeff Greenfield is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jeff Greenfield. https://biography.guide/jeff-greenfield/
MLA: "Jeff Greenfield." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jeff-greenfield/.
Chicago: "Jeff Greenfield." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jeff-greenfield/.
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