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
- Bronco as Gilbert Groves
- Sea Hunt
- Tarawa Beachhead as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
- How to Make a Monster as Police Capt. Hancock
- Giant from the Unknown as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
- From the Earth to the Moon as President Ulysses S. Grant
- Frontier Gun as Andrew Barton
- Young and Wild as Police Capt. Egan
- Curse of the Faceless Man as Narrator (unconfirmed)
- Twilight for the Gods as Sea Captain
- The Saga of Hemp Brown as Bo Slauter
- Badman's Country as Mayor Coleman
- 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
- Beginning of the End as Gen. John Hanson
- Omar Khayyam as Sharain's Father
- Kronos as Dr. Albert Stern
- Down Liberty Road as Fred Schroder
- Hell's Crossroads as Wheeler
- Zombies of Mora Tau as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- Drango as Henry Calder
1956
- On Trial as Judge
- Dr. Fu Manchu as Professor Rutledge
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
- 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
- Fury at Gunsight Pass as Doc Phillips
- The Desperados Are in Town as Mr. Rutherford
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
- The Silver Star as Charlie Childress
- Tennessee's Partner as Judge Parker
- Duel on the Mississippi as Magistrate (uncredited)
- Crashout as Head Guard
- No Man's Woman as Capt. Hostedder
- The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story as Azar the Shepherd
1954
- Vera Cruz as Gen. Ramírez
- 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"
- Southwest Passage as Dr. Stanton
- Two Guns and a Badge as Sheriff Jackson
- Drums Across the River as Chief Ouray
- Three Young Texans as Jeff Blair
- The Outlaw Stallion as Sheriff
1953
- The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
- Invaders from Mars as Col. Fielding
- The Man Behind The Gun as Bram Creegan
- Fort Vengeance as Chief Crowfoot
- Sky Commando as Gen. W.R. Combs
- Arena as Bucky Hillberry
- Flight Nurse as Interrogation Officer
- The Moonlighter as Alexander Prince
- Devil's Canyon as Ed
- I Beheld His Glory as Peter
- Mexican Manhunt as Tip Morgan
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Warden
- Cowboy G-Men
- Son of Ali Baba as Ali Baba
- Red Planet Mars as Secretary of Defense Sparks
- Hiawatha as Iagoo
- Fort Osage as Arthur Pickett
- Mutiny as Capt. Radford
- The Raiders as Thomas Ainsworth
- Because of You as Dr. Travis
- A Star Shall Rise as King Herod
1951
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
- My Favorite Spy as Gen. Frazer
- Along the Great Divide as Ed Roden
- Flight to Mars as Ikron
- The Redhead and the Cowboy as Sheriff
- Fighting Coast Guard as Navy Captain
- The Lion Hunters as Tom Forbes
- Tomorrow Is Another Day as Hugh Wagner
1950
- In a Lonely Place as Lloyd Barnes
- Chain Lightning as Ed Bostwick
- Rocketship X-M as Dr. Ralph Fleming
- Borderline as Bill Whittaker
- Short Grass as Hal Fenton
- Southside 1-1000 as Eugene Deane
- The Damned Don't Cry as Jim Whitehead
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
- Souvenirs of Death as Gangster (uncredited)
- For the Love of Mary as Adm. Walton
- The Fabulous Fraud as Blind Girl's Father
1947
- Desire Me as Hector Martin
- The Sea of Grass as A.J. Crane
- Good News as Dean Griswold
- Song of the Thin Man as Inspector (uncredited)
- High Wall as Dr. Stanley Griffin
- Cynthia as Mr. Phillips, Principal
- Merton of the Movies as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
- The Mighty McGurk as Fowles
- Little Mister Jim as Col. W.I. Starwell
1946
- The Harvey Girls as Reverend Claggett
- The Postman Always Rings Twice as Judge (uncredited)
- Courage of Lassie as Farmer Crews
- Lady in the Lake as Eugene Grayson
- The Green Years as Dr. Galbraith
- The Cockeyed Miracle as Dr. Wilson
1945
- Phantoms, Inc. as Narrator (voice)
- Purity Squad as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
- Fall Guy as District Attorney (uncredited)
- The Hidden Eye as Ferris (henchman)
- Adventure as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
1944
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
- The Thin Man Goes Home as Willoughby Peavy
- The Heavenly Body as Dr. Green
- Marriage Is a Private Affair as Ed Scofield
- Meet the People as Monte Rowland
- Gentle Annie as Deputy Gansby
- Barbary Coast Gent as Alec Veeder
- Return from Nowhere as Doctor (uncredited)
- Dark Shadows as Lt. Pat McKay
- Main Street Today as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
- Rationing as Morgan
1943
- Swing Fever as Dan Conlon
- Let's Face It as Man in Sun Shell Cafe
- Best Foot Forward as Col. Harkrider
- The Cross of Lorraine as Col. Demas (uncredited)
- Dixie Dugan as Editor
1942
- Roxie Hart as Martin S. Harrison
- Reunion in France as Martin
- Tales of Manhattan as Judge
- The Omaha Trail as Henchman Job
- Tennessee Johnson as Jefferson Davis
- Time to Kill as Alexander Morny
- Ten Gentlemen from West Point as Wood
- The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe as Mr. Graham
1941
- Road Agent as Big John Morgan
- Ride 'Em Cowboy as Ace Anderson
- I Wake Up Screaming as Assistant District Attorney
- Doomed Caravan as Stephen Westcott
- This Woman Is Mine as Roussel
- The Roundup as 'Parenthesis'
- Wide Open Town as Jim Stuart
- Pirates on Horseback as Ace Gibson
- The Bandit Trail as Red Haggerty
- Border Vigilantes as Dan Forbes
- In Old Colorado as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
1940
- The Showdown as Baron Rendor
- The Light of Western Stars as Nat Hayworth
- Cherokee Strip as Hawk Barrett
- Three Men from Texas as Bruce Morgan
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Second Outlaw
- Knights of the Range as Gamecock
1937
- North of the Rio Grande as Henry Stoneham
- Borderland as Loco
- Hills of Old Wyoming as Andrews
- Rustlers' Valley as Glen Randall
1936
- Trail Dust as Tex Anderson
- Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Blackie Felton
1934
- Stand Up and Cheer! as Washington Press Correspondent