W. C. Fields
![](/Images/godic/202502/21/W._C._Fields_19383400.jpg")
![W.C. Fields](/Images/godic/202502/21/Wcfields36682u3400.jpg")
![Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy with W.C. Fields on The Chase and Sanborn Hour](/Images/godic/202502/21/Chase_and_Sanborn_Hour3400.jpg")
![Niche of W. C. Fields in the Columbarium of Nativity in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale.](/Images/godic/202502/21/W._C._Fields_Grave3400.JPG")
William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer. Fields' comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs and children.