--- name: "Karen Morley" canonical: "https://film.one/person/karen-morley" fi1m_id: "karen-morley" imdb_id: "nm0605904" tmdb_id: 13354 wikidata_id: "Q439668" roles: ["Actor"] born: "12 December 1909" died: "8 March 2003" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 82 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-25T01:06:06.404927+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Karen Morley ## Identity Karen Morley - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/karen-morley - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** karen-morley - **IMDb ID:** nm0605904 - **TMDB ID:** 13354 - **Wikidata ID:** Q439668 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Morley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q439668, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0605904/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13354 Actor. Born 12 December 1909 in Ottumwa, Iowa, USA. Died 8 March 2003. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 12 December 1909, Ottumwa, Iowa, USA - **Died:** 8 March 2003 - **Active:** 1932–1973 - **Also known as:** Mildred Linton - **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 85 (1), 1970s 80 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Morley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q439668, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0605904/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/13354 ## Fi1m on Karen Morley > Karen Morley’s smooth voice makes her sharp replies particularly satisfying. We recommend her as Poppy in *Scarface* first: a sensual, quick-witted performance that gives good reason to pay attention beyond the gangsters. Karen Morley’s smooth voice is an agreeable way to deliver a sharp reply. In Howard Hawks’s *Scarface* (1932), her Poppy combines sensuality with a wit that makes the gangster’s moll a part worth listening to. We laughed at her sharp talk; Morley makes Poppy’s humour as much a pleasure as her glamour. Being desirable does not require her to be accommodating. That independence gives us a reason to watch her beyond her place in the plot, and makes Poppy a persuasive introduction to her work. There is useful work in the supporting credits, too. *Mata Hari* (1931) placed her opposite Greta Garbo as Carlotta, while George Cukor’s *Dinner at Eight* (1933) cast her as Lucy Talbot in its ensemble. The dependable supporting actor matters here, even if those parts are less immediately distinctive than Poppy. We would be reluctant to recommend a whole film merely because Morley appears in it, but her ensemble work gives us reason to look beyond the sharp-talking roles. The change from MGM contract work to freelancing in 1934 brought a different sort of opportunity. In King Vidor’s *Our Daily Bread* (1934), she plays Mary Sims in a drama about a farming cooperative, with grounded acting that helps make its concerns human. Michael Curtiz’s *Black Fury* (1935) reunited her with Paul Muni, who also appears in *Scarface*. Her later supporting role as Mrs Collins in *Pride and Prejudice* (1940) gives another indication of how much work lay outside the molls and dangerous women. For a first encounter, though, our recommendation remains *Scarface*. Its moral lectures interrupt the momentum, but Hawks’s vicious humour and the acting give ample compensation; we recommend it for those immediate pleasures rather than as a history lesson. George Raft’s restraint is one of them, and Morley’s sharp-witted sensuality belongs in the same company. Give Poppy as much attention as the men: her replies are part of the entertainment, not a pause while the gangsters prepare to resume. ## Biography Karen Morley was an American actor. Born Mildred Linton on 12 December 1909 in Ottumwa, Iowa, she studied at UCLA and trained at the Pasadena Playhouse before entering films. She gained notice in early roles including *Mata Hari* (1931) and played Poppy opposite Paul Muni in Howard Hawks’s *Scarface* (1932). Under contract at MGM she appeared in *The Mask of Fu Manchu* (1932) and *Dinner at Eight* (1933). After leaving the studio in 1934 she worked freelance on films such as *Our Daily Bread* (1934) and *Pride and Prejudice* (1940). Her screen career ended in the late 1940s after she refused to answer questions before the House Un-American Activities Committee. She later appeared in television series including *Kung Fu* (1972) and *Kojak* (1973). Morley died on 8 March 2003. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, theguardian.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Kojak* (1973), Fi1m 80, as Mrs. Webber — [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md) - *Scarface* (1932), Fi1m 85, as Poppy — [page](https://film.one/film/scarface-1932.md) ## Complete filmography (49) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Police Woman* (1974), series, Actor - *Kojak* (1973), series, as Mrs. Webber — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md) - *Kung Fu* (1972), series, as Mrs. Roper - *The Big Parade of Comedy* (1964), as Lucy Talbot in 'Dinner at Eight' (archive footage) (uncredited) - *Born to the Saddle* (1953), as Kate Daggett - *M* (1951), as Mrs. Coster - *Framed* (1947), as Beth - *The Thirteenth Hour* (1947), as Eileen Blair - *The Unknown* (1946), as Rachel Martin - *Jealousy* (1945), as Dr. Monica Anderson - *Pride and Prejudice* (1940), as Mrs. Collins - *Kentucky* (1938), as Mrs. Goodwin - 1861 - *On Such a Night* (1937), as Gail Stanley - *The Last Train from Madrid* (1937), as Baroness Helene Rafitte - *The Girl from Scotland Yard* (1937), as Linda Beech - *Outcast* (1937), as Margaret Stevens - *Beloved Enemy* (1936), as Cathleen O'Brien - *Devil's Squadron* (1936), as Martha Dawson - *The Littlest Rebel* (1935), as Mrs. Cary - *Thunder in the Night* (1935), as Countess Madalaine - *The Healer* (1935), as Evelyn Allen - *Black Fury* (1935), as Anna Novak - *$10 Raise* (1935), as Emily Converse - *Wednesday's Child* (1934), as Kathryn Phillips - *Our Daily Bread* (1934), as Mary Sims - *Straight Is the Way* (1934), as Bertha - *The Crime Doctor* (1934), as Andra - *Dinner at Eight* (1933), as Lucy Talbot - *Gabriel Over the White House* (1933), as Pendola Molloy - *Flesh* (1932), as Laura - *The Mask of Fu Manchu* (1932), as Sheila Barton - *The Phantom of Crestwood* (1932), as Jenny Wren - *Downstairs* (1932), as Karl's New Employer (uncredited) - *The Washington Masquerade* (1932), as Consuela Fairbanks - *Man About Town* (1932), as Helena - *Scarface* (1932), as Poppy — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/scarface-1932.md) - *Are You Listening?* (1932), as Alice Grimes - *Arsène Lupin* (1932), as Sonia - *Mata Hari* (1931), as Carlotta - *The Cuban Love Song* (1931), as Crystal - *The Sin of Madelon Claudet* (1931), as Alice - *High Stakes* (1931), as Anne Cornwall - *Laughing Sinners* (1931), as Estelle - *Never the Twain Shall Meet* (1931), as Maisie - *Daybreak* (1931), as Emily Kessner - *Strangers May Kiss* (1931), as Dining Companion - *Politics* (1931), as Myrtle Burns - *Inspiration* (1931), as Liane Latour - *Thru Different Eyes* (1929), as Bit Part (uncredited) ## Gallery - ![Karen Morley](https://film.one/media/person/468636/gallery-e711b5a43c06.jpg) Karen Morley — George Hurrell (1904-1992), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Karen_Morley_by_George_Hurrell%2C_1930s.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Karen Morley](https://film.one/media/person/468636/gallery-f777a168606c.jpg) Karen Morley — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Karen_Morley_%281930s%29_%2853590506581%29.jpg/1280px-Karen_Morley_%281930s%29_%2853590506581%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Barbara Pepper, Tom Keene and Karen Morley in Our Daily Bread](https://film.one/media/person/468636/gallery-2966925a35a8.jpg) Barbara Pepper, Tom Keene and Karen Morley in Our Daily Bread — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Barbara_Pepper%2C_Tom_Keene_and_Karen_Morley_-_Our_Daily_Bread_%281934%29_%2853574894050%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Karen Morley](https://film.one/media/person/468636/gallery-e1e6d899082b.jpg) Karen Morley — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/karen-morley