- Karen Morley
Infobox actor
name = Karen Morley
imagesize = 250px
caption = from the trailer for the film "Black Fury" (1935).
birthname = Mildred Linton
birthdate = birth date|1909|12|12|mf=y
location =Ottumwa ,Iowa , U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|2003|3|8|1909|12|12|mf=y
deathplace = Woodland Hills, Los Angeles,California , U.S.
spouse = Charles Vidor (1932-1943) 1 child
Lloyd Gough (1943-1984)Karen Morley (
December 12 ,1909 -March 8 ,2003 ) was an Americanfilm actress.Plot
Born Mildred Linton in
Ottumwa, Iowa , Morley came to prominence in Hollywood films in the early 1930s, most notably in "Mata Hari" (1931), "Scarface" (1932), "The Phantom of Crestwood " (1932), "Arsene Lupin " (1933), "Dinner at Eight" (1933), and "Pride and Prejudice" (1940).Education
Morley lived in Ottumwa until she was thirteen years old. When she came to Hollywood, she attended
Hollywood High School . She graduated and attendedUCLA .Discovery
She was discovered by
Clarence Brown , director of a number ofGreta Garbo movies. At the time Morley was trying out for the film "Inspiration". Garbo refused to make tests and someone was needed to wear the star's clothes and speak her lines in preliminary tests.Hedda Hopper worked well in this task until one day she was sick with a cold. Director Brown passed through the waiting throngs outside the casting office when Morley "clocked" on his mind and caused him to pause. Karen was accompanied by her agent who had been waiting with her for an appointment with Brown for three days. She had been working recently at thePasadena Playhouse . The sound mixer was impressed with Morley's fine recording voice at the same time that the director was marvelling about her being a wonderful actress.creen actress
The long-term contract she secured with
MGM owed much to her rich speaking voice and the intelligence which she brought to her film projects. Karen also possessed an ambition to direct plays in the future.The actress' big break came when producer
Howard Hughes selected her to play in "Scarface" (1932). Following her role in "Mata Hari" with Greta Garbo, she acted withJohn Barrymore in "Arsene Lupin " and "Dinner at Eight" withJean Harlow .In 1934, Morley left MGM after arguments about her roles and her private life. Her first film after leaving MGM was "Our Daily Bread" (1934) directed by
King Vidor . She continued to work without a tie to a particular studio, appearing inMichael Curtiz 's "Black Fury", and "The Littlest Rebel " withShirley Temple . However, her career was going nowhere without a major studio campaign behind her and after 1939, Morley's film appearances were rare.Ruined career
Her career came to an end in 1947, when she testified before the
House Un-American Activities Committee and refused to answer questions about her allegedAmerican Communist Party 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 ticket.After being blacklisted by the Hollywood studio bosses, she was never able to rebuild her acting career. She remained married to Gough until his death in 1984, and she outlived their only child; she moved to the
San Francisco Bay area late in life. In December 1999, at the age of 90, she appeared in themagazine "Vanity Fair" in an article aboutblacklist survivors.Among the most promising young actresses in the
MGM company, Morley's career failed to deliver the major stardom her talent deserved. Her lack of top-level stardom has been rumored to be the result of studio politics.Marriages
Morley was married to director
Charles Vidor from 1932 until 1943. Charles was one of the most coveted directors ofRKO films. The couple met on the sets of "Man About Town", aWarner Baxter movie. Karen had the feminine lead and Vidor was co-director. Vidor and Morley had a son, Michael Karoly, who was born in August 1933. Morley was the only MGM actress during the early 1930s to give birth, other than studio headIrving Thalberg 's wifeNorma Shearer , which likely did not endear her to studio executives. In 1943 she married the actorLloyd Gough .Death
Lived in
Santa Monica ,California at the Beautiful Montana Gardens on 4th and Montana towards the end of her life.She died from
pneumonia inWoodland Hills, California at the age of 93. Karen Morley was survived by two grandsons, a great-grandson, and a great-granddaughter.References
*
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Times, "Discovered", November 3, 1932, Page 7.
*Los Angeles Times , "Karen Morley, 93, A Movie Star Until a Congressional Hearing", April 27, 2003, Page N47.
*Oakland, California Tribune, "One Star's Family", September 9, 1935, Page 68.External links
*
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=328 Photographs of Karen Morley]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCWkAzxolU Clip of Karen Morley at YouTube.com]Persondata
NAME= Morley, Karen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Linton, Mildred
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1909-12-12
PLACE OF BIRTH=Ottumwa ,Iowa , U.S.
DATE OF DEATH= 2003-3-8
PLACE OF DEATH= Woodland Hills, Los Angeles,California , U.S.
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