| Other names | Chip Fields-Hurd,[1][2] Chip Hurd[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Laverne Bernard[3] |
| Birth date | August 5, 1951 (age 75)[1][4] |
| Birth place | New York City |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Occupation | Actress · singer · television director · dialogue coach |
| Known for | Lynnetta Gordon – Good Times Laverne Hunter – Living Single Rita Conway – The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series) |
Laverne Bernard (born August 5, 1951), better known by her stage name Chip Fields or Chip Hurd, is an American actress, singer, television director, dialogue coach, and producer who has appeared in popular films, television series, and Broadway theatre. She is best known for portraying Lynnetta 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
Laverne Bernard was born on August 5, 1951 in Harlem, New York, to Patsy Styles. Along with her elder sister Patricia Bernard, she was raised by uncle Louis Bernard.[1] She attended the New York High School of Performing Arts.[1] During her senior year of high school, she became pregnant by her high school boyfriend Anthony Fields and later transferred to Newark Prep to graduate with her diploma.[5] In 1969, she married Anthony Fields and gave birth to her first daughter Kim Fields.[5]
Career
In May 1972, Fields made her acting debut as Carlotta in the Broadway comedy Tough to Get Help.[4] The show opened and closed with only one performance at the Royale Theatre on May 4, 1972.[6] In 1973, she was recruited by Ronnie Spector to reform The Ronettes. The group released two singles "Go Out and Get It" (1973) and "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" (1974) on Buddah Records.[7] Spector later disbanded The Ronettes and Field resumed with her solo career. She landed a role as an extra in the 1974 American romantic comedy-drama film Claudine. In the same year, she appeared in the television film Change at 125th Street. In November 1975, she returned to Broadway and starred in revival of the musical Hello, Dolly!.[4]
In 1976, she appeared on the American television sitcom Good Times, originally as a character named Rochelle who appeared one of J.J.'s girlfriends in season four two-part episode "J.J.'s New Career". The following year, Fields returned to the show to portray a different character named Lynnetta Gordon, the abusive mother of a child name Millicent "Penny" Gordon. During the auditioning process, Fields had her biological daughter Kim Fields audition for the role of Penny Gordon, but lost the role to child star Janet Jackson. Fields went on to appear as Lynnetta Gordon in four episodes of Good Times. In 1978, Fields was cast as a series regular in the live-action television series The Amazing Spider-Man. Portraying the role of Rita Conway, a secretary for Daily Bugle and friend of Peter Parker / Spider-Man, the show was a ratings success. The series ended up being the 19th-highest-rated show of the entire season, but CBS was reluctant to commit to giving the show a regular/fixed time slot for the 1978-79 season,[8] as the series was expensive to produce[9] and continued to underperform with older audiences.[10] The second season consisted of seven episodes which aired infrequently throughout the 1978–79 TV season.[11] The series continued to do well in the ratings during its second season, however CBS cancelled the series soon after the second season ended.[10]
In the early 1980s, Fields began making frequent guest appearances on several television films and sitcoms including The Night the City Screamed, Hill Street Blues, The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, and T. J. Hooker. In 1983, she opened her own performance academy called The Rainbow Connection, which specializes in drama and dance.[12] In 1984, she appeared in the sitcom The Facts of Life, portraying the role of Diane Ramsey; mother of Tootie Ramsey (portrayed by her biological daughter Kim Fields).[13] In an interview with Jet magazine, Fields stated "Knowing everybody over there at NBC made them scrutinize me harder and not take me seriously. It flattered me for people to think of me as too young to be Kim's mother but that got in the way during the audition."[13] She returned to Broadway for the third time, securing the roles of Sylvia and Barbara Ann in the gospel musical Don't Get God Started.[14]
In 1994, she appeared in several episodes of American sitcom Living Single, again portraying the mother Laverne Hunter to her real-life daughter Kim Fields' character Regine Hunter. In the same year, she made her debut as television director, directing the season-two episode "Groom and Doom" of sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. She began working as a dialogue coach, acting consultant, and television director for several sitcoms including The Parkers, Girlfriends, One on One, All of Us, , The Parkers, as well as episodes of Romeo!, Just Jordan, Hannah Montana, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and Meet the Browns.[15]
Personal life
She divorced her first husband Anthony Fields in 1974.[5] In 1982, she gave birth to her second daughter Alexis Fields.[16][17] In August 1994, she remarried to a technical director named Ervin Hurd.[5]
Discography
- Singles
- 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Claudine | Rioter on Hallway Stairs |
| [18] |
| 1975 | The Happy Hooker | Red Hat | Biographical-comedy film directed by Nicholas Sgarro | [19] |
| 1978 | Blue Collar | Caroline Brown | Crime drama film directed by Paul Schrader | [20] |
| 1979 | The Lady in Red | Satin | Action-drama/romantic film directed by Lewis Teague | [21] |
| 2004 | Woman Thou Art Loosed | Woman in Church | Drama film directed by Michael Schultz | [22] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Change at 125th Street | Harriet Morse | Made-for-TV movie directed by Bob LaHendro and Michael Schultz | [23] |
| 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. | [24] | |
| 1978–79 | The Amazing Spider-Man | Rita Conway | Recurring role | |
| 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. | [25] |
| 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. | [26] | |
| 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Menace II Society | Dialogue coach | Hood drama thriller film directed by Allen and Albert Hughes | [27] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Consultant | Television sitcom | |
| Living Single | ||||
| 1994 | Me and the Boys | Dialogue consultant | ||
| Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Director | Episode: "Groom & Bride" (S 2:Ep 21) | ||
| 1997 | Arsenio | Consultant | Television sitcom | |
| 1999 | Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century | Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Kenneth Johnson | [28] | |
| Sister, Sister | Director | Episode: "The Road Less Traveled" (S 6:Ep 21) | ||
| 2000–03 | The Parkers | Consultant (69 episodes)/Director (4 episodes) | Television sitcom | |
| 2001 | Girlfriends | Director | Episode: "You Better Watch Out" (S 2:Ep 11) | |
| 2003–05 | Romeo! | Television sitcom (7 episodes) | ||
| 2003–06 | One on One | Television sitcom (5 episodes) | ||
| 2005 | All of Us | Episode: "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (S 3:Ep 2) | ||
| 2006 | Hannah Montana | Episode: "You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Zit Is About You" (S 1:Ep 13) | ||
| 2007 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Television sitcom (3 episodes) | ||
| Just Jordan | Television sitcom (4 episodes) | |||
| 2009 | Meet the Browns | Television sitcom (2 episodes) | ||
| 2009–12 | House of Payne | Television sitcom (12 episodes) | ||
| 2020–25 | Young Dylan | Television sitcom (44 episodes) |
References
- ^ Chip Fields Hurd. Call On Dolly. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ Queen Latifah Recalls Working on 'Living Single' With Her Mom: 'She Was So Very Proud of Us'. Complex. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kenan-kel-star-alexis-fields-205031693.html ‘Kenan and Kel’ Star Alexis Fields Files For Divorce After 16 Years Of Marriage. Yahoo News. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ Chip Fields Broadway Credits. ibdb. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ Fields, Kim & Gold, Todd (2017). Blessed Life: My Surprising Journey of Joy, Tears, and Tales from Harlem to Hollywood
- ^ Tough to Get Help – Playbill. Retrieved February 18, 2026
- ^ Clemente, John (2013). Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World. AuthorHouse. p. 408. ISBN 978-1-4772-7633-4.
- ^ "TV's worst season slowly nearing an end". Boca Raton News. UPI. May 15, 1978.
- ^ "There's a web of truth woven into action of 'Spider-Man series'". St. Petersburg Times. April 5, 1978.
- ^ Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue!. ' (44): 44–48. TwoMorrows Publishing
- ^ "Rivals Attending to 'Roots' Return". The Time-News. Washington Star Syndicate. September 5, 1978.
- ^ Mother of Kim Fields, Chip Fields, starts new acting school for kids (page 60). Jet. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ Kim and Chip Fields: Daughter and Mother on TV's 'Facts of Life' (page 62). Jet. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ Don't Get God Started. Playbill. Retrieved on February 18, 2026
- ^ "Chip Fields Filmography". The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
- ^ Audio Bible (page 36). Jet. Retrieved on February 25, 2026
- ^ Alexis Fields. imdb. Retrieved on February 25, 2026
- ^ "Claudine". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Happy Hooker". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Blue Collar". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Lady in Red". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Woman Thou Art Loosed". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Change at 125th Street". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Battered". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Night the City Screamed". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Facts of Life Goes to Paris". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Menace II Society". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ "Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
External links
- Chip Fields at IMDb