
Morris Ankrum
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.
Notable Appearances
Movies
More Movies

The Movie Orgy

Chain Lightning

Chief Crazy Horse

Apache

Along the Great Divide

The Man Behind The Gun

The Thin Man Goes Home

The Harvey Girls

My Favorite Spy

Beginning of the End

The Damned Don't Cry

Invaders from Mars

Marriage Is a Private Affair

The Saga of Hemp Brown

Walk the Proud Land

Cattle Queen of Montana

Drums Across the River

Roxie Hart

I Wake Up Screaming

Colorado Territory

Stand Up and Cheer!

Lady in the Lake

Courage of Lassie

Guns of Diablo

Taza, Son of Cochise

Silver Lode

Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

How to Make a Monster

Curse of the Faceless Man

The Redhead and the Cowboy

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

Desire Me

Swing Fever

Adventure

Tower of London

Tales of Manhattan

From the Earth to the Moon

Let's Face It

Road Agent

Duel on the Mississippi

Devil's Canyon

Mutiny

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Rocketship X-M

Twilight for the Gods

Zombies of Mora Tau

The Steel Cage

Buck Benny Rides Again

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

We Were Strangers

The Giant Claw

The Cross of Lorraine

Tomorrow Is Another Day

The Power of the Resurrection

The Eternal Sea

Bad Men of Tombstone

This Woman Is Mine

Hiawatha

Fury at Gunsight Pass

Two Guns and a Badge

Reunion in France

No Man's Woman

High Wall

Red Planet Mars

Meet the People

Borderline

Tennessee's Partner

Good News

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe

The Moonlighter

Because of You

The Desperados Are in Town

Kronos

Merton of the Movies

Omar Khayyam

Three Men from Texas

Tarawa Beachhead

The Heavenly Body

Giant from the Unknown

The Light of Western Stars

The Silver Star

Flight to Mars

Fort Osage

Best Foot Forward

Fort Vengeance

Fall Guy

Crashout

The Green Years

Most Dangerous Man Alive

The Mighty McGurk

I Beheld His Glory

The Raiders

Arena

Southside 1-1000

Fighting Back

Hills of Old Wyoming

Fighting Coast Guard

Purity Squad

Naked Gun

For the Love of Mary

Phantoms, Inc.

North of the Rio Grande

When Gangland Strikes

Cherokee Strip

Drango

Hell's Crossroads

Southwest Passage

Tennessee Johnson

Main Street Today

Barbary Coast Gent

A Star Shall Rise

Quincannon, Frontier Scout

Souvenirs of Death

Cynthia

Time to Kill

Flight Nurse

Gentle Annie

Rationing

Knights of the Range

Three Young Texans

Short Grass

The Omaha Trail

Rustlers' Valley

Badman's Country

Frontier Gun

Doomed Caravan

Sky Commando

The Cockeyed Miracle

Little Mister Jim

The Outlaw Stallion

Dixie Dugan

In Old Colorado

The Roundup

Borderland

Wide Open Town

Down Liberty Road

The Hidden Eye

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

Young and Wild

The Lion Hunters

Hopalong Cassidy Returns

Border Vigilantes

Pirates on Horseback

Trail Dust

Dark Shadows

The Bandit Trail

The Showdown

Return from Nowhere

Mexican Manhunt




























