WC Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of poor English immigrants. He left home as a teenager and worked in vaudeville as a comedian and juggler. By the time he was a young man, Fields was one of the most accomplished jugglers in the United States. He made successful transitions from vaudeville to silent films, to voice films, and to radio. His comic renditions as the huckster, the long-suffering husband of a shrewish wife, and the seeming misanthrope with a good heart are classics of the American culture. Fields' major films include
In addition, he made a number of short films, some of them quite brilliant. Three of the best are
To students of probability, WC Fields should be honored because of his love of games of chance, and his ability to cheat at them.