Name
Morris Ankrum
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1896-08-28
Deathday
1964-09-02 (68 years old)
Place of Birth
Danville, Illinois, USA
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.
Known For
6.4
Former World War II flying ace Matt Brennan takes a position as a test pilot for a commerc...
6.722
Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsre...
5.3
President Franklin Roosevelt appoints a theatrical producer as the new Secretary of Amusem...
6.8
An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individuali...
5.9
Bill's separated from his litter, making friends with the wild creatures until he's found ...
6.687
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a young lieutenant leaves his expectant wife to volunteer for...
6.2
In the 15th Century, France is a defeated and ruined nation after the One Hundred Years Wa...
- 1946 Lady in the Lake as Eugene Grayson
- 1968 The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
- 1953 Invaders from Mars as Col. Fielding
- 1945 Fall Guy as District Attorney (uncredited)
- 1941 I Wake Up Screaming as Assistant District Attorney
- 1944 The Heavenly Body as Dr. Green
- 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice as Judge (uncredited)
- 1958 Young and Wild as Police Capt. Egan
- 1955 Crashout as Head Guard
- 1947 High Wall as Dr. Stanley Griffin
- 1954 Silver Lode as Zachary Evans
- 1949 Colorado Territory as United States Marshal
- 1957 The Giant Claw as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
- 1950 The Damned Don't Cry as Jim Whitehead
- 1951 Tomorrow Is Another Day as Hugh Wagner
- 1944 The Thin Man Goes Home as Willoughby Peavy
- 1955 Tennessee's Partner as Judge Parker
- 1954 Apache as Dawson
- 1951 Flight to Mars as Ikron
- 1957 Kronos as Dr. Albert Stern
- 1946 Courage of Lassie as Farmer Crews
- 1950 Rocketship X-M as Dr. Ralph Fleming
- 1957 Zombies of Mora Tau as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- 1955 The Last Command
- 1958 From the Earth to the Moon as President Ulysses S. Grant
- 1958 Twilight for the Gods as Sea Captain
- 1961 Most Dangerous Man Alive as Capt. Davis
- 1950 Borderline as Bill Whittaker
- 1950 In a Lonely Place as Lloyd Barnes
- 1957 Beginning of the End as Gen. John Hanson
- 1950 Southside 1-1000 as Eugene Deane
- 1956 Earth vs. the Flying Saucers as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
- 1956 When Gangland Strikes as Leo Fantzler
- 1942 Time to Kill as Alexander Morny
- 1949 We Were Strangers as M. Seymour
- 1941 Doomed Caravan as Stephen Westcott
- 1941 Pirates on Horseback as Ace Gibson
- 1941 In Old Colorado as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
- 1940 The Showdown as Baron Rendor
- 1941 Wide Open Town as Jim Stuart
- 1940 Three Men from Texas as Bruce Morgan
- 1936 Hopalong Cassidy Returns as Blackie Felton
- 1937 North of the Rio Grande as Henry Stoneham
- 1937 Borderland as Loco
- 1937 Rustlers' Valley as Glen Randall
- 1955 Duel on the Mississippi as Magistrate (uncredited)
- 1937 Hills of Old Wyoming as Andrews
- 1936 Trail Dust as Tex Anderson
- 1954 Taza, Son of Cochise as Grey Eagle
- 1958 Giant from the Unknown as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
- 1955 No Man's Woman as Capt. Hostedder
- 1952 Son of Ali Baba as Ali Baba
- 1961 The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come as Gen. Lew Wallace
- 1942 Roxie Hart as Martin S. Harrison
- 1953 The Man Behind The Gun as Bram Creegan
- 1964 Guns of Diablo as Ray Macklin
- 1945 The Hidden Eye as Ferris (henchman)
- 1950 Chain Lightning as Ed Bostwick
- 1953 Sky Commando as Gen. W.R. Combs
- 1951 My Favorite Spy as Gen. Frazer
- 1951 The Redhead and the Cowboy as Sheriff
- 1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
- 1954 Drums Across the River as Chief Ouray
- 1956 Quincannon, Frontier Scout as Col. Harry Conover
- 1952 Hiawatha as Iagoo
- 1954 The Steel Cage as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
- 1946 The Cockeyed Miracle as Dr. Wilson
- 1957 Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman as Dr. Carl Jordan
- 1958 How to Make a Monster as Police Capt. Hancock
- 1957 Hell's Crossroads as Wheeler
- 1948 The Fabulous Fraud as Blind Girl's Father
- 1953 Devil's Canyon as Ed
- 1943 Swing Fever as Dan Conlon
- 1944 Rationing as Morgan
- 1947 Desire Me as Hector Martin
- 1951 The Lion Hunters as Tom Forbes
- 1952 Mutiny as Capt. Radford
- 1952 Because of You as Dr. Travis
- 1945 Adventure as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
- 1947 Cynthia as Mr. Phillips, Principal
- 1954 Southwest Passage as Dr. Stanton
- 1955 The Eternal Sea as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
- 1947 Good News as Dean Griswold
- 1957 Omar Khayyam as Sharain's Father
- 1956 Fury at Gunsight Pass as Doc Phillips
- 1948 For the Love of Mary as Adm. Walton
- 1953 Fort Vengeance as Chief Crowfoot
- 1944 Barbary Coast Gent as Alec Veeder
- 1952 The Raiders as Thomas Ainsworth
- 1952 A Star Shall Rise as King Herod
- 1955 The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story as Azar the Shepherd
- 1948 Fighting Back as Robert J. Higby
- 1944 Gentle Annie as Deputy Gansby
- 1952 Fort Osage as Arthur Pickett
- 1943 Dixie Dugan as Editor
- 1941 Ride 'Em Cowboy as Ace Anderson
- 1953 Flight Nurse as Interrogation Officer
- 1963 X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes as Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
- 1944 Dark Shadows as Lt. Pat McKay
- 1943 Best Foot Forward as Col. Harkrider
- 1954 Two Guns and a Badge as Sheriff Jackson
- 1940 Cherokee Strip as Hawk Barrett
- 1945 Purity Squad as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
- 1957 Drango as Henry Calder
- 1944 Meet the People as Monte Rowland
- 1953 The Moonlighter as Alexander Prince
- 1951 Along the Great Divide as Ed Roden
- 1947 Merton of the Movies as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
- 1941 The Bandit Trail as Red Haggerty
- 1942 The Omaha Trail as Henchman Job
- 1958 Curse of the Faceless Man as Narrator (unconfirmed)
- 1953 Mexican Manhunt as Tip Morgan
- 1940 The Light of Western Stars as Nat Hayworth
- 1940 Buck Benny Rides Again as Second Outlaw
- 1962 Tower of London as The Archbishop
- 1940 Knights of the Range as Gamecock
- 1954 Vera Cruz as Gen. Ramírez
- 1942 The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe as Mr. Graham
- 1945 Phantoms, Inc. as Narrator (voice)
- 1950 Short Grass as Hal Fenton
- 1942 Tales of Manhattan as Judge
- 1958 The Power of the Resurrection as Annas
- 1953 I Beheld His Glory as Peter
- 1941 This Woman Is Mine as Roussel
- 1941 Border Vigilantes as Dan Forbes
- 1941 The Roundup as 'Parenthesis'
- 1949 Bad Men of Tombstone as Mr. Jones
- 1953 Arena as Bucky Hillberry
- 1942 Ten Gentlemen from West Point as Wood
- 1955 The Silver Star as Charlie Childress
- 1954 Cattle Queen of Montana as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
- 1954 The Outlaw Stallion as Sheriff
- 1956 The Desperados Are in Town as Mr. Rutherford
- 1958 Badman's Country as Mayor Coleman
- 1954 Three Young Texans as Jeff Blair
- 1958 Frontier Gun as Andrew Barton
- 1958 The Saga of Hemp Brown as Bo Slauter
- 1956 Naked Gun as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
- 1947 Little Mister Jim as Col. W.I. Starwell
- 1947 The Mighty McGurk as Fowles
- 1944 Marriage Is a Private Affair as Ed Scofield
- 1951 Fighting Coast Guard as Navy Captain
- 1944 Return from Nowhere as Doctor (uncredited)
- 1947 Song of the Thin Man as Inspector (uncredited)
- 1955 Chief Crazy Horse as Red Cloud
- 1944 Main Street Today as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
- 1948 Souvenirs of Death as Gangster (uncredited)
- 1949 The Fountainhead as Prosecutor (uncredited)
- 1956 Walk the Proud Land as Gen. Wade
- 1942 Reunion in France as Martin
- 1952 Red Planet Mars as Secretary of Defense Sparks
- 1958 Tarawa Beachhead as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
- 1948 Joan of Arc as Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
- 1942 Tennessee Johnson as Jefferson Davis
- 1946 The Harvey Girls as Reverend Claggett
- 1947 The Sea of Grass as A.J. Crane
- 1941 Road Agent as Big John Morgan
- 1934 Stand Up and Cheer! as Washington Press Correspondent
- 1946 The Green Years as Dr. Galbraith
- 1943 Let's Face It as Man in Sun Shell Cafe
- 1943 The Cross of Lorraine as Col. Demas (uncredited)
- 1957 Down Liberty Road as Fred Schroder
- 1955 Gunsmoke ( 1 episode ) as Merle
- 1952 Cowboy G-Men ( 39 episodes )
- 1958 The Rifleman ( 2 episodes )
- 1957 M Squad ( 1 episode ) as Police Inspector Dean
- 1960 The Barbara Stanwyck Show ( 1 episode ) as Walter Harwood
- 1957 Maverick ( 1 episode ) as Joshua Haines
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 6 episodes ) as Judge
- 1958 Sea Hunt ( 1 episode )
- 1952 Four Star Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Warden
- 1952 Four Star Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Mason
- 1952 Four Star Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Raymond
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Judge Hoyt
- 1953 The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse ( 1 episode )
- 1955 Cheyenne ( 1 episode ) as John Clements
- 1955 The 20th Century Fox Hour ( 1 episode ) as Henry
- 1948 Studio One ( 1 episode ) as Considine
- 1956 Dr. Fu Manchu ( 1 episode ) as Professor Rutledge
- 1959 Bonanza ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Mason
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode )
- 1956 On Trial ( 1 episode ) as Judge
- 1958 Bronco ( 1 episode ) as Gilbert Groves
