
Morris Ankrum
Born: 1896-08-28
Place of Birth: Danville, Illinois, USA
Biography
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

Apache

Desire Me

Colorado Territory

Swing Fever

Tennessee Johnson

Adventure

The Fountainhead

Flight Nurse

Fighting Back

Mexican Manhunt

Silver Lode

Duel on the Mississippi

Fort Vengeance

Cynthia

Cherokee Strip

Chain Lightning

The Moonlighter

Border Vigilantes

High Wall

Gentle Annie

Roxie Hart

Borderland

Sky Commando

Borderline

Omar Khayyam

The Eternal Sea

Tarawa Beachhead

Doomed Caravan

Trail Dust

Fury at Gunsight Pass

Crashout

Rustlers' Valley

Hiawatha

Rationing

Song of the Thin Man

My Favorite Spy

I Beheld His Glory

The Movie Orgy

Vera Cruz

Fall Guy

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

Purity Squad

When Gangland Strikes

Tales of Manhattan

Hopalong Cassidy Returns

Road Agent

Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

In a Lonely Place

Invaders from Mars

Along the Great Divide

Phantoms, Inc.

Fighting Coast Guard

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Naked Gun

Beginning of the End

Rocketship X-M

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

Tower of London

Lady in the Lake

The Giant Claw

The Sea of Grass

Badman's Country

Stand Up and Cheer!

The Last Command

Courage of Lassie

The Damned Don't Cry

Joan of Arc

Most Dangerous Man Alive

Guns of Diablo

Reunion in France

In Old Colorado

Meet the People

The Harvey Girls

Walk the Proud Land

The Green Years

Three Young Texans

Hell's Crossroads

Son of Ali Baba

Kronos

Cattle Queen of Montana

Drums Across the River

The Thin Man Goes Home

Flight to Mars

Chief Crazy Horse

Wide Open Town

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

The Steel Cage

Two Guns and a Badge

I Wake Up Screaming

We Were Strangers

Curse of the Faceless Man

The Lion Hunters

Good News

Giant from the Unknown

The Heavenly Body

This Woman Is Mine

The Man Behind The Gun

Let's Face It

Mutiny

From the Earth to the Moon

The Omaha Trail

Souvenirs of Death

Red Planet Mars

How to Make a Monster

Zombies of Mora Tau

Dixie Dugan

The Bandit Trail

Fort Osage

Taza, Son of Cochise

Quincannon, Frontier Scout

Southwest Passage

Because of You

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

The Cross of Lorraine

The Saga of Hemp Brown

Time to Kill

No Man's Woman

Short Grass

Marriage Is a Private Affair

Devil's Canyon

Dark Shadows

Drango

Tennessee's Partner

For the Love of Mary

The Redhead and the Cowboy

Little Mister Jim

The Cockeyed Miracle

Knights of the Range

The Outlaw Stallion

Merton of the Movies

The Showdown

North of the Rio Grande

Bad Men of Tombstone

A Star Shall Rise

Southside 1-1000

The Mighty McGurk

Arena

Pirates on Horseback

The Hidden Eye

Main Street Today

Best Foot Forward

Barbary Coast Gent

The Raiders

The Light of Western Stars

Twilight for the Gods

Tomorrow Is Another Day

The Power of the Resurrection

Frontier Gun

Buck Benny Rides Again

The Silver Star

Three Men from Texas

Young and Wild

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe

The Roundup

The Desperados Are in Town

Hills of Old Wyoming

The Fabulous Fraud
