Tony Fields (December 28, 1958 – February 27, 1995) was an American dancer and actor, famous for his performances on the television show '' Solid Gold'', several videos for

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, and the film version of the American musical ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

''.

Early life

Fields was born Anthony Dean Campos in Stafford, Kansas. After his parents separated when he was four, his mother remarried, and he took his stepfather's last name: Fields. He was raised in Davis, California, showed an early aptitude for gymnastics, then began dance training. He attended Davis High School, graduating in 1977. Fields went to college at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts on scholarship and Roland Dupree Academy of Dance, but left when paid work began to materialize.

Work on film and television

Fields moved to Hollywood to pursue his career and started performing as a backup dancer in

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

' nightclub act. He then found a job on the '' Solid Gold'' as a dancer in 1979. Fields continued with ''Solid Gold'' until 1985. During this time, he performed in the music video for

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

's "

Body Language Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use o ...

" at

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

's request. In 1983, Fields performed in Michael Jackson's videos "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

" and " Thriller", both choreographed by Michael Peters as well as

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

's video " Running with the Night".

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

was working on a film version of the Broadway musical ''

'' in 1984. After a casting call that attracted over 3,000 people, and auditions by anyone who previously performed in the musical, Fields won the role of Al DeLuca. Fields' film work continued with roles in ''

Trick or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...

'' (1986), ''Body Beat'' (1987), ''

The Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

'' (1991) and ''Across the Moon'' (1995) and television shows such as ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' (1992), ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' (1991) and ''

Monsters A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

'' (1990). He appeared in 11 episodes of the soap opera '' Santa Barbara''. He also performed in plays and musical theatre in California. Fields gradually became ill and was no longer able to sustain the physical demands of dancing; he returned to Davis High School to mentor students in 1994. Fields died of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

-related cancer in 1995.

Legacy

Fields is honored each year at Davis Senior High School with the showcase "A Tribute to Tony Fields" , celebrating the arts program of the school. He was inducted into the high school's hall of fame in 2009, and a scholarship is available in his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Tony American male dancers 1958 births 1995 deaths People from Stafford, Kansas Davis Senior High School (California) alumni AIDS-related deaths in California 20th-century American dancers