‘Our Gang’ Actress, ’40s Fashion Model Mildred Kornman Dies at 97

Mildred Kornman, one of the last people known to have appeared in Silent Era silent movies, died August 19 at 97, according to longtime friend Robert Satterfield.

Kornman had been the last woman and the third-to-last person left alive from the silents, having appeared in over 20 “Our Gang” comedy shorts from 1926-1935, her career bridging the Silent and Sound Eras.

The only two people still alive who are thought to have appeared in a silent film are Garry Watson (who was an infant) and Donnie “Beezer” Smith.

Post-“Our Gang,” Kornman appeared in a dozen features, always uncredited, from 1937-1962, was a rare surviving actor who had worked with Laurel and Hardy, and in the ’40s became an in-demand high-fashion model under the moniker Ricki VanDusen, gracing the covers of Bazaar and Vogue and posing for the likes of Irving Penn.

Kornman had made many appearances at fan conventions over the years, where she was a favorite. “Everything, when it gets older, becomes more popular,” she opined in a 2015 interview with The Guardian.

Born July 10, 1925, Kornman was the younger sister of Mary Kornman, an “Our Gang” star. They were the daughters of still photographer Eugene Kornman, who worked for Silent superstar Harold Lloyd.

She made her screen debut at the age of 1 month in “The Thundering Fleas” (1926), nearly 100 years before her passing, but grabbed more attention as an “Our Gang” regular from 1926-1928. Her other credits in the series, from 1930 on, were for extra work.