Morris Ankrum
Acting
Born August 28, 1896 · Danville, Illinois, USA
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.
Films (161)
The Movie Orgy
1968
Guns of Diablo
1964
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963
Tower of London
1962
Most Dangerous Man Alive
1961
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
1961
From the Earth to the Moon
1958
Tarawa Beachhead
1958
Frontier Gun
1958
The Saga of Hemp Brown
1958
Curse of the Faceless Man
1958
Twilight for the Gods
1958
Badman's Country
1958
How to Make a Monster
1958
Young and Wild
1958
Giant from the Unknown
1958
The Power of the Resurrection
1958
Omar Khayyam
1957
Beginning of the End
1957
The Giant Claw
1957
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
1957
Kronos
1957
Hell's Crossroads
1957
Zombies of Mora Tau
1957
Drango
1957
The Desperados Are in Town
1956
Naked Gun
1956
Walk the Proud Land
1956
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
1956
Quincannon, Frontier Scout
1956
When Gangland Strikes
1956
Fury at Gunsight Pass
1956
No Man's Woman
1955
Tennessee's Partner
1955
Duel on the Mississippi
1955
The Last Command
1955
The Eternal Sea
1955
The Silver Star
1955
Chief Crazy Horse
1955
Crashout
1955
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
1955
Vera Cruz
1954
The Steel Cage
1954
Three Young Texans
1954
Cattle Queen of Montana
1954
Two Guns and a Badge
1954
Apache
1954
The Outlaw Stallion
1954
Silver Lode
1954
Drums Across the River
1954
Southwest Passage
1954
Taza, Son of Cochise
1954
Flight Nurse
1953
The Moonlighter
1953
Mexican Manhunt
1953
Sky Commando
1953
Devil's Canyon
1953
Arena
1953
Invaders from Mars
1953
I Beheld His Glory
1953
Fort Vengeance
1953
The Man Behind The Gun
1953
Hiawatha
1952
A Star Shall Rise
1952
Because of You
1952
The Raiders
1952
Son of Ali Baba
1952
Red Planet Mars
1952
Mutiny
1952
Fort Osage
1952
My Favorite Spy
1951
Flight to Mars
1951
Tomorrow Is Another Day
1951
Along the Great Divide
1951
Fighting Coast Guard
1951
The Lion Hunters
1951
The Redhead and the Cowboy
1951
Short Grass
1950
Southside 1-1000
1950
Rocketship X-M
1950
In a Lonely Place
1950
The Damned Don't Cry
1950
Borderline
1950
Chain Lightning
1950
The Fountainhead
1949
Colorado Territory
1949
We Were Strangers
1949
Bad Men of Tombstone
1949
Joan of Arc
1948
For the Love of Mary
1948
The Fabulous Fraud
1948
Fighting Back
1948
Souvenirs of Death
1948
High Wall
1947
Good News
1947
Desire Me
1947
Merton of the Movies
1947
Cynthia
1947
Song of the Thin Man
1947
The Sea of Grass
1947
Little Mister Jim
1947
The Mighty McGurk
1947
Lady in the Lake
1946
Courage of Lassie
1946
The Cockeyed Miracle
1946
The Green Years
1946
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946
The Harvey Girls
1946
Adventure
1945
Purity Squad
1945
The Hidden Eye
1945
Phantoms, Inc.
1945
Fall Guy
1945
The Thin Man Goes Home
1944
Dark Shadows
1944
Gentle Annie
1944
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
1944
Return from Nowhere
1944
Barbary Coast Gent
1944
Marriage Is a Private Affair
1944
Meet the People
1944
Main Street Today
1944
Rationing
1944
The Heavenly Body
1944
The Cross of Lorraine
1943
Swing Fever
1943
Best Foot Forward
1943
Let's Face It
1943
Dixie Dugan
1943
Reunion in France
1942
Time to Kill
1942
Tennessee Johnson
1942
The Omaha Trail
1942
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
1942
Tales of Manhattan
1942
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
1942
Roxie Hart
1942
Road Agent
1941
Ride 'Em Cowboy
1941
I Wake Up Screaming
1941
The Bandit Trail
1941
This Woman Is Mine
1941
Wide Open Town
1941
Pirates on Horseback
1941
Border Vigilantes
1941
The Roundup
1941
In Old Colorado
1941
Doomed Caravan
1941
Three Men from Texas
1940
Cherokee Strip
1940
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940
The Light of Western Stars
1940
The Showdown
1940
Knights of the Range
1940
Rustlers' Valley
1937
North of the Rio Grande
1937
Hills of Old Wyoming
1937
Borderland
1937
Trail Dust
1936
Hopalong Cassidy Returns
1936
Stand Up and Cheer!
1934