Nedra Volz Biography: Children, Parents, Net Worth, Height, Movies, Age, Husbands, Nationality

Nedra Viola Gordonier, known professionally as Nedra Volz, was a beloved American character actress renowned for her late-blooming career playing feisty elderly women and grandmothers in television sitcoms and films during the 1970s through 1990s.

She brought sharp comedic timing and endearing charm to memorable supporting roles, most notably as Aunt Iola on All in the Family, housekeeper Adelaide Brubaker on Diff’rent Strokes, and postmistress Miz Emma Tisdale on The Dukes of Hazzard.

Nedra Volz
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Nedra Viola Gordonier
Stage Name:	Nedra Volz
Born:	June 18, 1908
Died:	January 20, 2003 (age 94 years old)
Place of Birth:	Montrose, Iowa, United States
Nationality:	American
Ethnicity:	Caucasian
Height:	1.49 m
Parents:	Otis Seth Gordonier and Verdah Viola Vanosdoll Gordonier
Spouse:	Lester Rhode (m. ?–1944), Oren William Volz (m. 1944–1987)
Relationship:	Widowed
Children:	Edward Volz, Linda Deffenderfer, Barbara Lee Volz
Occupation:	Actress
Net Worth:	$1 million

Early Life and Education

Nedra Viola Gordonier was born on June 18, 1908, in the small river town of Montrose, Iowa.

She was the only child of vaudeville performers Otis Seth Gordonier and Verdah Viola Vanosdoll Gordonier, who immersed her in show business from infancy.

With no siblings to share the spotlight, young Nedra was billed as “Baby Nedra” and performed in the family tent show and vaudeville acts until age 11.

Details of her formal education remain limited, though her early performing experiences served as her primary training.

Personal Life

Nedra Volz, who lived to 94 and stood 1.49 meters tall, experienced a rich family life alongside her show business pursuits.

She first wed Lester Rhode, a union that ended in divorce around 1944, before marrying Oren William Volz later that same year; the couple remained together until his death in 1987.

Together with Oren, she raised three children — Edward Volz, Linda Deffenderfer, and Barbara Lee Volz (who passed in 1992) — prioritizing motherhood during the middle decades of her life while occasionally participating in local theater.

Volz enjoyed a quiet retirement in Arizona before health challenges arose in her final years.

Career

Nedra Volz launched her performing journey as a toddler in her parents’ vaudeville tent show under the moniker “Baby Nedra,” captivating audiences before transitioning to band singing and radio work in her younger adulthood.

After marrying and stepping away from the limelight in the mid-1940s to raise her family, she maintained involvement through community theater for decades.

Her professional acting breakthrough arrived in her mid-60s with a small role in the 1973 film Your Three Minutes Are Up, which opened doors to a prolific string of character parts in the 1970s and 1980s.

Volz quickly became a familiar face on television, delivering scene-stealing performances as feisty older women in hit sitcoms like All in the Family, Diff’rent Strokes, The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Fall Guy.

Her film credits include standout turns in Lust in the Dust, Moving Violations, Little Miss Marker, and Earth Girls Are Easy, where her physical comedy and warm presence shone.

She continued working into her late eighties, cementing her place as a cherished supporting player whose late-career success inspired many.

Net Worth

Nedra Volz has an estimated net worth of around $1 million USD through her long and varied entertainment career.

Her wealth stemmed primarily from decades of television guest spots, recurring sitcom roles in popular 1970s and 1980s series, and supporting film appearances that extended into the mid-1990s.

Filmography

• Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973) – Free Pass Lady
• Mule Feathers (1977) – Calamity Jane
• 10 (1979) – Mrs. Kissell
• Little Miss Marker (1980) – Mrs. Clancy
• National Lampoon’s Movie Madness (1983) – Old Lady
• Lust in the Dust (1985) – Big Ed
• Moving Violations (1985) – Mrs. Loretta Houk
• Mortuary Academy (1988) – Helen
• Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) – Lana
• The Silence of the Hams (1994) – Ranger’s Wife
• The Great White Hype (1996) – Old Lady (final film role)