Mildred Gene Kornman (July 10, 1925 – August 19, 2022), also billed as Ricki VanDusen, was an American actress, model, businesswoman, and photographer. At the time of her death, she was one of the last living actresses of the silent era.

Life and career

Kornman was born in Hollywood on July 10, 1925. She was the younger sister of fellow child actress

Mary Kornman Mary Kornman (born Mary Agnes Evans, December 27, 1915 – June 1, 1973) was an American child actress who was the leading female star of the ''Our Gang'' series during the Pathé silent era. ''Our Gang'' She was born as Mary Agnes Evans, the ...

. Her father was Eugene Kornman, a professional still photographer who was employed by

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film co ...

at the time of Kornman's birth. She was named after Lloyd's wife, actress

Mildred Davis Mildred Hillary Davis (February 22, 1901The reference book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Davis's birth date as January 1, 1900.August 18, 1969) was an American actress who appeared in fifteen of Harold Lloyd's cla ...

. When Kornman was nine months old, she appeared with her sister Mary in ''The Fourth Alarm''. Along with Mary, she was featured in the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' short films series. Mildred was initially a regular in the series, with appearances from 1926 to 1928, and returned for a second stint from 1930 until 1935, in uncredited, non-speaking roles when many children were needed for a scene, such as a classroom. After graduating

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

, Kornman became an actress at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, albeit only in uncredited roles, under the name Ricki VanDusen. She was also a model, featuring in magazines such as ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' and ''

Harpers Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', and in television commercials. She majored in art, English, and Spanish at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Kornman married Norton Hinsey on December 30, 1943. In 2014, Kornman attended a reunion of ''My Gang'' cast members, hosted by

The Sons of the Desert The Sons of the Desert is an international fraternal organization devoted to the lives and films of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The group takes its name from a fictional lodge that Laurel and Hardy belonged to in the 1933 film ''Son ...

as part of their 19th International Convention. In 2015, aged 89, she was living on a remote ranch in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Kornman was one of the final surviving actors from the ''Our Gang'' series, which was produced from 1922 to 1944. Kornman died on August 19, 2022, at the age of 97. She was one of the longest lived ''Our Gang'' cast members ever.

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1925 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women American child actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses Our Gang American people of German descent Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni Female models from California Hal Roach Studios actors {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub

Life and career

Filmography

See also

References

External links