Nedra Volz

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Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz at the 39th Emmy Awards
Born	Nedra Gordonier June 18, 1908 (1908-06-18) Montrose, Iowa, U.S.
Died	January 20, 2003 (aged 94) Mesa, Arizona
Years active	1973-1996
Spouse(s)	Oren Volz (3 children)

Nedra Volz (June 18, 1908 – January 20, 2003) was an American actress born in Montrose, Iowa.

Born Nedra Gordonier, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler (called "Baby Nedra"). She ended up in the 1970s as a well-recognized supporting actress primarily on television and also in feature films. She often played grandmothers or feisty little old ladies.

[edit] Career

In the early 1930s Nedra Gordonier was featured vocalist with Cato's Vagabonds, a Des Moines, Iowa, big band that briefly enjoyed national popularity. Cato never made records, but Nedra managed to appear on exactly one 78 side, with the orchestra of Will Osborne in 1933.

Her most notable appearances include:

Housekeeper Adelaide Brubaker on Diff'rent Strokes from January 1980 until May 1982.
Post Office Employee Miz Emma Tisdale on The Dukes of Hazzard starting in November 1980 until 1984.
"Big Ed" in the Paul Bartel spoof Lust in the Dust
Mother B. (Winona Beck) in Filthy Rich.
Loretta Houk in the film Moving Violations (1985).
Esther in the TV show Alice in 1978.
Pearl Sperling in the 1985 season of The Fall Guy.

Aside from these regular parts, she also appeared in a great many guest roles, including 'Mission of Peace', a 1986 episode of The A-Team, as one of a group of senior citizens forced into asking the team for help.

Despite her age, Nedra continuted to act well into her 80s. In Moving Violations, director Neil Israel allowed Nedra to do many stunts herself, including being lifted into a window and falling head first onto the floor.

Nedra's last acting role was in The Great White Hype in 1996.

[edit] Marriage & Family

In 1944, at the age of 36, Nedra married Oren Volz. The marriage produced three children, Edward Volz, Linda Deffenderer, and Barbara Lee Volz (1939-1992). Oren Volz died in 1987.

Nedra Volz died at the age of 94 in Mesa, Arizona. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.