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
Joan of Arc
(1948)
Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
(1956)
Brig. Gen. John Hanley
Vera Cruz
(1954)
Gen. Ramírez
In a Lonely Place
(1950)
Lloyd Barnes
The Harvey Girls
(1946)
Rev. Claggett
The Postman Always Rings Twice
(1946)
Judge (uncredited)
Song of the Thin Man
(1947)
Inspector (uncredited)
The Fountainhead
(1949)
Prosecutor (uncredited)
Apache
(1954)
Dawson
The Thin Man Goes Home
(1944)
Willoughby Peavy
The Giant Claw
(1957)
Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
(1944)
Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
Lady in the Lake
(1946)
Eugene Grayson
Invaders from Mars
(1953)
Col. Fielding
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
(1963)
Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
Cattle Queen of Montana
(1954)
J.I. 'Pop' Jones
Full Filmography
Acting
Trail Dust
(1936)
Tex Anderson
Hopalong Cassidy Returns
(1936)
Blackie Felton
Hills of Old Wyoming
(1937)
Andrews
Borderland
(1937)
Loco
Rustlers' Valley
(1937)
Glen Randall
North of the Rio Grande
(1937)
Henry Stoneham
Buck Benny Rides Again
(1940)
Second Outlaw
Light of Western Stars
(1940)
Nat Hayworth
The Showdown
(1940)
Baron Rendor
Three Men from Texas
(1940)
Bruce Morgan
Cherokee Strip
(1940)
Hawk Barrett
Knights of the Range
(1940)
Gamecock
This Woman Is Mine
(1941)
Roussel
Border Vigilantes
(1941)
Dan Forbes
Pirates on Horseback
(1941)
Ace Gibson
In Old Colorado
(1941)
Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
I Wake Up Screaming
(1941)
Assistant District Attorney
The Bandit Trail
(1941)
Red Haggerty
The Roundup
(1941)
'Parenthesis'
Doomed Caravan
(1941)
Stephen Westcott
Road Agent
(1941)
Big John Morgan
Wide Open Town
(1941)
Jim Stuart
Tales of Manhattan
(1942)
Judge
Ride 'Em Cowboy
(1942)
Ace Anderson
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
(1942)
Wood
The Omaha Trail
(1942)
Henchman Job
Roxie Hart
(1942)
Martin S. Harrison
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
(1942)
Mr. Graham
Reunion in France
(1942)
Martin
Time to Kill
(1942)
Alexander Morny
Tennessee Johnson
(1942)
Jefferson Davis
Best Foot Forward
(1943)
Col. Harkrider
Dixie Dugan
(1943)
Editor
Swing Fever
(1943)
Dan Conlon
Marriage Is a Private Affair
(1944)
Ed Scofield
Dark Shadows
(1944)
Lt. Pat McKay
Rationing
(1944)
Morgan
Meet the People
(1944)
Monte Rowland
Barbary Coast Gent
(1944)
Alec Veeder
Gentle Annie
(1944)
Deputy Gansby
The Thin Man Goes Home
(1944)
Willoughby Peavy
Main Street Today
(1944)
Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
(1944)
Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
Return from Nowhere
(1944)
Doctor (uncredited)
The Heavenly Body
(1944)
Dr. Green
Purity Squad
(1945)
Dr. Adams (uncredited)
The Hidden Eye
(1945)
Ferris (henchman)
Adventure
(1945)
Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
Fall Guy
(1945)
District Attorney (uncredited)
Phantoms, Inc.
(1945)
Narrator (voice)
The Harvey Girls
(1946)
Rev. Claggett
Courage of Lassie
(1946)
Farmer Crews
The Cockeyed Miracle
(1946)
Dr. Wilson
The Postman Always Rings Twice
(1946)
Judge (uncredited)
Lady in the Lake
(1946)
Eugene Grayson
The Mighty McGurk
(1947)
Fowles
The Sea of Grass
(1947)
A.J. Crane
Good News
(1947)
Dean Griswold
High Wall
(1947)
Dr. Stanley Griffin
Little Mister Jim
(1947)
Col. W.I. Starwell
Song of the Thin Man
(1947)
Inspector (uncredited)
Desire Me
(1947)
Hector Martin
Merton of the Movies
(1947)
Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
Cynthia
(1947)
Mr. Phillips, Principal
The Fabulous Fraud
(1948)
Blind Girl's Father
For the Love of Mary
(1948)
Adm. Walton
Souvenirs of Death
(1948)
Gangster (uncredited)
Joan of Arc
(1948)
Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
Fighting Back
(1948)
Robert J. Higby
Bad Men of Tombstone
(1949)
Mr. Jones
We Were Strangers
(1949)
M. Seymour
The Fountainhead
(1949)
Prosecutor (uncredited)
Colorado Territory
(1949)
United States Marshal
Chain Lightning
(1950)
Ed Bostwick
Short Grass
(1950)
Hal Fenton
Borderline
(1950)
Bill Whittaker
In a Lonely Place
(1950)
Lloyd Barnes
Southside 1-1000
(1950)
Eugene Deane
Rocketship X-M
(1950)
Dr. Ralph Fleming
The Damned Don't Cry
(1950)
Jim Whitehead
Fighting Coast Guard
(1951)
Navy Captain
The Redhead and The Cowboy
(1951)
Sheriff
My Favorite Spy
(1951)
Gen. Frazer
The Lion Hunters
(1951)
Tom Forbes
Along the Great Divide
(1951)
Ed Roden
Flight To Mars
(1951)
Ikron
Tomorrow Is Another Day
(1951)
Hugh Wagner
Hiawatha
(1952)
Iagoo
Son of Ali Baba
(1952)
Ali Baba
Red Planet Mars
(1952)
Secretary of Defense Sparks
Fort Osage
(1952)
Arthur Pickett
Because of You
(1952)
Dr. Travis
A Star Shall Rise
(1952)
King Herod
The Raiders
(1952)
Thomas Ainsworth
Mutiny
(1952)
Capt. Radford
Devil's Canyon
(1953)
Ed
Sky Commando
(1953)
Gen. W.R. Combs
The Man Behind The Gun
(1953)
Bram Creegan
I Beheld His Glory
(1953)
Peter
Invaders from Mars
(1953)
Col. Fielding
Arena
(1953)
Bucky Hillberry
The Moonlighter
(1953)
Alexander Prince
Flight Nurse
(1953)
Interrogation Officer
Fort Vengeance
(1953)
Chief Crowfoot
Mexican Manhunt
(1953)
Tip Morgan
Southwest Passage
(1954)
Dr. Stanton
Vera Cruz
(1954)
Gen. Ramírez
Three Young Texans
(1954)
Jeff Blair
The Steel Cage
(1954)
Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
Cattle Queen of Montana
(1954)
J.I. 'Pop' Jones
Drums Across the River
(1954)
Chief Ouray
Taza, Son of Cochise
(1954)
Grey Eagle
The Outlaw Stallion
(1954)
Sheriff
Apache
(1954)
Dawson
Silver Lode
(1954)
Zachary Evans
Two Guns and a Badge
(1954)
Sheriff Jackson
Duel on the Mississippi
(1955)
Magistrate (uncredited)
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
(1955)
Azar the Shepherd
The Eternal Sea
(1955)
Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
The Last Command
(1955)
No Man's Woman
(1955)
Capt. Hostedder
Tennessee's Partner
(1955)
Judge Parker
Crashout
(1955)
Head Guard
Chief Crazy Horse
(1955)
Red Cloud
The Silver Star
(1955)
Charlie Childress
Fury at Gunsight Pass
(1956)
Doc Phillips
Walk the Proud Land
(1956)
Gen. Wade
Quincannon, Frontier Scout
(1956)
Col. Harry Conover
When Gangland Strikes
(1956)
Leo Fantzler
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
(1956)
Brig. Gen. John Hanley
Naked Gun
(1956)
Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
The Desperados Are in Town
(1956)
Mr. Rutherford
Drango
(1957)
Henry Calder
Omar Khayyam
(1957)
Sharain's Father
Hell's Crossroads
(1957)
Wheeler
Beginning of the End
(1957)
Gen. John Hanson
Zombies of Mora Tau
(1957)
Dr. Jonathan Eggert
The Giant Claw
(1957)
Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
Kronos
(1957)
Dr. Albert Stern
Curse of the Faceless Man
(1958)
Narrator (unconfirmed)
The Power of the Resurrection
(1958)
Annas
How to Make a Monster
(1958)
Police Capt. Hancock
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
(1958)
Dr. Carl Jordan
Giant from the Unknown
(1958)
Dr. Frederick Cleveland
From the Earth to the Moon
(1958)
President Ulysses S. Grant
Young and Wild
(1958)
Police Capt. Egan
The Saga of Hemp Brown
(1958)
Bo Slauter
Twilight for the Gods
(1958)
Sea Captain
Tarawa Beachhead
(1958)
Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
Frontier Gun
(1958)
Andrew Barton
Badman's Country
(1958)
Mayor Coleman
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
(1961)
Gen. Lew Wallace
Most Dangerous Man Alive
(1961)
Capt. Davis
Tower of London
(1962)
The Archbishop
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
(1963)
Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
Guns of Diablo
(1964)
Ray Macklin
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Self (archive footage)