The legacy of Iowa-born actress Karen Morley is contained in the titles of a few Depression-era classics. 'Mata Hari' (1931),'Scarface' (1932), 'Gabriel over the White House' and 'Dinner at Eight' (both 1933), 'Our Daily Bread' (1934), 'Black Fury' and 'The Littlest Rebel' (both 1935). Her final appearance of merit can be found in the 1940 version of 'Pride and Prejudice'. Her career ended with her refusal to deny membership in the Communist Party, during the 1947 House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings. True to her convictions, she never ceased her commitment to left-wing ideology. She made a handful of appearances in television and film through the early '70's, mostly uncredited and all unremarkable.
Karen Morley belongs to that category of Hollywood actresses,sadly plentiful during any era: possessors of above-average skill, unusual beauty and understated versatility whose careers top out somewhere between recognition and respect, yet fall shy of fame.Her quiet beauty and serious dedication to her craft make it all-too-easy to overlook her contribution to film. Yet, once discovered, she is unforgettable.
The widow of actor Lloyd Gough, she died in 2003, at 93.
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