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
1958
- The Rifleman
- Sea Hunt
- The Power of the Resurrection as Annas
- The Saga of Hemp Brown as Bo Slauter
- Giant from the Unknown as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
- How to Make a Monster as Police Capt. Hancock
- From the Earth to the Moon as President Ulysses S. Grant
- Twilight for the Gods as Sea Captain
- Badman's Country as Mayor Coleman
- Curse of the Faceless Man as Narrator (unconfirmed)
- Frontier Gun as Andrew Barton
- Young and Wild as Police Capt. Egan
- Tarawa Beachhead as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
1957
- Perry Mason as Judge
- Maverick as Joshua Haines
- M Squad as Police Inspector Dean
- Omar Khayyam as Sharain's Father
- Kronos as Dr. Albert Stern
- The Giant Claw as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
- Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman as Dr. Carl Jordan
- Zombies of Mora Tau as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- Hell's Crossroads as Wheeler
- Beginning of the End as Gen. John Hanson
- Drango as Henry Calder
1956
- Earth vs. the Flying Saucers as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
- Naked Gun as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
- The Desperados Are in Town as Mr. Rutherford
- Fury at Gunsight Pass as Doc Phillips
- When Gangland Strikes as Leo Fantzler
- Walk the Proud Land as Gen. Wade
- Quincannon, Frontier Scout as Col. Harry Conover
1955
- Cheyenne as John Clements
- Gunsmoke as Merle
- The 20th Century Fox Hour as Henry
- Crashout as Head Guard
- Chief Crazy Horse as Red Cloud
- The Last Command
- The Eternal Sea as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
- Tennessee's Partner as Judge Parker
- Duel on the Mississippi as Magistrate (uncredited)
- The Silver Star as Charlie Childress
- No Man's Woman as Capt. Hostedder
- The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story as Azar the Shepherd
1954
- Vera Cruz as Gen. Ramírez
- Apache as Dawson
- Silver Lode as Zachary Evans
- Southwest Passage as Dr. Stanton
- Cattle Queen of Montana as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
- Taza, Son of Cochise as Grey Eagle
- Drums Across the River as Chief Ouray
- The Outlaw Stallion as Sheriff
- Three Young Texans as Jeff Blair
- The Steel Cage as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
- Two Guns and a Badge as Sheriff Jackson
1953
- Flight Nurse as Interrogation Officer
- The Moonlighter as Alexander Prince
- Sky Commando as Gen. W.R. Combs
- Fort Vengeance as Chief Crowfoot
- The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
- Mexican Manhunt as Tip Morgan
- The Man Behind The Gun as Bram Creegan
- Invaders from Mars as Col. Fielding
- Devil's Canyon as Ed
- I Beheld His Glory as Peter
- Arena as Bucky Hillberry
1952
- Four Star Playhouse as Warden
- Red Planet Mars as Secretary of Defense Sparks
- Son of Ali Baba as Ali Baba
- The Raiders as Thomas Ainsworth
- Hiawatha as Iagoo
- Fort Osage as Arthur Pickett
- Because of You as Dr. Travis
- A Star Shall Rise as King Herod
- Cowboy G-Men
- Mutiny as Capt. Radford
1951
- Flight to Mars as Ikron
- My Favorite Spy as Gen. Frazer
- The Lion Hunters as Tom Forbes
- Along the Great Divide as Ed Roden
- Fighting Coast Guard as Navy Captain
- Tomorrow Is Another Day as Hugh Wagner
- The Redhead and The Cowboy as Sheriff
1950
- Chain Lightning as Ed Bostwick
- Borderline as Bill Whittaker
- Rocketship X-M as Dr. Ralph Fleming
- The Damned Don't Cry as Jim Whitehead
- Southside 1-1000 as Eugene Deane
- In a Lonely Place as Lloyd Barnes
- Short Grass as Hal Fenton
1949
- The Fountainhead as Prosecutor (uncredited)
- Colorado Territory as United States Marshal
- We Were Strangers as M. Seymour
- Bad Men of Tombstone as Mr. Jones
1948
- Studio One as Considine
- Fighting Back as Robert J. Higby
- Joan of Arc as Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
- Souvenirs of Death as Gangster (uncredited)
- For the Love of Mary as Adm. Walton
- The Fabulous Fraud as Blind Girl's Father
1947
- Cynthia as Mr. Phillips, Principal
- High Wall as Dr. Stanley Griffin
- Desire Me as Hector Martin
- Good News as Dean Griswold
- Song of the Thin Man as Inspector (uncredited)
- The Sea of Grass as A.J. Crane
- 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 Rev. Claggett
- Lady in the Lake as Eugene Grayson
- The Green Years as Dr. Galbraith
- The Postman Always Rings Twice as Judge (uncredited)
- Courage of Lassie as Farmer Crews
- The Cockeyed Miracle as Dr. Wilson
1945
- Adventure as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
- Fall Guy as District Attorney (uncredited)
- Phantoms, Inc. as Narrator (voice)
- Purity Squad as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
- The Hidden Eye as Ferris (henchman)
1944
- Gentle Annie as Deputy Gansby
- Rationing as Morgan
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
- The Thin Man Goes Home as Willoughby Peavy
- Meet the People as Monte Rowland
- The Heavenly Body as Dr. Green
- Main Street Today as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
- Return from Nowhere as Doctor (uncredited)
- Marriage Is a Private Affair as Ed Scofield
- Dark Shadows as Lt. Pat McKay
- Barbary Coast Gent as Alec Veeder
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
- Tennessee Johnson as Jefferson Davis
- Ten Gentlemen from West Point as Wood
- Tales of Manhattan as Judge
- Reunion in France as Martin
- Roxie Hart as Martin S. Harrison
- The Omaha Trail as Henchman Job
- The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe as Mr. Graham
- Time to Kill as Alexander Morny
1941
- Doomed Caravan as Stephen Westcott
- Border Vigilantes as Dan Forbes
- I Wake Up Screaming as Assistant District Attorney
- The Bandit Trail as Red Haggerty
- In Old Colorado as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
- Wide Open Town as Jim Stuart
- Ride 'Em Cowboy as Ace Anderson
- The Roundup as 'Parenthesis'
- Road Agent as Big John Morgan
- This Woman Is Mine as Roussel
- Pirates on Horseback as Ace Gibson
1940
- The Light of Western Stars as Nat Hayworth
- Cherokee Strip as Hawk Barrett
- Three Men from Texas as Bruce Morgan
- The Showdown as Baron Rendor
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Second Outlaw
- Knights of the Range as Gamecock
1937
- Borderland as Loco
- Rustlers' Valley as Glen Randall
- Hills of Old Wyoming as Andrews
- North of the Rio Grande as Henry Stoneham
1936
- Trail Dust as Tex Anderson
- Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Blackie Felton
1934
- Stand Up and Cheer! as Washington Press Correspondent