Maurice Fields (born Maurice Sheil, 4 August 1926 – 18 December 1995) was an Australian

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer, actor and

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

Career

Fields became a well-known face on television first thanks to his comic sketches on live programs like ''

Sunnyside Up ''Sunnyside-Up'' was a black and white weekly variety program produced at HSV-7 Melbourne, during the late 1950s until the mid 1960s. Surviving Kinescope episodes sometimes presented the title in three words as “Sunny Side Up“ and with a ...

'' 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 ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. The show The show revolved ar ...

'', '' The Box'', ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' (a small part playing crooked

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

Leonard "Len" Murphy, and he had previously played two smaller parts in the show) and

publican In antiquity, publicans (Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the ...

Vic Buckley in ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. T ...

''. He was also a regular as Fred Farrell in situation comedy series ''

Bobby Dazzler ''Bobby Dazzler'' was an Australian television sitcom produced by Crawford Productions, starring pop singer John Farnham as well as Daniel Rumpf and Darrin Collier as the title characters: up-and-coming pop music stars Frankie Marie Vicars and B ...

'' (1977) and did regular comedy segments on ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

''. 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 Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'' (1967) *''

Country Town A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while th ...

'' (1971) (TV film) *''

Cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

'' (1986) (film) *

Evil Angels (film) ''Evil Angels'' (released as ''A Cry in the Dark'' outside Australia and New Zealand) is a 1988 Australian drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson (author), John Bryson's 1985 ...

1988 *'' Bellbird'' – John Quinney

Television

*''

'' *'' The Box'' *''

'' *''

Hey Hey Its Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' was a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

'' – as himself *''

'' – Vic Buckley *''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' – 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 Valerie Muriel Jellay (born Valerie Jelly; September 1927 – 6 May 2017) was an Australian vaudevillian, actress, soubrette, dancer, author and TV personality. At the time of her death, she was the widow of fellow Australian vaudevillian, ...

, who also portrayed his screen wife in ''

''. They played publicans Vic and Nancy Buckley. He was the father of comedian

Marty Fields Marty Fields (born 18 December 1961) is an Australian comedian, host/mc, actor, writer, musician, singer, and radio presenter from Melbourne. Professional career The son of Australian actors Maurie Fields and Val Jellay, Fields has had lon ...

. He died on 18 December 1995, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, and became the first actor to be posthumously inducted into the ''

Logie Hall of Fame The Logie Hall of Fame is a specialised industry-voted award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. It was first awarded at the 26th Annual TV Week Logie Awards held in 1984. The award is given to recognise the outstanding c ...

.'' That honor was accepted at the awards ceremony in his name by his widow and long-time acting partner, Val Jellay.McColl Jones, Mike (1999), ''And Now Here’s...'', Aerospace Publications, Canberra, pp. 102 & 103.

Discography

Albums

Charting singles

References

External links

* 1926 births 1995 deaths Australian male comedians Australian male television actors Logie Award winners Vaudeville performers 20th-century Australian male actors 20th-century Australian comedians {{Australia-actor-stub