American singer, actress, director, and producer
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 . In real life, she is the mother of actress Kim Fields , of The Facts of Life television series and actress Alexis Fields Jackson.
Early life and career
Fields was born in New York to Patsy, her Jamaican mother and an African American father.[citation needed ]
Fields began her career as a singer. She joined Ronnie Spector as a Ronette in 1973 and recorded two singles for Buddah Records .[ 1]
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 her real-life daughter 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 .[ 2]
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
Year
Title
Role
Notes
Ref.
1974
Change at 125th Street
Harriet Morse
Made-for-TV movie directed by Bob LaHendro and Michael Schultz
[ 8]
1975
Police Story
Girl in Bar
Episode: "Face for a Shadow" (S 3:Ep 6)
1976
Good Times
Rochelle
Episode: "J.J.'s New Career, part 2" (S 4:Ep 8)
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 .
1978
Barnaby Jones
Kelly Johnson
Episode: "A Ransom in Diamonds" (S 6:Ep 16)
Battered
Ginny Sinclair
Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Peter Werner .
[ 9]
1978–79
The Amazing Spider-Man
Rita Conway
Recurring
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.
[ 10]
1982
Hill Street Blues
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 .
[ 11]
1984
T. J. Hooker
Carolyn Webster
Episode: "Anatomy of a Killing" (S 4:Ep 5)
The Facts of Life
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)
1993
Where I Live
Bonita
Episode: "The Terminator" (S 1:Ep 13)
Living Single
Bar Patron
Episode: "Living Kringle" (S 1:Ep 15)
1994
Bev
Episode: "The Hand That Robs the Cradle" (S 1:Ep 17)
Laverne Hunter
Episode: "She Ain't Heavy, She My Mother" (S 1:Ep 26)
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)
1996
Kirk
Nurse
Episode" Operation Kirk" (S 1:Ep 20)
Living Single
Laverne Hunter
Episode: "Compromising Positions" (S 3:Ep 26)
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
The Wayans Bros.
Susan Sparks
Episode: "Escorting Ain't Easy" (S 5:Ep 6)
2000
The Parkers
Wilma McCoy
Episode: "Turkey Day Blues" (S 2:Ep 10)
2007
Just Jordan
Gert
Episode: "Fist of Funny" (S 1:Ep 8)
Production
Film
Television
References
^ Clemente, John (2013). Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World . AuthorHouse. p. 408. ISBN 978-1-4772-7633-4 .
^ "Chip Fields Filmography" . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2011 .
^ "Claudine" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "The Happy Hooker" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Blue Collar" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "The Lady in Red" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Woman Thou Art Loosed" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Change at 125th Street" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Battered" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "The Night the City Screamed" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "The Facts of Life Goes to Paris" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Menace II Society" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
^ "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 15, 2016 .
External links