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Mildred Kornman, one of the last people known to have appeared in silent films of the silent era, died on August 19 at the age of 97, according to longtime friend Robert Satterfield.
Kornman had been the last woman and third-to-last silent survivor, having appeared in over 20 Our Gang comedy shorts from 1926-1935, her career bridging the silent and sound eras.
The only two living people thought to have appeared in a silent film are Garry Watson (who was a baby) and Donnie “Beezer” Smith.
After Our Gang, Kornman appeared in a dozen films, always uncredited, from 1937-1962, was a rare surviving actor who had worked with Laurel and Hardy, and in the 1940s became a sought-after model high fashion. name 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, as it gets older, becomes more popular,” she said in a 2015 interview with The Guardian.
Born July 10, 1925, Kornman was the younger sister of Mary Kornman, a star of Our Gang. They were the daughters of 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 she died, but gained more attention as a regular on Our Gang from 1926-1928. Her other series credits, from 1930 onwards, were for extra work.
After her acting and modeling career ended, Kornman took up her father’s profession of photography.
