Frances Raeburn

Frances Raeburn (born Mildred Frances Anne Hedrick; August 15, 1924 – December 26, 1976) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Cornelius Van Meester in Seven Sweethearts (1942), appeared alongside her sister actress Kathryn Grayson and as Penelope Mariman and Donna Leslie in Swing Out, Sister (1945), in which she appeared with Arthur Treacher. Her appearance in the film was praised as the heroine of the film.

Frances Raeburn
Born	Mildred Frances Anne Hedrick (1924-08-15)August 15, 1924 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 26, 1976(1976-12-26) (aged 52) Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Burial place	Woodlawn Cemetery
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1942–1945
Spouse(s)	David Miller ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1949)​ Sidney Abraham Kurstin ​ ​ (m. 1951)​
Children	6
Relatives	Kathryn Grayson (sister)

Early life

Raeburn was born Mildred Frances Anne Hedrick on August 15, 1924, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as the youngest child and daughter of the four children of Clarence Eugene Hedrick Sr. (1896–1969) and Lillian Florence Hedrick (née Gray; 1896–1954).^{[citation needed]} She had two brothers, Clarence Eugene Hedrick Jr. (1915–1975) and Michael Butler (1918–1976), an actor, and a sister, Kathryn Grayson (1922–2010), an actress.^[1][2]

Personal life

Raeburn was married to David Miller, a director, in Los Angeles, California, on July 14, 1943.^[3] They had a son, Jeffrey Michael (born 1945) and a daughter, Jessica Browdel (born 1947).^[3] In 1948, she sued Miller for money.^[1] They divorced on August 2, 1949.^[2] Raeburn later remarried to Sidney Abraham Kurstin in Los Angeles, California, on June 30, 1951, with whom she had three sons, including Christoph Morris (born 1952), Kenneth A. (born 1954), and Matthew Kurstin (born 1962), and a daughter, Edna Hardy Kurstin.^{[citation needed]} Their marriage lasted until Raeburn's death in December 1976.^[4]

Raeburn died in Los Angeles County, California, on December 26, 1976, due to a heart attack at the age of 52.^[4] She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.^{[citation needed]}

Career

In 1944, Raeburn began filming Swing Out, Sister (1945) in which she appeared alongside Arthur Treacher.^[5] She was credited as the heroine of the film.^[5]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1942	Joe Smith, American	Daisy Knowlton	Uncredited
1942	Calling Dr. Gillespie	Girl at school	Uncredited
1942	Seven Sweethearts	Cornelius Van Maaster
1944	The Canterville Ghost	Eleanor	Uncredited
1945	Swing Out, Sister	Penelope Mariman / Donna Leslie