
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.

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