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Karen Morley (born Mildred Linton; December 12, 1909 – March 8, 2003) was an American film actress.


Life and career

Born Mildred Linton in
Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halv ...
, Morley lived there until she was 13 years old. When she moved to Hollywood, she attended
Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...
. She went on to attend the University of California, but she dropped out to join the Los Angeles Civic Repertory Theatre and the
Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...
. After working at the Pasadena Playhouse, she came to the attention of the director
Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when he ...
, at a time when he had been looking for an actress to stand in for
Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic c ...
in screen tests. This led to a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
and roles in films such as ''
Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
'' (1931), '' Scarface'' (1932), ''
The Phantom of Crestwood ''The Phantom of Crestwood'' is a 1932 American pre-Code murder-mystery film released by Radio Pictures, directed by J. Walter Ruben, and starring Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Anita Louise, H.B. Warner, and Paul ...
'' (1932), ''
The Mask of Fu Manchu ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932) is an American pre-Code adventure film directed by Charles Brabin. Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard, it was based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Sax Rohmer (the sixth in the se ...
'' (1932), '' Arsene Lupin'' (1933), ''
Gabriel Over the White House ''Gabriel Over the White House'' is a 1933 American pre-Code political fantasy film starring Walter Huston as a genial but politically corrupt U.S. President who has a near-fatal automobile accident and comes under divine influence—specifical ...
'' (1933), and '' Dinner at Eight'' (1933). In 1934, Morley left MGM. Her first film after leaving the studio was '' Our Daily Bread'' (1934), directed by
King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
. She continued to work as a freelance performer and appeared in
Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
's '' Black Fury'', and ''
The Littlest Rebel ''The Littlest Rebel'' is a 1935 American musical drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple. Cast * Shirley Temple as Virgie Cary * John Boles as Herbert ...
'' with
Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
. Without the support of a studio, her roles became less frequent; however, she did play Mr. Collins' wife Charlotte Lucas in '' Pride and Prejudice'' (1940), which was produced by MGM. The film was critically well-received, but it did not advance her career; as a result, Morley turned her attention to stage plays. In the early 1940s, she appeared in several plays on Broadway, including the role of Gerda in the original production of ''
The Walrus and The Carpenter "The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appears in his book ''Through the Looking-Glass'', published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. The poem is co ...
''. Her career came to an end in 1947 (November 1952) when she testified before the
House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
and refused to answer questions about her alleged
American Communist Party The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian R ...
membership. She maintained her political activism for the rest of her life. In 1954, she ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of New York on the
American Labor Party The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 that was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of A ...
ticket. After being blacklisted in Hollywood by the studio bosses, she never rebuilt her film acting career. In the early 1970s, Karen Morley briefly resumed her acting career with guest roles in television series such as ''
Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...
'', ''
Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
'', and ''
Police Woman The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change. A century ago, there were few jobs open to women in law enforcement. A small number of women worked as correctional officers, and their assignment ...
''. In 1993, she appeared in ''The Great Depression'', a documentary TV series produced by Henry Hampton's Blackside Productions in association with
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
and
WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation The WGBH Educational Foundation (also known as GBH since August 2020) is an American public broadcasting group based in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1951, it holds the licenses to all of ...
. In the series, she talked about how helpless she felt as a privileged Hollywood actress in the face of all the poverty and suffering that surrounded her. She also spoke of her experience making ''Our Daily Bread'' and working for King Vidor, whom she described as a conservative who thought that people should willingly help each other without government interference. In December 1999, at the age of 90, she appeared in ''Vanity Fair'' in an article about blacklist survivors, and she was honored at the San Francisco FIlm Festival.


Personal life

In November 1932, Morley married director
Charles Vidor Charles Vidor (born Károly Vidor; July 27, 1900June 4, 1959) was a Hungarian film director. Among his film successes are ''The Bridge'' (1929), ''The Tuttles of Tahiti'' (1942), ''The Desperadoes'' (1943), ''Cover Girl'' (1944), '' Together A ...
in Santa Ana, California. They were divorced on March 2, 1943. They met on the set of ''Man About Town'', in which Morley played the female lead, and Vidor was co-director. Vidor and Morley had a son, Michael Charles Vidor.


Death

Morley lived in Santa Monica, California during her later years. She died of pneumonia at the age of 93 in Woodland Hills, California.


Partial filmography

* ''
Thru Different Eyes ''Thru Different Eyes'' is a 1942 American pre-Code drama film directed by Thomas Z. Loring and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Frank Craven, Mary Howard, June Walker, Donald Woods, Vivian Blaine and George Holmes. The film was rel ...
'' (1929) as bit part (uncredited) * '' Inspiration'' (1931) as Liane Latour * '' Daybreak'' (1931) as Emily Kessner * '' Never the Twain Shall Meet'' (1931) as Maisie * ''
Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studie ...
'' (1931) as Myrtle Burns * '' High Stakes'' (1931) as Anne Cornwall * ''
The Sin of Madelon Claudet ''The Sin of Madelon Claudet'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Edgar Selwyn and starring Helen Hayes. The screenplay by Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht was adapted from the play ''The Lullaby'' by Edward Knoblock. It tells t ...
'' (1931) as Alice * ''
The Cuban Love Song ''The Cuban Love Song'' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and written by C. Gardner Sullivan, Bess Meredyth, John Lynch, John Colton, Gilbert Emery, Robert E. Hopkins and Paul Hervey Fox. The film stars Lawren ...
'' (1931) as Crystal * ''
Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...
'' (1931) as Carlotta * '' Arsene Lupin'' (1932) as Sonia * '' Are You Listening?'' (1932) as Alice Grimes * '' Scarface'' (1932) as Poppy * '' The Man About Town'' (1932) as Helena * ''
The Washington Masquerade ''The Washington Masquerade'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and written by John Meehan and Samuel Blythe. The film stars Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley, Diane Sinclair, Nils Asther and Reginald Barlow. The fi ...
'' (1932) as Consuela Fairbanks * '' Downstairs'' (1932) as Karl's New Employer (uncredited) * ''
The Phantom of Crestwood ''The Phantom of Crestwood'' is a 1932 American pre-Code murder-mystery film released by Radio Pictures, directed by J. Walter Ruben, and starring Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Anita Louise, H.B. Warner, and Paul ...
'' (1932) as Jenny Wren * ''
The Mask of Fu Manchu ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' (1932) is an American pre-Code adventure film directed by Charles Brabin. Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard, it was based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Sax Rohmer (the sixth in the se ...
'' (1932) as Sheila Barton * ''
Flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
'' (1932) as Laura Nash * ''
Gabriel Over the White House ''Gabriel Over the White House'' is a 1933 American pre-Code political fantasy film starring Walter Huston as a genial but politically corrupt U.S. President who has a near-fatal automobile accident and comes under divine influence—specifical ...
'' (1933) as Pendola Molloy * '' Dinner at Eight'' (1933) as Mrs. Lucy Talbot * '' The Crime Doctor'' (1934) as Andra * '' Our Daily Bread'' (1934) as Mary Sims * ''
Straight Is the Way ''Straight Is the Way'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Paul Sloane, written by Bernard Schubert, and starring Franchot Tone, May Robson, Karen Morley, Gladys George, Nat Pendleton and Jack La Rue. It is based upon the stage play by D ...
'' (1934) as Bertha * '' Wednesday's Child'' (1934) as Kathryn Phillips * '' Black Fury'' (1935) as Anna Novak * ''
$10 Raise ''$10 Raise'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by George Marshall, written by Henry Johnson and Lou Breslow, and starring Edward Everett Horton, Karen Morley, Alan Dinehart, Glen Boles, Berton Churchill and Rosina Lawrence. It was relea ...
'' (1935) as Emily Converse * '' The Healer'' (1935) as Evelyn Allen * '' Thunder in the Night'' (1935) as Madalaine * ''
The Littlest Rebel ''The Littlest Rebel'' is a 1935 American musical drama film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Edwin J. Burke was adapted from a play of the same name by Edward Peple. Cast * Shirley Temple as Virgie Cary * John Boles as Herbert ...
'' (1935) as Mrs. Cary * ''
Devil's Squadron ''Devil's Squadron'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Richard Dix, Karen Morley and Lloyd Nolan. The following written prologue appears after the opening credits: "This picture is dedicated to the test pilot ...
'' (1936) as Martha Dawson * ''
Beloved Enemy ''Beloved Enemy'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, and David Niven. It was loosely based on the life of Michael Collins. Plot During the Irish War of Independence in 1921, Irish ...
'' (1936) as Cathleen O'Brien * '' Outcast'' (1937) as Margaret Stevens * '' The Girl from Scotland Yard'' (1937) as Linda Beech * '' The Last Train from Madrid'' (1937) as Baroness Helene Rafitte * '' On Such a Night'' (1937) as Gail Stanley * ''
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...
'' (1938) as Mrs. Goodwin - 1861 * '' Pride and Prejudice'' (1940) as Mrs. Collins * ''
Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...
'' (1945) as Dr. Monica Anderson * '' The Unknown'' (1946) as Rachel Martin Arnold * '' The Thirteenth Hour'' (1947) as Eileen Blair * '' Framed'' (1947) as Beth * ''
Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...
'' (1949) (uncredited) * '' M'' (1951) as Mrs. Coster * '' Born to the Saddle'' (1953) as Kate Daggett


References

*''
The Gettysburg Times ''The Gettysburg Times'' is an American newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham ...
'', "Discovered", November 3, 1932, Page 7. *''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', "Karen Morley, 93, A Movie Star Until a Congressional Hearing", April 27, 2003, Page N47. * *''
Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the decline ...
'', "One Star's Family", September 9, 1935, Page 68.


External links

* *
Photographs of Karen Morley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, Karen 1909 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Iowa American film actresses American television actresses Hollywood blacklist American Labor Party politicians Deaths from pneumonia in California People from Ottumwa, Iowa Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players WAMPAS Baby Stars 21st-century American women