Nedra Volz

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Nedra Volz
Nedra Volz at the 39th Emmy Awards cropped.jpg
Volz at the 39th Emmy Awards, September 1987
Born
Nedra Gordonier

(1908-06-18)June 18, 1908
DiedJanuary 20, 2003(2003-01-20) (aged 94)
OccupationActress
Years active19731996

Nedra Volz (née Gordonier; June 18, 1908 January 20, 2003) was an American actress. On television, she portrayed Aunt Iola on All in the Family , Adelaide Brubaker on Diff'rent Strokes , Emma Tisdale on The Dukes of Hazzard , and Winona Beck on Filthy Rich. Her film roles include Big Ed in Lust in the Dust (1985), Loretta Houk in Moving Violations (1985), and Lana in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).

Contents

Early life and career

Born in Montrose, Iowa, [1] she began her career as a toddler in the family tent show, billed as "Baby Nedra". The act continued until she was 11 years old and had outgrown the act's title. She unsuccessfully tried acting in high school, which led her to pursue music. [2]

In the early 1930s, Volz was featured vocalist with Cato's Vagabonds. [3] In 1932, Volz and two other singers from Cato's orchestra performed as "Nedra, Paul, and Glenn" on WHAM radio in Rochester, New York. [4]

In 1940, Volz, described as a "blues songstress", was part of a vaudeville revue in Miami, Florida. [5]

Beginning with an episode of Good Times in 1975, she became a well-recognized supporting character actress, primarily on television but also in movies. Volz often played grandmothers or feisty little old ladies in 1970s sitcoms such as Alice , Maude and One Day at a Time , and she appeared in two of Norman Lear's summer television series: as Grandma Belle Durbin in A Year at the Top in 1977 [6] :1201 and as Bill Macy's housekeeper Pinky Nolan in Hanging In in 1979. [6] :428 In 1978, Volz appeared in the pilot episode of the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati , where she whacked a turntable with her umbrella in protest of the station's format change, and in All In The Family as Edith's spinster relative and unwelcome visitor, Aunt Iola.

In 1980, she appeared in several Jack in the Box TV spots as they blew up Jack, one of more than 25 commercials that featured Volz. [2]

By 1980 she appeared on TV almost weekly, starting with a recurring role as housekeeper Adelaide Brubaker in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes . [6] In 1981 she landed another recurring role as postal worker Emma Tisdale on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard . [6] :291 In the 198283 season, Volz was the matriarch on Filthy Rich , [6] :342 a series spoofing prime-time soap operas of the day. Volz's character Winona "Mother B" Beck, was the discarded first wife of cryogenically frozen Big Guy Beck (Slim Pickens and, after his death, Forrest Tucker), constantly trying to escape from the nursing home to return to the family mansion, Toad Hall. Volz's final series role was as the bail-bonds woman that hired Lee Majors's bounty-hunter character on The Fall Guy from 1985 until the series ended in 1986.

In "Mission of Peace", a 1986 episode of The A-Team , she was one of a group of senior citizens forced into asking the team for help. She portrayed the roles of Mrs. Perwinkle and Angelica on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show in 1989. She continued as a guest star on such series as Night Court , Coach , The Commish and Babes into the early 1990s, and she continued to act well into her eighties.

In Moving Violations , director Neil Israel allowed her to do many stunts herself, including being lifted into a window and falling head-first onto the floor. Volz's last acting role was in The Great White Hype in 1996. [1]

Death

On January 20, 2003, Volz died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in Mesa, Arizona. [1]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1973 Your Three Minutes Are Up Free Pass Lady
1977Mule FeathersClamity Jane
1979 10 Mrs. Kissell
1980 Little Miss Marker Mrs. Clancy
1983 National Lampoon's Movie Madness Old Lady - 'Growing Yourself'
1985 Lust in the Dust Big Ed
1985 Moving Violations Mrs. Loretta Houk
1988 Mortuary Academy Helen
1988 Earth Girls Are Easy Lana
1993 Betrayal of the Dove Opal Vaneck
1994 Il silenzio dei prosciutti Ranger's wife
1994DickwadOld LadyShort
1996 The Great White Hype Old Lady(final film role)

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1975They Only Come Out at NightElderly womanTelevision film
1975 Good Times Old LadyEpisode: Florida's Protest
1976 Rhoda Elderly womanEpisode: Meet the Levys
1976–1977 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Mrs. DeFarge / Barbie19 episodes
Recurring role (Season 2)
1976–1982 One Day at a Time Mrs. Peabody / Emily4 episodes
1977 The Tony Randall Show Mildred PiersenEpisode: Democracy vs. Tyranny
1977 A Year at the Top Grandma Belle Durbin5 episodes
Main cast (Season 1)
1977 Fernwood 2 Night Barbara FormanEpisode: #1.30
1978–1980 Eight Is Enough Mrs. Yaterman2 episodes
1978 Apple Pie Mrs. CassidyEpisode: Tornado
1978–1980 Alice Esther / Gambler3 episodes
1978 All in the Family Aunt IolaEpisode: Aunt Iola's Visit
1978 Maude Pinky NolanEpisode: Maude's Big Move: Part 3
1978 WKRP in Cincinnati Mrs. BurstynEpisode: Pilot: Part 2
1978 Carter Country Mrs. ForsytheEpisode: Poor Butterfly
1979 Mr. Dugan Pinky NolanMaude's spin-off never aired
1979 Angie HostessEpisode: Joyce's Job
1979 Hanging In Pinky Nolan4 episodes
Main cast (Season 1)
1979 The Baxters Helen LawsonEpisode: Victims of Inflation
1980–1984 Diff'rent Strokes Adelaide Brubaker22 episodes
Recurring role (Seasons 2–4) Guest star (Season 6)
1980 Condominium Mrs. ConlawTelevision film
1980 Quincy M.E. GladysEpisode: T.K.O.
1980 The Stockard Channing Show Mother ClydeEpisode: Susan's Big Break
1980 Gridlock Mrs. FelcherTelevision film
1980–1984 The Dukes of Hazzard Emma Tisdale13 episodes
Recurring role (Seasons 3–5) Guest star (Season 7)
1981 Hart to Hart Mrs. BittersweetEpisode: Hart-Shaped Murder
1981PalsEmily BainesTelevision short
1982–1983 Filthy Rich Winona 'Mother B' Beck15 episodes
Main cast (Seasons 1–2)
1983 Insight Mrs. MinervaDutton's Choice
1983–1984 Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour Herself (panelist)45 episodes
1984Last of the Great SurvivorsGladysTelevision film
1984 The Love Boat Dancing PartnerEpisode: Soap Gets in Your Eyes/A Match Made in Heaven/Tugs of the Heart
1984For Love or MoneyHypatiaTelevision film
1984–1986 Gimme a Break! Maid3 episodes
1985–1986 The Fall Guy Pearl Sperling3 episodes
Season 5 (Recrruing role)
1986 Night Court Little Old LadyEpisode: Contempt of Courting
1986 The A-Team Little Old LadyEpisode: Mission of Peace
1986 Who's the Boss? EthelEpisode: Forgive Me, Tony
1986 My Sister Sam DoraEpisode: Walk a While in My Shoes
1987–1988 ALF Cat Woman2 episodes
1988 It's a Living Mrs. ThompsonEpisode: Tune In, Tune Out
1988 Designing Women MotherEpisode: Hard Hats and Lovers
1989 Webster IdaEpisode: A-Camping We Will Go
1989 TV 101 Mother SteadmanEpisode: Keegan's Past
1989 Super Mario Bros. Super Show Mrs. Periwinkle / Angelica / Spooky Gadgets Incorporated2 episodes
1990 Dear John DottyEpisode: Honolulu Baby
1990–1991 Babes Mrs. Florence Newman5 episodes
Recurring role (Season 1)
1992 The Commish Mrs. ZimmermanEpisode: Sex, Lies and Kerosene
1993 Coach GertrudeEpisode: Christmas of the Van Damned
1993–1994 Step by Step Mrs. Slezak / Shirley2 episodes

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Oliver, Myrna (January 29, 2003). "Nedra Volz, 94; TV Actress Played Many 'Old Lady' Roles". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Dugan, Laurel Call (January 31, 1981). "Nedra Volz--sprightly actress a '10' for all seasons". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Retrieved September 1, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Simon, George T. (2012). The Big Bands. Schirmer Trade Books. ISBN   978-0-8571-2812-6 . Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  4. "Musicians Return". Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, New York. October 2, 1932. p. 5. Retrieved September 1, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Strand And Grove Offer Stage Shows". The Miami News . May 17, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved September 1, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 260. ISBN   978-0-7864-6477-7.