Anthony Field

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Anthony Field
Anthony Field of The Wiggles, 2007
Anthony Field of The Wiggles, 2007
Background information
Birth name Anthony Donald Joseph Field
Born May 8, 1963 (age 45)

Flag of Australia Kellyville, Australia
Instrument(s) tin whistle
bagpipes
guitar
drums
trumpet
violin
didgeridoo
Associated acts The Cockroaches
The Wiggles
Website Official webpage
Members
Murray Cook
Jeff Fatt
Anthony Field
Sam Moran
Former members
Greg Page
Phillip Wilcher

Anthony Field (born May 8, 1963 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian musician and actor. He is best known as a member of the children's group The Wiggles (wearing a blue shirt) and the 1980s and 90s band The Cockroaches with his brothers, Paul and John and another future Wiggle, Jeff Fatt.

Field was the youngest of seven children, and grew up in the suburbs of Sydney. In 1979, while still in secondary school (St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, a prestigious boarding school), he and his brothers formed the pop group The Cockroaches.[1] He took a short break from music to serve in Australia's regular army from 1982 to 1985, as an infantry soldier, medic, and rifleman. He also played the bagpipes in parades and on training missions.[2][3]

When The Cockroaches disbanded in the early 90s, Field enrolled in Macquarie University to study Early Childhood Education. There he met the other members of The Wiggles, guitarist Murray Cook and vocalist Greg Page. He recruited former bandmember Jeff Fatt to record their first CD in 1991.[4] Field worked as a preschool teacher for two years before the success of The Wiggles forced him to quit.[3]

Field originally wore a green shirt during their concerts, but after a short time switched to blue because green became associated with the Wiggles character Dorothy the Dinosaur, a character he created and originally performed.[5] Field also created and played the original Captain Feathersword; the role was taken over by Paul Paddick in 1993.[6] Field's schtick is eating.

In spite of being named as "Bachelor of the Year" in Cleo Magazine, Field married Michaela Patisteas, a former dancer, in 2003.[7] They have three children, who joined the Field family tradition of involvement in The Wiggles by appearing in several of their TV shows and videos.[8]

In April 2007, Field cut short his US tour by ten days to return home for the birth of his child. His fellow band members appeared on the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal without him.[9] Also in 2007, Field did some voiceover work for the TV show "RSPCA Animal Rescue," for Channel 7 in Australia.[10]

Field plays a wide variety of instruments, including the tin whistle, bagpipes, guitar, drums, trumpet, violin, and didgeridoo. He is a registered breeder of miniature fox terriers.[10] He is a fan of the Australian rugby league club the Wests Tigers,[9] as well as of singer Julio Iglesias.[11]

Field went public about his experience with clinical depression in mid 2007 to draw more attention to the condition.[12][13] He has stated that "being on the road is a dangerous job for someone with depression," but has dealt with it through diet, exercise, talking about it, and having a good support system (including his wife, and his friend Murray Cook).[3]

Field is a devout Catholic.[9] He wears two large tattoos on his arms, under his blue skivvy: one is the Virgin Mary with the words "My life is in your hands" in Spanish; the other is a heart with the words, "My love, my heart" in Spanish. The names of his wife and his three children are tattoed on his arms.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Cockroaches. MySpace.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
  2. ^ Anthony. The Wiggles Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  3. ^ a b c Iacuzio, Tom. "What's up with The Wiggles?", Daytona Beach News-journal, 2007-11-15. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. 
  4. ^ About Us. The Wiggles Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  5. ^ The Wiggles. Get Ready to Wiggle. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  6. ^ Meacham, Steve. "The master of sword play", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-12-03. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. 
  7. ^ Sams, Christine. "Bride's something blue was a Wiggle", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2003-05-05. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  8. ^ Scott, Paul. "Kid Rock", The New York Times, 2006-04-02. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. 
  9. ^ a b c Teutsch, Danielle. "Baby blue Wiggle arrives", 2007-04-15. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 
  10. ^ a b Smith, Chris (2007-07-17). Blue Wiggle Anthony Field talks about his new TV show. Blinkx Player. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  11. ^ a b Blake, Elissa. "Unusual suspects", Daily Telegraph, 2007-09-02. Retrieved on 2007-09-03. 
  12. ^ "Blue Wiggle has depression", Daily Telegraph, 2007-06-06. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 
  13. ^ "Men in blue", The Bulletin, 2007-06-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.