Morris Ankrum
Born: 1896-08-28 in Danville, Illinois, USA
Died: 1964-09-02
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Morris Ankrum (born Morris Nussbaum, August 28, 1896 – September 2, 1964) was an American radio, television and film character actor. Before signing with Paramount Pictures in the 1930s, Nussbaum had already changed his last name to Ankrum. Upon signing with the studio, he chose to use the name "Stephen Morris" before changing it to Morris Ankrum in 1939. Ankrum's stern visage and sharply defined features helped cast him in supporting roles as stalwart authority figures, including scientists, military men (particularly army officers), judges and even psychiatrists in more than 150 films, mostly B movies. One standout role was in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's production of Tennessee Johnson (1942), a biographical film about Andrew Johnson, the 17th U.S. president. As Sen. Jefferson Davis, Ankrum movingly addresses the United States Senate upon his resignation to lead the Confederate States of America as that republic's first—and only—president. Ankrum's film career was extensive and spanned 30 years. His credits were largely concentrated in the western and science-fiction genres. Ankrum appeared in such westerns as Ride 'Em Cowboy in 1942, Vera Cruz opposite Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, Apache (1954), and Cattle Queen of Montana with Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. In the sci-fi genre, he appeared in Rocketship X-M (1950), Flight to Mars (1951), as a Martian, Red Planet Mars (1952), playing the United States Secretary of Defense; the cult classic Invaders From Mars (1953), playing a United States Army officer; and as an Army general in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956). In 1957 he played a psychiatrist in the cult sci-fi classic Kronos and had military-officer roles in Beginning of the End and The Giant Claw.
Filmography
1968
- The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1964
- Guns of Diablo as Ray Macklin
1963
- X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes as Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
1962
- Tower of London as The Archbishop
1961
- Most Dangerous Man Alive as Capt. Davis
- The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come as Gen. Lew Wallace
1960
- The Barbara Stanwyck Show as Walter Harwood
1959
- Bonanza as Mr. Mason
1958
- The Rifleman
- Sea Hunt
- Bronco as Gilbert Groves
- The Saga of Hemp Brown as Bo Slauter
- Curse of the Faceless Man as Narrator (unconfirmed)
- How to Make a Monster as Police Capt. Hancock
- From the Earth to the Moon as President Ulysses S. Grant
- Tarawa Beachhead as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
- Twilight for the Gods as Sea Captain
- Giant from the Unknown as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
- The Power of the Resurrection as Annas
- Badman's Country as Mayor Coleman
- Young and Wild as Police Capt. Egan
- Frontier Gun as Andrew Barton
1957
- Perry Mason as Judge
- Maverick as Joshua Haines
- M Squad as Police Inspector Dean
- The Giant Claw as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
- Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman as Dr. Carl Jordan
- Beginning of the End as Gen. John Hanson
- Kronos as Dr. Albert Stern
- Zombies of Mora Tau as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- Omar Khayyam as Sharain's Father
- Hell's Crossroads as Wheeler
- Drango as Henry Calder
- Down Liberty Road as Fred Schroder
1956
- On Trial as Judge
- Dr. Fu Manchu as Professor Rutledge
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
- Walk the Proud Land as Gen. Wade
- Fury at Gunsight Pass as Doc Phillips
- The Desperados Are in Town as Mr. Rutherford
- Naked Gun as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
- Quincannon, Frontier Scout as Col. Harry Conover
- When Gangland Strikes as Leo Fantzler
1955
- Cheyenne as John Clements
- Gunsmoke as Merle
- The 20th Century Fox Hour as Henry
- The Last Command
- Chief Crazy Horse as Red Cloud
- Duel on the Mississippi as Magistrate (uncredited)
- No Man's Woman as Capt. Hostedder
- The Eternal Sea as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
- Tennessee's Partner as Judge Parker
- The Silver Star as Charlie Childress
- Crashout as Head Guard
- The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story as Azar the Shepherd
1954
- Vera Cruz as Gen. Ramírez
- Drums Across the River as Chief Ouray
- Cattle Queen of Montana as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
- Apache as Dawson
- Taza, Son of Cochise as Grey Eagle
- Silver Lode as Zachary Evans
- The Steel Cage as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
- Two Guns and a Badge as Sheriff Jackson
- The Outlaw Stallion as Sheriff
- Three Young Texans as Jeff Blair
- Southwest Passage as Dr. Stanton
1953
- The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
- The Man Behind The Gun as Bram Creegan
- Invaders from Mars as Col. Fielding
- Devil's Canyon as Ed
- Fort Vengeance as Chief Crowfoot
- I Beheld His Glory as Peter
- The Moonlighter as Alexander Prince
- Sky Commando as Gen. W.R. Combs
- Flight Nurse as Interrogation Officer
- Arena as Bucky Hillberry
- Mexican Manhunt as Tip Morgan
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Warden
- Cowboy G-Men
- Son of Ali Baba as Ali Baba
- Hiawatha as Iagoo
- Because of You as Dr. Travis
- Mutiny as Capt. Radford
- The Raiders as Thomas Ainsworth
- Red Planet Mars as Secretary of Defense Sparks
- A Star Shall Rise as King Herod
- Fort Osage as Arthur Pickett
1951
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
- Along the Great Divide as Ed Roden
- My Favorite Spy as Gen. Frazer
- The Redhead and the Cowboy as Sheriff
- Tomorrow Is Another Day as Hugh Wagner
- Fighting Coast Guard as Navy Captain
- Flight to Mars as Ikron
- The Lion Hunters as Tom Forbes
1950
- In a Lonely Place as Lloyd Barnes
- Chain Lightning as Ed Bostwick
- The Damned Don't Cry as Jim Whitehead
- Rocketship X-M as Dr. Ralph Fleming
- Borderline as Bill Whittaker
- Short Grass as Hal Fenton
- Southside 1-1000 as Eugene Deane
1949
- The Fountainhead as Prosecutor (uncredited)
- We Were Strangers as M. Seymour
- Colorado Territory as United States Marshal
- Bad Men of Tombstone as Mr. Jones
1948
- Studio One as Considine
- Joan of Arc as Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
- Fighting Back as Robert J. Higby
- For the Love of Mary as Adm. Walton
- Souvenirs of Death as Gangster (uncredited)
- The Fabulous Fraud as Blind Girl's Father
1947
- The Sea of Grass as A.J. Crane
- Desire Me as Hector Martin
- Song of the Thin Man as Inspector (uncredited)
- High Wall as Dr. Stanley Griffin
- Merton of the Movies as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
- The Mighty McGurk as Fowles
- Good News as Dean Griswold
- Little Mister Jim as Col. W.I. Starwell
- Cynthia as Mr. Phillips, Principal
1946
- The Postman Always Rings Twice as Judge (uncredited)
- Lady in the Lake as Eugene Grayson
- Courage of Lassie as Farmer Crews
- The Harvey Girls as Reverend Claggett
- The Green Years as Dr. Galbraith
- The Cockeyed Miracle as Dr. Wilson
1945
- Adventure as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
- Purity Squad as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
- Fall Guy as District Attorney (uncredited)
- Phantoms, Inc. as Narrator (voice)
- The Hidden Eye as Ferris (henchman)
1944
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
- Marriage Is a Private Affair as Ed Scofield
- The Thin Man Goes Home as Willoughby Peavy
- The Heavenly Body as Dr. Green
- Meet the People as Monte Rowland
- Barbary Coast Gent as Alec Veeder
- Gentle Annie as Deputy Gansby
- Main Street Today as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
- Rationing as Morgan
- Dark Shadows as Lt. Pat McKay
- Return from Nowhere as Doctor (uncredited)
1943
- Swing Fever as Dan Conlon
- The Cross of Lorraine as Col. Demas (uncredited)
- Let's Face It as Man in Sun Shell Cafe
- Best Foot Forward as Col. Harkrider
- Dixie Dugan as Editor
1942
- Roxie Hart as Martin S. Harrison
- Tales of Manhattan as Judge
- Reunion in France as Martin
- Ten Gentlemen from West Point as Wood
- Tennessee Johnson as Jefferson Davis
- The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe as Mr. Graham
- Time to Kill as Alexander Morny
- The Omaha Trail as Henchman Job
1941
- Road Agent as Big John Morgan
- I Wake Up Screaming as Assistant District Attorney
- Ride 'Em Cowboy as Ace Anderson
- This Woman Is Mine as Roussel
- The Roundup as 'Parenthesis'
- Doomed Caravan as Stephen Westcott
- In Old Colorado as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
- Wide Open Town as Jim Stuart
- Pirates on Horseback as Ace Gibson
- The Bandit Trail as Red Haggerty
- Border Vigilantes as Dan Forbes
1940
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Second Outlaw
- Three Men from Texas as Bruce Morgan
- The Light of Western Stars as Nat Hayworth
- Knights of the Range as Gamecock
- Cherokee Strip as Hawk Barrett
- The Showdown as Baron Rendor
1937
- Hills of Old Wyoming as Andrews
- North of the Rio Grande as Henry Stoneham
- Rustlers' Valley as Glen Randall
- Borderland as Loco
1936
- Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Blackie Felton
- Trail Dust as Tex Anderson
1934
- Stand Up and Cheer! as Washington Press Correspondent