Introduction
Maurie Fields (4 August 1926 – 18 December 1995)was an Australian actor, vaudeville performer and stand-up comedian. He became a well-known face on television thanks to his dramatic roles as John Quinney in Bellbird, as well as in soap operas The Box, Prisoner (a small part playing "crooked" screw, Leonard "Len" Murphy) 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 Australasian Post Magazine for many years, a role continued by his son Marty after Maurie's passing.
Personal life
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 actress Val Jellay, who was also 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.
Fields was inducted into the Logie Awards, Logie Hall of Fame in 1996. The second posthumous honour, with the award being accepted by his wife, Val Jellay
During the first Hey Hey It's Saturday reunion show, Fields was rotocaptured into the set so that he was able to do the "Great Aussie Joke" with his son Marty.
Selected filmography
- Country Town (1971)
- Cactus (1986)
- Bellbird - John Quinney
- Hey Hey Its Saturday - as himself
- The Flying Doctors - Vic Buckley