Childhood & Early Life
Kim Fields was born on May 12, 1969, in Harlem, New York. Her mother, Laverne ‘Chip’ Fields is an actress and television director. She has a younger sister, Alexis Fields, who is also an established actress. Her parents divorced when Kim was very young. She moved to California along with her mother, when she was a kid.
As Kim’s mother was an actress, she was brought up in an atmosphere that supported and encouraged acting. Kim Fields made her first appearance in television when was 5 years old. She played the role of ‘Angie’ in the sitcom, ‘Baby, I’m Back.’ But the show was short-lived and Kim Fields failed to make a mark.
Kim appeared in a television commercial for ‘Mrs. Butterworth’s Pancake Syrup’ when she was seven years old. In 1978, she also acted in two episodes of the sitcom, ‘Good Times,’ as a friend of Penny Woods, the character played by Janet Jackson.
Kim attended Burbank High School and graduated in 1986. She was a bright student and was voted ‘Most Talented’ in 1986. She acted in school plays and was also the manager of the school’s baseball team.
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Career
Kim Fields stepped into the arena of acting when she was quite young. She got her first major role at the age of 9. In 1979, she was selected for portraying the role of Dorothy ‘Tootie’ Ramsey, a boarding school resident, for the sitcom, ‘Diff’rent Strokes.’ Though she played her part in only five episodes, it marked the beginning of the progress in her career.
When ‘The Facts of Life,’ a spin-off of ‘Diff’rent Strokes,’ was produced, Kim got the role of ‘Tootie’ once again. This turned out to be one of the longest aired sitcoms on ‘NBC.’ It was telecast from 1979 to 1988. This character made Kim highly popular among viewers. Even today, viewers remember the gossipy ‘Tootie’ and her mannerisms.
In 1984, Kim released two music albums under the label of ‘Critique Records,’ ‘He Loves Me He Loves Me Not,’ and ‘Dear Michael.’ Both the albums got a fair amount of acceptance from listeners. ‘Dear Michael’ was a minor R&B hit and got decent ratings.
Kim played a major role in ‘Living Single,’ an American sitcom that was aired on ‘Fox’ network from 1993 to 1998. She essayed the role of ‘Regina Hunter,’ an ambitious and gossip-loving girl. ‘Living Single’ became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of the 1990s. Kim catapulted to fame with her character.
Kim Fields graduated in communication and films, from ‘Pepperdine University’ in 1993. She has made a career in the field of direction also. From 1996 to 2000, she directed several episodes of ‘Kenan & Kel,’ a teen sitcom that was telecast on ‘Nickelodeon.’ She also worked as the director of many episodes of ‘Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,’ and ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ She owns a production company named ‘Victory Entertainment.’
Kim has performed rap music and R&B with a group named ‘Impromp2.’ She made guest appearances in shows like ‘Good Times,’ ‘One on One,’ and ‘The Golden Palace.’ In the show ‘The Comeback,’ which was aired on ‘HBO’ in 2005, Kim acted as herself. Kim also made a guest appearance in an episode of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ in which she acted with Will Smith.
In 2015, Kim participated in the eighth season of the reality show, ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ which was aired on ‘Bravo’ television network. The show helped her capture lots of attention from viewers. In the words of her earlier co-star, Queen Latifah, Kim was “restraining herself and behaving nicely” on the show.
In 2016, Kim Fields was selected as one of the celebrities to participate in Season 22 of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ for ‘ABC’ network. She was paired with professional dancer, Sasha Farber. The duo got eliminated before finals, but they secured eighth position.
In November 2017, Kim published her autobiography titled, ‘Blessed Life: My Surprising Journey of Joy, Tears, and Tales from Harlem to Hollywood.’ In the book, she speaks about her personal and professional journey over the last four decades.
Kim Fields has married twice. In 1995, she married film producer Jonathan Freeman. The couple got divorced in 2001. They have no children.
Kim got married to actor Cristopher Morgan on July 23, 2007. Their first son, Sebastian Alexander Morgan, was born in 2007, and second son, Quincy Morgan, was born in 2013. At present, she is 49 years old and is active in her career.
Trivia
In ‘The Facts of Life,’ the casting director was looking for a Caucasian girl to fill the role that Kim played. But he was impressed with Kim’s performance and changed the role to suit her.
During the initial days of shooting of ‘The Facts of Life,’ Kim was very short and the producers put her on roller skates for shooting, so that they could avoid the difficulties in adjusting camera angles. But the same Kim lost a role in the show, ‘Diff’rent Strokes,’ as she was taller than the boy who was to play the part of her boyfriend.
When Kim played the role of twelve year old ‘Tootie’ in ‘The Facts of Life,’ she was only nine years old.
