Karen Morley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karen Morley
Promotional photograph of Morley in 1930s
Born	Mildred Linton (1909-12-12)December 12, 1909 Ottumwa, Iowa, U.S.
Died	March 8, 2003(2003-03-08) (aged 93) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Hollywood High School
Alma mater	UCLA Pasadena Playhouse
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1929–1975
Known for	Mata Hari Scarface The Phantom of Crestwood Pride and Prejudice
Spouse(s)	Charles Vidor ​ ​ (m. 1932; div. 1943)​ Lloyd Gough ​ ​ (m. 1943; died 1984)​
Children	2

Karen Morley (born Mildred Linton; December 12, 1909 – March 8, 2003) was an American film actress. She starred in many movies during the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for her roles in films like Mata Hari and Scarface. Her acting career was affected by political events in Hollywood later on.

Life and career

Karen Morley was born Mildred Linton in Ottumwa, Iowa. She lived there until she was 13 years old. When her family moved to Hollywood, she went to Hollywood High School. She later attended the University of California. However, she left college to join local theater groups like the Los Angeles Civic Repertory Theatre and the Pasadena Playhouse.

After working at the Pasadena Playhouse, a famous director named Clarence Brown noticed her. He was looking for an actress to help with screen tests for the famous actress Greta Garbo. This led to Karen Morley getting a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a big movie studio. She then got roles in many films, including Mata Hari (1931), Scarface (1932), The Phantom of Crestwood (1932), The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Arsene Lupin (1933), Gabriel Over the White House (1933), and Dinner at Eight (1933).

In 1934, Karen Morley left MGM. Her first film after leaving the studio was Our Daily Bread (1934), directed by King Vidor. She continued to work as a "freelance" actress, meaning she worked for different studios on different projects. She appeared in films like Michael Curtiz's Black Fury and The Littlest Rebel with child star Shirley Temple. Without a studio supporting her, she got fewer roles. However, she did play Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice (1940), which was produced by MGM. This film was well-liked by critics, but it did not help her film career much. So, Morley started focusing on stage plays instead.

In the early 1940s, she acted in several plays on Broadway, which is a famous theater district in New York City. One of her roles was Gerda in the first production of The Walrus and The Carpenter.

Her film career mostly ended in 1947. This happened when she was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This committee was investigating people in Hollywood who they thought might have ties to the American Communist Party. Karen Morley refused to answer questions about whether she was a member. Because of this, she was put on the Hollywood blacklist. This meant that movie studios would not hire her to act in films. She continued to be involved in political activities for the rest of her life. In 1954, she ran for lieutenant governor of New York as part of the American Labor Party, but she did not win.

After being blacklisted, she was never able to fully restart her film acting career.

In the early 1970s, Karen Morley briefly returned to acting. She had guest roles in TV shows like Kojak, Kung Fu, and Police Woman.

In 1993, she appeared in The Great Depression, a TV documentary series. In the series, she talked about how she felt helpless as a successful Hollywood actress when she saw so much poverty around her. She also spoke about making Our Daily Bread and working with director King Vidor.

In December 1999, when she was 90 years old, she was featured in an article in Vanity Fair magazine about people who survived the Hollywood blacklist. She was also honored at the San Francisco Film Festival.

Personal life

In November 1932, Karen Morley married director Charles Vidor in Santa Ana, California. They divorced on March 2, 1943. Karen and Charles had one son, Michael Charles Vidor.

Death

In her later years, Karen Morley lived in Santa Monica, California. She passed away from pneumonia at the age of 93 in Woodland Hills, California.

Partial filmography

See also

In Spanish: Karen Morley para niños