Morris Ankrum
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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.
Acted in
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Self (archive footage)
Guns of Diablo
1964
as Ray Macklin
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
1963
as Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
Tower of London
1962
as The Archbishop
Most Dangerous Man Alive
1961
as Capt. Davis
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
1961
as Gen. Lew Wallace
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960
as Walter Harwood
Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman
1958
as Dr. Carl Jordan
From the Earth to the Moon
1958
as President Ulysses S. Grant
Tarawa Beachhead
1958
as Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
Frontier Gun
1958
as Andrew Barton
The Saga of Hemp Brown
1958
as Bo Slauter
The Rifleman
1958
Curse of the Faceless Man
1958
as Narrator (unconfirmed)
Twilight for the Gods
1958
as Sea Captain
Badman's Country
1958
as Mayor Coleman
How to Make a Monster
1958
as Police Capt. Hancock
Young and Wild
1958
as Police Capt. Egan
Sea Hunt
1958
Giant from the Unknown
1958
as Dr. Frederick Cleveland
The Power of the Resurrection
1958
as Annas
Maverick
1957
as Joshua Haines
Perry Mason
1957
as Judge
Perry Mason
1957
as Judge Hoyt
M Squad
1957
as Police Inspector Dean
Omar Khayyam
1957
as Sharain's Father
Beginning of the End
1957
as Gen. John Hanson
The Giant Claw
1957
as Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
Kronos
1957
as Dr. Albert Stern
Hell's Crossroads
1957
as Wheeler
Zombies of Mora Tau
1957
as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
Drango
1957
as Henry Calder
The Desperados Are in Town
1956
as Mr. Rutherford
Naked Gun
1956
as Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
Walk the Proud Land
1956
as Gen. Wade
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
1956
as Brig. Gen. John Hanley
Quincannon, Frontier Scout
1956
as Col. Harry Conover
When Gangland Strikes
1956
as Leo Fantzler
Fury at Gunsight Pass
1956
as Doc Phillips
No Man's Woman
1955
as Capt. Hostedder
Tennessee's Partner
1955
as Judge Parker
Duel on the Mississippi
1955
as Magistrate (uncredited)
Gunsmoke
1955
as Merle
The Last Command
1955
The Eternal Sea
1955
as Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
The Silver Star
1955
as Charlie Childress
Chief Crazy Horse
1955
as Red Cloud
Crashout
1955
as Head Guard
The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story
1955
as Azar the Shepherd
Vera Cruz
1954
as Gen. Ramírez
The Steel Cage
1954
as Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
Three Young Texans
1954
as Jeff Blair
Cattle Queen of Montana
1954
as J.I. 'Pop' Jones
Two Guns and a Badge
1954
as Sheriff Jackson
Silver Lode
1954
as Zachary Evans
Apache
1954
as Dawson
The Outlaw Stallion
1954
as Sheriff
Drums Across the River
1954
as Chief Ouray
Southwest Passage
1954
as Dr. Stanton
Taza, Son of Cochise
1954
as Grey Eagle
Flight Nurse
1953
as Interrogation Officer
The Moonlighter
1953
as Alexander Prince
Mexican Manhunt
1953
as Tip Morgan
Sky Commando
1953
as Gen. W.R. Combs
Devil's Canyon
1953
as Ed
Arena
1953
as Bucky Hillberry
Invaders from Mars
1953
as Col. Fielding
I Beheld His Glory
1953
as Peter
Fort Vengeance
1953
as Chief Crowfoot
The Man Behind The Gun
1953
as Bram Creegan
Hiawatha
1952
as Iagoo
A Star Shall Rise
1952
as King Herod
Because of You
1952
as Dr. Travis
The Raiders
1952
as Thomas Ainsworth
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Warden
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Mr. Mason
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Mr. Raymond
Cowboy G-Men
1952
Son of Ali Baba
1952
as Ali Baba
Red Planet Mars
1952
as Secretary of Defense Sparks
Mutiny
1952
as Capt. Radford
Fort Osage
1952
as Arthur Pickett
My Favorite Spy
1951
as Gen. Frazer
Flight To Mars
1951
as Ikron
Tomorrow Is Another Day
1951
as Hugh Wagner
Along the Great Divide
1951
as Ed Roden
Fighting Coast Guard
1951
as Navy Captain
The Lion Hunters
1951
as Tom Forbes
The Redhead and The Cowboy
1951
as Sheriff
Short Grass
1950
as Hal Fenton
Southside 1-1000
1950
as Eugene Deane
Rocketship X-M
1950
as Dr. Ralph Fleming
In a Lonely Place
1950
as Lloyd Barnes
The Damned Don't Cry
1950
as Jim Whitehead
Borderline
1950
as Bill Whittaker
Chain Lightning
1950
as Ed Bostwick
The Fountainhead
1949
as Prosecutor (uncredited)
Colorado Territory
1949
as United States Marshal
We Were Strangers
1949
as M. Seymour
Bad Men of Tombstone
1949
as Mr. Jones
Joan of Arc
1948
as Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
For the Love of Mary
1948
as Adm. Walton
The Fabulous Fraud
1948
as Blind Girl's Father
Fighting Back
1948
as Robert J. Higby
Souvenirs of Death
1948
as Gangster (uncredited)
High Wall
1947
as Dr. Stanley Griffin
Good News
1947
as Dean Griswold
Desire Me
1947
as Hector Martin
Merton of the Movies
1947
as Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
Cynthia
1947
as Mr. Phillips, Principal
Song of the Thin Man
1947
as Inspector (uncredited)
The Sea of Grass
1947
as A.J. Crane
Little Mister Jim
1947
as Col. W.I. Starwell
The Mighty McGurk
1947
as Fowles
Lady in the Lake
1946
as Eugene Grayson
Courage of Lassie
1946
as Farmer Crews
The Cockeyed Miracle
1946
as Dr. Wilson
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946
as Judge (uncredited)
The Harvey Girls
1946
as Rev. Claggett
Adventure
1945
as Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
Purity Squad
1945
as Dr. Adams (uncredited)
The Hidden Eye
1945
as Ferris (henchman)
Phantoms, Inc.
1945
as Narrator (voice)
Fall Guy
1945
as District Attorney (uncredited)
The Thin Man Goes Home
1944
as Willoughby Peavy
Dark Shadows
1944
as Lt. Pat McKay
Gentle Annie
1944
as Deputy Gansby
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
1944
as Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
Return from Nowhere
1944
as Doctor (uncredited)
Barbary Coast Gent
1944
as Alec Veeder
Marriage Is a Private Affair
1944
as Ed Scofield
Meet the People
1944
as Monte Rowland
Main Street Today
1944
as Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
Rationing
1944
as Morgan
The Heavenly Body
1944
as Dr. Green
Swing Fever
1943
as Dan Conlon
Best Foot Forward
1943
as Col. Harkrider
Dixie Dugan
1943
as Editor
Reunion in France
1942
as Martin
Time to Kill
1942
as Alexander Morny
Tennessee Johnson
1942
as Jefferson Davis
The Omaha Trail
1942
as Henchman Job
The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe
1942
as Mr. Graham
Tales of Manhattan
1942
as Judge
Tales of Manhattan
1942
as Judge Tom Barnes (Robinson sequence)
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
1942
as Wood
Roxie Hart
1942
as Martin S. Harrison
Ride 'Em Cowboy
1942
as Ace Anderson
Road Agent
1941
as Big John Morgan
I Wake Up Screaming
1941
as Assistant District Attorney
The Bandit Trail
1941
as Red Haggerty
This Woman Is Mine
1941
as Roussel
Wide Open Town
1941
as Jim Stuart
Pirates on Horseback
1941
as Ace Gibson
Border Vigilantes
1941
as Dan Forbes
The Roundup
1941
as 'Parenthesis'
In Old Colorado
1941
as Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
Doomed Caravan
1941
as Stephen Westcott
Three Men from Texas
1940
as Bruce Morgan
Cherokee Strip
1940
as Hawk Barrett
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940
as Second Outlaw
Light of Western Stars
1940
as Nat Hayworth
The Showdown
1940
as Baron Rendor
Knights of the Range
1940
as Gamecock
Rustlers' Valley
1937
as Glen Randall
North of the Rio Grande
1937
as Henry Stoneham
Hills of Old Wyoming
1937
as Andrews
Borderland
1937
as Loco
Trail Dust
1936
as Tex Anderson
Hopalong Cassidy Returns
1936
as Blackie Felton
Stand Up and Cheer!
1934
as Washington Press Correspondent