W. C. Fields

W.C. Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Darby, Pennsylvania in 1880. At age 11, he ran away from home and became a juggler. By age 15, he was entertaining crowds as the “tramp juggler W.C. Fields.” He became very popular on the vaudeville circuit and in the early 1900s was known as the world’s greatest juggler. Fields starred on Broadway in Ziegfeld Follies revues from 1916 to 1922, and in 1923, he starred in the Broadway musical comedy Poppy. Fields also acted in several silent films before moving on to feature films in the 1930s. By 1934, he was a major film star, though by the end of the decade, his alcoholism began affecting his health and work. Fields died of an alcohol-related stomach hemorrhage in 1946.