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William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880〔"Fields always observed his birthday on January 29, and his death certificate confirms this .... When Fields married Harriet Veronica Hughes in San Francisco, on April 8, 1900, he was twenty years old and, under California law, could not enter into a marriage without parental consent. He therefore gave his birthdate as April 9, 1879, and often used this date thereafter. However, when he applied for a passport later that same year, he swore under oath that his correct birthdate was January 29, 1880." Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, p. 525〕 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer.〔Obituary ''Variety'', January 1, 1947, page 46.〕 Fields' comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs and children. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a silent juggler. He gradually incorporated comedy into his act, and was a featured comedian in the Ziegfeld Follies for several years. He became a star in the Broadway musical comedy ''Poppy'' (1923), in which he played a colorful small-time con man. His subsequent stage and film roles were often similar scoundrels, or else henpecked everyman characters. Among his recognizable trademarks were his raspy drawl and grandiloquent vocabulary. The characterization he portrayed in films and on radio was so strong it was generally identified with Fields himself. It was maintained by the publicity departments at Fields' studios (Paramount and Universal) and was further established by Robert Lewis Taylor's biography, ''W.C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes'' (1949). Beginning in 1973, with the publication of Fields' letters, photos, and personal notes in grandson Ronald Fields' book ''W.C. Fields by Himself'', it was shown that Fields was married (and subsequently estranged from his wife), and financially supported their son and loved his grandchildren. ==Early years== Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Darby, Pennsylvania, the oldest child of a working-class family. His father, James Lydon Dukenfield (1840–1913), was from an English family that emigrated to America from Sheffield, England in 1854.〔Simon Louvish, ''Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W. C. Fields'', 1997, pp. 29–30.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Myth Of W.c. )〕 James Dukenfield served in Company M of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War and was wounded in 1863.〔Muster roll of 72nd PA, which did not fight at Lookout Mountain! A photo of James in a Civil War period uniform, c. 1900, shows him missing his right index finger. Reproduced p. 29, Louvish.〕 Fields' mother, Kate Spangler Felton (1854–1925), was a Protestant of British ancestry.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, p. 8.〕〔Louvish, Simon. ''Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W.C. Fields'', 1999, Faber & Faber, p. 31.〕 The 1876 ''Philadelphia City Directory ''lists James Dukenfield as a clerk. After marrying, he worked as an independent produce merchant and a part-time hotel-keeper.〔〔1880 census, Philadelphia, p. 129A〕 Claude Dukenfield (as he was known) had a volatile relationship with his short-tempered father. He ran away from home repeatedly, beginning at the age of nine, often to stay with his grandmother or an uncle.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, p. 14; Louvish, Simon. ''Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W.C. Fields'', 1999, Faber & Faber, p. 42.〕 His education was sporadic, and did not progress beyond grade school.〔 At age twelve he worked with his father selling produce from a wagon, until the two had a fight that resulted in Fields running away once again.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, p. 12.〕 In 1893 he worked briefly at the Strawbridge and Clothier department store,〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, pp. 16–17.〕 and in an oyster house. Fields later embellished stories of his childhood, depicting himself as a runaway who lived by his wits on the streets of Philadelphia from an early age, but his home life seems to have been reasonably happy.〔Louvish, Simon. ''Man on the Flying Trapeze: The Life and Times of W.C. Fields'', 1999, Faber & Faber, pp. 10, 42.〕 He had already discovered in himself a facility for juggling, and a performance he witnessed at a local theater inspired him to dedicate substantial time to perfecting his juggling.〔 At age 17, he was living with his family and performing a juggling act at church and theater shows.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, pp. 24, 26.〕 In 1904 Fields' father visited him for two months in England while he was performing there in music halls.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, p. 69.〕 Fields enabled his father to retire, purchased him a summer home, and encouraged his parents and siblings to learn to read and write, so they could communicate with him by letter.〔Curtis, James. ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. New York: A. Knopf, 2003, pp. 68–69.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「W. C. Fields」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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