Laverne "Chip" Fields, who is sometimes credited as Chip Hurd or Chip Fields–Hurd, (born August 5, 1951) is an American singer, actress, television director, consultant, and dialogue coach, who has appeared in popular films, television shows, and Broadway theatre. She is best known for portraying Lynetta Gordon, the abusive birth mother of Penny Gordon Woods (played by Janet Jackson) in a three–part episode (1977) of the 1970s sitcom Good Times.