Maurie Fields
Maurice Fields (born Maurice Sheil, 4 August 1926 – 18 December 1995)[1] was an Australian vaudeville performer, actor and stand-up comedian.
Maurie Fields | |
---|---|
Born | Maurice Sheil 4 August 1926 Manly, New South Wales. |
Died | 18 December 1995 69) Melbourne, Australia. | (aged
Other names | Maurice Fields |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1967-1995 |
Spouse(s) | Dorothy Field, Val Jellay (1960–95) |
Children | 4 including Marty Fields |
Career
Fields became a well-known face on television first thanks to his comic sketches on live programs like Sunnyside Up and later dramatic roles as the conniving John Quinney in ABC TV's Bellbird. He also featured in many soap operas on commercial television, including Cop Shop, The Box, Prisoner (a small part playing crooked screw Leonard "Len" Murphy, and he had previously played two smaller parts in the show) and publican Vic Buckley in The Flying Doctors. He was also a regular as Fred Farrell in situation comedy series Bobby Dazzler (1977) and did regular comedy segments on Hey Hey It's Saturday.
He was also the editor of the jokes pages of the Australasian Post magazine for many years, a role continued by his son Marty after Maurie's passing. He appeared in retro-capture with his son Marty, in the Hey Hey reunions.
Selected filmography
- Hunter (1967)
- Country Town (1971) (TV film)
- Cactus (1986) (film)
- Evil Angels (film) 1988
- Bellbird – John Quinney
Television
- Cop Shop
- The Box
- Prisoner
- Hey Hey Its Saturday – as himself
- The Flying Doctors – Vic Buckley
- Neighbours – Sid
Personal life and Logie Honor
Fields was the son of an accountant and married twice. His first wife was Dorothy, and they had three children: Lorraine, Eileen and Alan. He then married the comedian and actress Val Jellay, who also portrayed his screen wife in The Flying Doctors. They played publicans Vic and Nancy Buckley. He was the father of comedian Marty Fields.
He died on 18 December 1995, from a heart attack, and became the first actor to be posthumously inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame. That honor was accepted at the awards ceremony in his name by his widow and long-time acting partner, Val Jellay.[2]
Discography
Albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
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AUS [3] | ||
The Great Aussie Joke (with Shane Bourne) |
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- |
Cheers! |
|
81 |
At His Best |
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Charting singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
AUS [3] | |||
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" | 1990 | 149 | Cheers |
References
- "Prisoner Cell Block H Escapees - Maurie Fields". www.thateden.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 August 2002.
- McColl Jones, Mike (1999), And Now Here’s..., Aerospace Publications, Canberra, pp. 102 & 103.
- "Bubbling Down Under Week commencing 3 December 1990". www.bubblingdownunder.com. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.