Chip Fields
{{short description|American singer, actress, director, and producer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chip Fields
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| othername =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| nationality =
| years_active = 1974–present
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|actress|television director}}
| spouse =
| known_for = Linella Gordon – Good Times
Laverne Hunter – Living Single
Rita Conway – The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series)
| children =
}}
Chip Fields is an American singer, actress, television director, and producer who has appeared in popular films, television series, and Broadway theatre. She is best known for portraying Linella Gordon, the abusive birth mother of Penny Gordon Woods (played by Janet Jackson), in a four–episode story arc (1977) of the 1970s sitcom Good Times.
Early life and career
Fields began her career as a singer. She joined Ronnie Spector as a Ronette in 1973 and recorded two singles for Buddah Records.{{Cite book|last=Clemente|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iV4sGvUChJoC&q=chip+fields+ronettes&pg=PA408|title=Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World|date=2013|isbn=978-1-4772-7633-4|pages=408|publisher=AuthorHouse |language=en}}
Fields began her acting career as an extra in the 1974 film Claudine. She has had numerous supporting roles and guest appearances on television. She played an unwed mother opposite Patty Weaver in the NBC television soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Also during the 1970s, she played the abusive birth mother of Millicent "Penny" Gordon Woods (Janet Jackson) on the sitcom Good Times.
From 1978 to 1979, she played Rita Conway in the short-lived The Amazing Spider-Man TV series. Rita Conway was J. Jonah Jameson's secretary, the same function as the black Glory Grant from the 1970s comics. She also appeared in What's Happening!!, Hill Street Blues, T. J. Hooker, Roc, Kirk (a short-lived sitcom starring Kirk Cameron), The Wayans Bros., and The Parkers. She played the role of "Laverne", mother to the character "Regine" (played by Kim Fields) on Living Single.
Fields was a consultant for The Parkers, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Living Single, and was a dialogue coach for the film, Menace II Society. She also directed episodes of the popular UPN sitcoms, One on One, All of Us, Girlfriends, The Parkers, as well as episodes of Romeo!, Just Jordan, Hannah Montana, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns.{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/23360/Chip-Hurd/filmography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104170555/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/23360/Chip-Hurd/filmography |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |date=2012 |title=Chip Fields Filmography|access-date=June 30, 2011}}''
Discography
- 1973 (as Ronnie and the Ronettes) – "Go Out and Get It" b/w "Lover, Lover" (Buddha 384)
- 1974 (as Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes) – "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" b/w "I Wonder What He's Doing" (Buddha 408)
Filmography
=Acting=
==Film==
==Television==
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref. |
|---|
| 1974
| Change at 125th Street | Harriet Morse | Made-for-TV movie directed by Bob LaHendro and Michael Schultz |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/464103/change-at-125th-street|title=Change at 125th Street|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
| 1975
| Girl in Bar | Episode: "Face for a Shadow" (S 3:Ep 6) | |
| 1976
| Rochelle | Episode: "J.J.'s New Career, part 2" (S 4:Ep 8) | |
| rowspan="6" | 1977
| Rhoda | Nurse Franklin | Episode: "A Night in the Emergency Room" (S 3:Ep 16) | |
| Days of Our Lives
| Toni Johnson | Episode: "Episode #1.2962" (S 12:Ep 962) | |
| What's Happening!!
| Norma | Episode: "From Here to Maternity" (S 1:Ep 21) | |
| Good Times
| Lynetta Gordon | Season 5, episodes 1–3 "The Evans Get Involved" | |
| What's Happening!!
| Donna | Episode: "Give Me Odds" (S 2:Ep 8) | |
| Freeman
| Osa Lee | Made-for-TV movie directed by Lloyd Richards. | |
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| Kelly Johnson | Episode: "A Ransom in Diamonds" (S 6:Ep 16) | |
| Battered
| Ginny Sinclair | Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Peter Werner. |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/23542/battered|title=Battered|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
| 1978–79
| Rita Conway | {{cRecurring}} | |
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| What's Happening!! | Donna | Episode: "Food Poisoning" (S 3:Ep 16) | |
| Good Times
| Linella Gordon | Episode: "A Matter of Mothers" (S 6:Ep 21) | |
| 1980
| The Night the City Screamed | Yvonne Clements | Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Harry Falk. |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/474181/the-night-the-city-screamed|title=The Night the City Screamed|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
| rowspan="2" | 1982
| Mrs. Halloran | Episode: "The Shooter" (S 2:Ep 17) | |
| The Facts of Life Goes to Paris
| Louise | Made-for-TV movie directed by Asaad Kelada. |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/460272/the-facts-of-life-goes-to-paris|title=The Facts of Life Goes to Paris|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| Carolyn Webster | Episode: "Anatomy of a Killing" (S 4:Ep 5) | |
| rowspan="2" | The Facts of Life
| rowspan="2" | Diane Ramsey | Episode: "Mother and Daughter" (S 5:Ep 21) | |
| 1986
| Episode: "The Graduate" (S 7:Ep 23) | |
| 1992
| Roc | Ms. Wilson | Episode: " No Notes Is Good Notes" (S 1:Ep 16) | |
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| Bonita | Episode: "The Terminator" (S 1:Ep 13) | |
| rowspan="7" | Living Single
| Bar Patron | Episode: "Living Kringle" (S 1:Ep 15) | |
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| Bev | Episode: "The Hand That Robs the Cradle" (S 1:Ep 17) | |
| rowspan="5" | Laverne Hunter
| Episode: "She Ain't Heavy, She My Mother" (S 1:Ep 26) | |
| rowspan="4" | 1995
| Episode: "To Grandmother's House We Go" (S 2:Ep 25) | |
| Episode: "Talk Showdown" (S 2:Ep 26)
| |
| Episode: "Come Back Little Diva" (S 3:Ep 1)
| |
| Episode: "Rags to Riches" (S 3:Ep 5)
| |
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| Kirk | Nurse | Episode" Operation Kirk" (S 1:Ep 20) | |
| rowspan="5" | Living Single
| rowspan="3" | Laverne Hunter | Episode: "Compromising Positions" (S 3:Ep 26) | |
| rowspan="4" | 1997
| Episode: "Mother Inferior" (S 4:Ep 13) | |
| Episode: "Never Can Say Goodbye" (S 4:Ep 24)
| |
| Woman
| Episode: "Up the Ladder Through the Roof" (S 5:Ep 6) | |
| Laverne Hunter
| Episode: "Three Men and a Buckeye" (S 5:Ep 8) | |
| 1998
| Susan Sparks | Episode: "Escorting Ain't Easy" (S 5:Ep 6) | |
| 2000
| Wilma McCoy | Episode: "Turkey Day Blues" (S 2:Ep 10) | |
| 2007
| Gert | Episode: "Fist of Funny" (S 1:Ep 8) | |
=Production=
==Film==
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref. |
|---|
| 1993
| Dialogue coach | Hood drama thriller film directed by Allen and Albert Hughes |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/83324/menace-ii-society#credits|title=Menace II Society|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
==Television==
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref. |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 1993–94
| rowspan="2" | Consultant | rowspan="3" | Television sitcom | |
| Living Single
| |
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| Dialogue consultant | |
| Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
| Director | Episode: "Groom & Bride" (S 2:Ep 21) | |
| 1997
| Arsenio | rowspan="2" | Consultant | Television sitcom | |
| rowspan ="2" | 1999
| Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century | Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Kenneth Johnson |{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/482807/zenon-girl-of-the-21st-century#credits|title=Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century|work=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=March 15, 2016}} |
| Sister, Sister
| Director | Episode: "The Road Less Traveled" (S 6:Ep 21) | |
| 2000–03
| Consultant (69 episodes)/Director (4 episodes) | Television sitcom | |
| 2001
| rowspan="20"| Director | Episode: "You Better Watch Out" (S 2:Ep 11) | |
| 2003–05
| Romeo! | Television sitcom (7 episodes) | |
| 2003–06
| Television sitcom (5 episodes) | |
| 2005
| Episode: "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (S 3:Ep 2) | |
| 2006
| Episode: "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Zit Is About You" (S 1:Ep 13) | |
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Television sitcom (3 episodes) | |
| Just Jordan
| Television sitcom (4 episodes) | |
| 2009
| Television sitcom (2 episodes) | |
| 2009–12
| Television sitcom (12 episodes) | |
| 2020–25
| Television sitcom (44 episodes) | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0276209}}
- {{IBDB name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Commons category|Chip Fields}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Chip}}
Category:African-American television directors
Category:American film actresses
Category:American stage actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:American women television directors
Category:African-American actresses
Category:20th-century African-American women singers