Anthony Field
A former soldier turned preschool superstar, he built The Wiggles into a global empire of joyful, educational music.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Australian musician and actor·Birthday: May 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anthony Field's path to becoming the blue-skiwearing, guitar-strumming heart of The Wiggles was anything but predictable. A founding member of the 1980s pub-rock band The Cockroaches, he later served in the Australian Army, an experience that left him with chronic back pain and depression. While studying early childhood education at university, he teamed up with fellow students Murray Cook and Greg Page, and his musician brother Jeff, to create a project for an assignment. That project evolved into The Wiggles, a phenomenon that redefined children's entertainment. Field's background in music and genuine understanding of child development helped craft songs that were both catchy and pedagogically sound, creating a bond of trust with millions of families worldwide and turning a simple idea into a lasting cultural institution.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anthony was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded The Wiggles, which became the highest-earning Australian entertainers in the early 2000s.
- Helped create a vast catalog of songs and television shows that have been translated into multiple languages.
- Received an Order of Australia medal for his service to the arts as a children's entertainer and to the community.
- Successfully guided The Wiggles through multiple generational cast changes, ensuring its enduring popularity.
Did You Know?
He suffered from severe depression and chronic pain after his army service, which influenced his focus on children's wellbeing.
He is a certified early childhood educator.
The original color of his Wiggles skivvy was purple, but he switched to blue because it showed up better on camera.
He played drums and other instruments in the pop-rock band The Cockroaches before The Wiggles.
“We’ve always said that we’re not singing to children, we’re singing with them.”
