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
- The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come as Gen. Lew Wallace
- Most Dangerous Man Alive as Capt. Davis
1960
- The Barbara Stanwyck Show as Walter Harwood
1959
- Bonanza as Mr. Mason
1958
- The Rifleman
- Sea Hunt
- The Saga of Hemp Brown as Bo Slauter
- Twilight for the Gods as Sea Captain
- Tarawa Beachhead as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
- Frontier Gun as Andrew Barton
- Badman's Country as Mayor Coleman
- Young and Wild as Police Capt. Egan
- 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
- Giant from the Unknown as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
- The Power of the Resurrection as Annas
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
- Drango as Henry Calder
- Beginning of the End as Gen. John Hanson
- Kronos as Dr. Albert Stern
- Omar Khayyam as Sharain's Father
- Zombies of Mora Tau as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- Hell's Crossroads as Wheeler
- Down Liberty Road as Fred Schroder
1956
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
- Dr. Fu Manchu as Professor Rutledge
- On Trial as Judge
- Naked Gun as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
- When Gangland Strikes as Leo Fantzler
- Walk the Proud Land as Gen. Wade
- Quincannon, Frontier Scout as Col. Harry Conover
- The Desperados Are in Town as Mr. Rutherford
- Fury at Gunsight Pass as Doc Phillips
1955
- Cheyenne as John Clements
- Gunsmoke as Merle
- The 20th Century Fox Hour as Henry
- The Last Command
- Chief Crazy Horse as Red Cloud
- The Eternal Sea as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
- Duel on the Mississippi as Magistrate (uncredited)
- Tennessee's Partner as Judge Parker
- Crashout as Head Guard
- No Man's Woman as Capt. Hostedder
- The Silver Star as Charlie Childress
- The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story as Azar the Shepherd
1954
- Vera Cruz as Gen. Ramírez
- Apache as Dawson
- Silver Lode as Zachary Evans
- Cattle Queen of Montana as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
- Taza, Son of Cochise as Grey Eagle
- Drums Across the River as Chief Ouray
- Southwest Passage as Dr. Stanton
- The Steel Cage as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
- Three Young Texans as Jeff Blair
- Two Guns and a Badge as Sheriff Jackson
- The Outlaw Stallion as Sheriff
1953
- The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
- Fort Vengeance as Chief Crowfoot
- Invaders from Mars as Col. Fielding
- Arena as Bucky Hillberry
- The Man Behind The Gun as Bram Creegan
- Devil's Canyon as Ed
- The Moonlighter as Alexander Prince
- Sky Commando as Gen. W.R. Combs
- Mexican Manhunt as Tip Morgan
- Flight Nurse as Interrogation Officer
- I Beheld His Glory as Peter
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Warden
- Cowboy G-Men
- Mutiny as Capt. Radford
- Fort Osage as Arthur Pickett
- Red Planet Mars as Secretary of Defense Sparks
- Son of Ali Baba as Ali Baba
- Because of You as Dr. Travis
- Hiawatha as Iagoo
- The Raiders as Thomas Ainsworth
- A Star Shall Rise as King Herod
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
- Flight to Mars as Ikron
- Tomorrow Is Another Day as Hugh Wagner
- Fighting Coast Guard as Navy Captain
- The Lion Hunters as Tom Forbes
1950
- In a Lonely Place as Lloyd Barnes
- The Damned Don't Cry as Jim Whitehead
- Borderline as Bill Whittaker
- Rocketship X-M as Dr. Ralph Fleming
- Short Grass as Hal Fenton
- Southside 1-1000 as Eugene Deane
- Chain Lightning as Ed Bostwick
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
- For the Love of Mary as Adm. Walton
- Souvenirs of Death as Gangster (uncredited)
- Fighting Back as Robert J. Higby
- The Fabulous Fraud as Blind Girl's Father
1947
- Song of the Thin Man as Inspector (uncredited)
- The Sea of Grass as A.J. Crane
- Good News as Dean Griswold
- High Wall as Dr. Stanley Griffin
- Desire Me as Hector Martin
- The Mighty McGurk as Fowles
- Cynthia as Mr. Phillips, Principal
- Merton of the Movies as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
- Little Mister Jim as Col. W.I. Starwell
1946
- The Postman Always Rings Twice as Judge (uncredited)
- The Harvey Girls as Rev. Claggett
- Lady in the Lake as Eugene Grayson
- Courage of Lassie as Farmer Crews
- The Green Years as Dr. Galbraith
- The Cockeyed Miracle as Dr. Wilson
1945
- Adventure as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
- Phantoms, Inc. as Narrator (voice)
- The Hidden Eye as Ferris (henchman)
- Purity Squad as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
- Fall Guy as District Attorney (uncredited)
1944
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
- The Thin Man Goes Home as Willoughby Peavy
- Barbary Coast Gent as Alec Veeder
- Meet the People as Monte Rowland
- Gentle Annie as Deputy Gansby
- Rationing as Morgan
- Marriage Is a Private Affair as Ed Scofield
- Main Street Today as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
- The Heavenly Body as Dr. Green
- Dark Shadows as Lt. Pat McKay
- Return from Nowhere as Doctor (uncredited)
1943
- Let's Face It as Man in Sun Shell Cafe
- The Cross of Lorraine as Col. Demas (uncredited)
- Dixie Dugan as Editor
- Swing Fever as Dan Conlon
- Best Foot Forward as Col. Harkrider
1942
- Tales of Manhattan as Judge
- Reunion in France as Martin
- Roxie Hart as Martin S. Harrison
- Ten Gentlemen from West Point as Wood
- The Omaha Trail as Henchman Job
- Tennessee Johnson as Jefferson Davis
- Time to Kill as Alexander Morny
- The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe as Mr. Graham
1941
- I Wake Up Screaming as Assistant District Attorney
- Ride 'Em Cowboy as Ace Anderson
- Doomed Caravan as Stephen Westcott
- In Old Colorado as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
- Wide Open Town as Jim Stuart
- This Woman Is Mine as Roussel
- Road Agent as Big John Morgan
- Border Vigilantes as Dan Forbes
- The Roundup as 'Parenthesis'
- The Bandit Trail as Red Haggerty
- Pirates on Horseback as Ace Gibson
1940
- The Light of Western Stars as Nat Hayworth
- Three Men from Texas as Bruce Morgan
- The Showdown as Baron Rendor
- Cherokee Strip as Hawk Barrett
- Knights of the Range as Gamecock
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Second Outlaw
1937
- Hills of Old Wyoming as Andrews
- Rustlers' Valley as Glen Randall
- Borderland as Loco
- North of the Rio Grande as Henry Stoneham
1936
- Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Blackie Felton
- Trail Dust as Tex Anderson
1934
- Stand Up and Cheer! as Washington Press Correspondent