Morris Ankrum
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1896-08-28
Day of Death
1964-09-02 (68 years old)
Place of Birth
Danville, Illinois, USA
Morris Ankrum
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
Acting
(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
(1961)
Most Dangerous Man Alive
as Capt. Davis
(1958)
Twilight for the Gods
as Sea Captain
(1958)
From the Earth to the Moon
as President Ulysses S. Grant
(1958)
Curse of the Faceless Man
as Narrator (unconfirmed)
(1958)
The Saga of Hemp Brown
as Bo Slauter
(1958)
Frontier Gun
as Andrew Barton
(1958)
Badman's Country
as Mayor Coleman
(1958)
How to Make a Monster
as Police Capt. Hancock
(1958)
Giant from the Unknown
as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
(1958)
The Power of the Resurrection
as Annas
(1958)
Young and Wild
as Police Capt. Egan
(1958)
Tarawa Beachhead
as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
(1957)
Zombies of Mora Tau
as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
(1957)
The Giant Claw
as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
(1957)
Drango
as Henry Calder
(1957)
Omar Khayyam
as Sharain's Father
(1957)
Hell's Crossroads
as Wheeler
(1957)
Beginning of the End
as Gen. John Hanson
(1957)
Kronos
as Dr. Albert Stern
(1957)
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
as Dr. Carl Jordan
(1956)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
(1956)
Walk the Proud Land
as Gen. Wade
(1956)
Fury at Gunsight Pass
as Doc Phillips
(1956)
When Gangland Strikes
as Leo Fantzler
(1956)
The Desperados Are in Town
as Mr. Rutherford
(1956)
Quincannon, Frontier Scout
as Col. Harry Conover
(1956)
Naked Gun
as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
(1955)
Duel on the Mississippi
as Magistrate (uncredited)
(1955)
Chief Crazy Horse
as Red Cloud
(1955)
The Eternal Sea
as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
(1955)
Crashout
as Head Guard
(1955)
(1955)
Tennessee's Partner
as Judge Parker
(1955)
The Silver Star
as Charlie Childress
(1955)
No Man's Woman
as Capt. Hostedder
(1955)
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
as Azar the Shepherd
(1954)
Apache
as Dawson
(1954)
Vera Cruz
as Gen. Ramírez
(1954)
Taza, Son of Cochise
as Grey Eagle
(1954)
Three Young Texans
as Jeff Blair
(1954)
Cattle Queen of Montana
as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
(1954)
Drums Across the River
as Chief Ouray
(1954)
Southwest Passage
as Dr. Stanton
(1954)
The Steel Cage
as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
(1954)
Two Guns and a Badge
as Sheriff Jackson
(1954)
The Outlaw Stallion
as Sheriff
(1954)
Silver Lode
as Zachary Evans
(1953)
Flight Nurse
as Interrogation Officer
(1953)
Arena
as Bucky Hillberry
(1953)
The Man Behind The Gun
as Bram Creegan
(1953)
Sky Commando
as Gen. W.R. Combs
(1953)
The Moonlighter
as Alexander Prince
(1953)
Invaders from Mars
as Col. Fielding
(1953)
Fort Vengeance
as Chief Crowfoot
(1953)
Devil's Canyon
as Ed
(1953)
Mexican Manhunt
as Tip Morgan
(1953)
I Beheld His Glory
as Peter
(1952)
Red Planet Mars
as Secretary of Defense Sparks
(1952)
Fort Osage
as Arthur Pickett
(1952)
Mutiny
as Capt. Radford
(1952)
Because of You
as Dr. Travis
(1952)
The Raiders
as Thomas Ainsworth
(1952)
A Star Shall Rise
as King Herod
(1952)
Son of Ali Baba
as Ali Baba
(1952)
Hiawatha
as Iagoo
(1951)
Flight to Mars
as Ikron
(1951)
The Lion Hunters
as Tom Forbes
(1951)
My Favorite Spy
as Gen. Frazer
(1951)
Along the Great Divide
as Ed Roden
(1951)
Tomorrow Is Another Day
as Hugh Wagner
(1951)
The Redhead and The Cowboy
as Sheriff
(1951)
Fighting Coast Guard
as Navy Captain
(1950)
In a Lonely Place
as Lloyd Barnes
(1950)
Borderline
as Bill Whittaker
(1950)
Rocketship X-M
as Dr. Ralph Fleming
(1950)
Chain Lightning
as Ed Bostwick
(1950)
Southside 1-1000
as Eugene Deane
(1950)
Short Grass
as Hal Fenton
(1950)
The Damned Don't Cry
as Jim Whitehead
(1949)
The Fountainhead
as Prosecutor (uncredited)
(1949)
Colorado Territory
as United States Marshal
(1949)
We Were Strangers
as M. Seymour
(1949)
Bad Men of Tombstone
as Mr. Jones
(1948)
Joan of Arc
as Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
(1948)
The Fabulous Fraud
as Blind Girl's Father
(1948)
For the Love of Mary
as Adm. Walton
(1948)
Fighting Back
as Robert J. Higby
(1948)
Souvenirs of Death
as Gangster (uncredited)
(1947)
Good News
as Dean Griswold
(1947)
Cynthia
as Mr. Phillips, Principal
(1947)
Song of the Thin Man
as Inspector (uncredited)
(1947)
The Sea of Grass
as A.J. Crane
(1947)
High Wall
as Dr. Stanley Griffin
(1947)
Little Mister Jim
as Col. W.I. Starwell
(1947)
Desire Me
as Hector Martin
(1947)
The Mighty McGurk
as Fowles
(1947)
Merton of the Movies
as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
(1946)
Lady in the Lake
as Eugene Grayson
(1946)
The Green Years
as Dr. Galbraith
(1946)
The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Judge (uncredited)
(1946)
The Harvey Girls
as Rev. Claggett
(1946)
Courage of Lassie
as Farmer Crews
(1946)
The Cockeyed Miracle
as Dr. Wilson
(1945)
The Hidden Eye
as Ferris (henchman)
(1945)
Adventure
as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
(1945)
Fall Guy
as District Attorney (uncredited)
(1945)
Purity Squad
as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
(1945)
Phantoms, Inc.
as Narrator (voice)
(1944)
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
(1944)
Gentle Annie
as Deputy Gansby
(1944)
Marriage Is a Private Affair
as Ed Scofield
(1944)
The Thin Man Goes Home
as Willoughby Peavy
(1944)
Rationing
as Morgan
(1944)
Main Street Today
as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
(1944)
Dark Shadows
as Lt. Pat McKay
(1944)
Meet the People
as Monte Rowland
(1944)
The Heavenly Body
as Dr. Green
(1944)
Return from Nowhere
as Doctor (uncredited)
(1944)
Barbary Coast Gent
as Alec Veeder
(1943)
Best Foot Forward
as Col. Harkrider
(1943)
Swing Fever
as Dan Conlon
(1943)
Let's Face It
as Man in Sun Shell Cafe
(1943)
Dixie Dugan
as Editor
(1942)
The Omaha Trail
as Henchman Job
(1942)
Tales of Manhattan
as Judge
(1942)
Tales of Manhattan
as Judge Tom Barnes (Robinson sequence)
(1942)
Tennessee Johnson
as Jefferson Davis
(1942)
(1942)
Reunion in France
as Martin
(1942)
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
as Mr. Graham
(1942)
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Ace Anderson
(1942)
Roxie Hart
as Martin S. Harrison
(1942)
Time to Kill
as Alexander Morny
(1941)
The Bandit Trail
as Red Haggerty
(1941)
In Old Colorado
as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
(1941)
The Roundup
as 'Parenthesis'
(1941)
Doomed Caravan
as Stephen Westcott
(1941)
Border Vigilantes
as Dan Forbes
(1941)
I Wake Up Screaming
as Assistant District Attorney
(1941)
Wide Open Town
as Jim Stuart
(1941)
This Woman Is Mine
as Roussel
(1941)
Road Agent
as Big John Morgan
(1941)
Pirates on Horseback
as Ace Gibson
(1940)
Three Men from Texas
as Bruce Morgan
(1940)
The Showdown
as Baron Rendor
(1940)
Light of Western Stars
as Nat Hayworth
(1940)
Knights of the Range
as Gamecock
(1940)
Buck Benny Rides Again
as Second Outlaw
(1940)
Cherokee Strip
as Hawk Barrett
(1937)
Rustlers' Valley
as Glen Randall
(1937)
North of the Rio Grande
as Henry Stoneham
(1937)
Borderland
as Loco
(1937)
Hills of Old Wyoming
as Andrews
(1936)
Trail Dust
as Tex Anderson
(1936)
Hopalong Cassidy Returns
as Blackie Felton
(1934)
Stand Up and Cheer!
as Washington Press Correspondent