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.

Filmography

• 1964Guns of Diablo — Ray Macklin
• 1963X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes — Mr. Bowhead (uncredited)
• 1962Tower of London — The Archbishop
• 1961Most Dangerous Man Alive — Capt. Davis
• 1961The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come — Gen. Lew Wallace
• The Barbara Stanwyck Show — Walter Harwood
• Bonanza — Mr. Mason
• 1958Badman's Country — Mayor Coleman
• Bronco — Gilbert Groves
• 1958Curse of the Faceless Man — Narrator (unconfirmed)
• 1958From the Earth to the Moon — President Ulysses S. Grant
• 1958Frontier Gun — Andrew Barton
• 1958Giant from the Unknown — Dr. Frederick Cleveland
• 1958How to Make a Monster — Police Capt. Hancock
• Sea Hunt
• 1958Tarawa Beachhead — Chief of Staff, Pearl Harbor (uncredited)
• 1958The Power of the Resurrection — Annas
• The Rifleman
• 1958The Saga of Hemp Brown — Bo Slauter
• 1958Twilight for the Gods — Sea Captain
• 1958Young and Wild — Police Capt. Egan
• 1957Beginning of the End — Gen. John Hanson
• 1957Down Liberty Road — Fred Schroder
• 1957Drango — Henry Calder
• 1957Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman — Dr. Carl Jordan
• 1957Hell's Crossroads — Wheeler
• 1957Kronos — Dr. Albert Stern
• M Squad — Police Inspector Dean
• Maverick — Joshua Haines
• 1957Omar Khayyam — Sharain's Father
• Perry Mason — Judge, Judge Hoyt
• 1957The Giant Claw — Lt. Gen. Edward Considine
• 1957Zombies of Mora Tau — Dr. Jonathan Eggert
• Dr. Fu Manchu — Professor Rutledge
• 1956Earth vs. the Flying Saucers — Brig. Gen. John Hanley
• 1956Fury at Gunsight Pass — Doc Phillips
• 1956Naked Gun — Sheriff Jim Jackson (as Morrie Ankrum)
• On Trial — Judge
• 1956Quincannon, Frontier Scout — Col. Harry Conover
• 1956The Desperados Are in Town — Mr. Rutherford
• 1956Walk the Proud Land — Gen. Wade
• 1956When Gangland Strikes — Leo Fantzler
• Cheyenne — John Clements
• 1955Chief Crazy Horse — Red Cloud
• 1955Crashout — Head Guard
• 1955Duel on the Mississippi — Magistrate (uncredited)
• Gunsmoke — Merle
• 1955No Man's Woman — Capt. Hostedder
• 1955Tennessee's Partner — Judge Parker
• The 20th Century Fox Hour — Henry
• 1955The Eternal Sea — Vice-Adm. Arthur Dewey Struble
• 1955The Last Command
• 1955The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story — Azar the Shepherd
• 1955The Silver Star — Charlie Childress
• 1954Apache — Dawson
• 1954Cattle Queen of Montana — J.I. 'Pop' Jones
• 1954Drums Across the River — Chief Ouray
• 1954Silver Lode — Zachary Evans
• 1954Southwest Passage — Dr. Stanton
• 1954Taza, Son of Cochise — Grey Eagle
• 1954The Outlaw Stallion — Sheriff
• 1954The Steel Cage — Prison Board Member Garvey, segment "The Hostages"
• 1954Three Young Texans — Jeff Blair
• 1954Two Guns and a Badge — Sheriff Jackson
• 1954Vera Cruz — Gen. Ramírez
• 1953Arena — Bucky Hillberry
• 1953Devil's Canyon — Ed
• 1953Flight Nurse — Interrogation Officer
• 1953Fort Vengeance — Chief Crowfoot
• 1953I Beheld His Glory — Peter
• 1953Invaders from Mars — Col. Fielding
• 1953Mexican Manhunt — Tip Morgan
• 1953Sky Commando — Gen. W.R. Combs
• 1953The Man Behind The Gun — Bram Creegan
• 1953The Moonlighter — Alexander Prince
• The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
• 1952A Star Shall Rise — King Herod
• 1952Because of You — Dr. Travis
• Cowboy G-Men
• 1952Fort Osage — Arthur Pickett
• Four Star Playhouse — Warden, Mr. Raymond, Mr. Mason
• 1952Hiawatha — Iagoo
• 1952Mutiny — Capt. Radford
• 1952Red Planet Mars — Secretary of Defense Sparks
• 1952Son of Ali Baba — Ali Baba
• 1952The Raiders — Thomas Ainsworth
• 1951Along the Great Divide — Ed Roden
• 1951Fighting Coast Guard — Navy Captain
• 1951Flight to Mars — Ikron
• 1951My Favorite Spy — Gen. Frazer
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
• 1951The Lion Hunters — Tom Forbes
• 1951The Redhead and the Cowboy — Sheriff
• 1951Tomorrow Is Another Day — Hugh Wagner
• 1950Borderline — Bill Whittaker
• 1950Chain Lightning — Ed Bostwick
• 1950In a Lonely Place — Lloyd Barnes
• 1950Rocketship X-M — Dr. Ralph Fleming
• 1950Short Grass — Hal Fenton
• 1950Southside 1-1000 — Eugene Deane
• 1950The Damned Don't Cry — Jim Whitehead
• 1949Bad Men of Tombstone — Mr. Jones
• 1949Colorado Territory — United States Marshal
• 1949The Fountainhead — Prosecutor (uncredited)
• 1949We Were Strangers — M. Seymour
• 1948Fighting Back — Robert J. Higby
• 1948For the Love of Mary — Adm. Walton
• 1948Joan of Arc — Poton de Xaintrailles, Captain
• 1948Souvenirs of Death — Gangster (uncredited)
• Studio One — Considine
• 1948The Fabulous Fraud — Blind Girl's Father
• 1947Cynthia — Mr. Phillips, Principal
• 1947Desire Me — Hector Martin
• 1947Good News — Dean Griswold
• 1947High Wall — Dr. Stanley Griffin
• 1947Little Mister Jim — Col. W.I. Starwell
• 1947Merton of the Movies — Goodfellow's Club Manager (uncredited)
• 1947Song of the Thin Man — Inspector (uncredited)
• 1947The Mighty McGurk — Fowles
• 1947The Sea of Grass — A.J. Crane
• 1946Courage of Lassie — Farmer Crews
• 1946Lady in the Lake — Eugene Grayson
• 1946The Cockeyed Miracle — Dr. Wilson
• 1946The Green Years — Dr. Galbraith
• 1946The Harvey Girls — Reverend Claggett
• 1946The Postman Always Rings Twice — Judge (uncredited)
• 1945Adventure — Mr. Ludlow - Farmer (uncredited)
• 1945Fall Guy — District Attorney (uncredited)
• 1945Phantoms, Inc. — Narrator (voice)
• 1945Purity Squad — Dr. Adams (uncredited)
• 1945The Hidden Eye — Ferris (henchman)
• 1944Barbary Coast Gent — Alec Veeder
• 1944Dark Shadows — Lt. Pat McKay
• 1944Gentle Annie — Deputy Gansby
• 1944Main Street Today — Mayor Charlie Maxwell (uncredited)
• 1944Marriage Is a Private Affair — Ed Scofield
• 1944Meet the People — Monte Rowland
• 1944Rationing — Morgan
• 1944Return from Nowhere — Doctor (uncredited)
• 1944The Heavenly Body — Dr. Green
• 1944The Thin Man Goes Home — Willoughby Peavy
• 1944Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo — Adm. William F. Halsey - Captain of the 'Hornet' (uncredited)
• 1943Best Foot Forward — Col. Harkrider
• 1943Dixie Dugan — Editor
• 1943Let's Face It — Man in Sun Shell Cafe
• 1943Swing Fever — Dan Conlon
• 1943The Cross of Lorraine — Col. Demas (uncredited)
• 1942Reunion in France — Martin
• 1942Roxie Hart — Martin S. Harrison
• 1942Tales of Manhattan — Judge
• 1942Ten Gentlemen from West Point — Wood
• 1942Tennessee Johnson — Jefferson Davis
• 1942The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe — Mr. Graham
• 1942The Omaha Trail — Henchman Job
• 1942Time to Kill — Alexander Morny
• 1941Border Vigilantes — Dan Forbes
• 1941Doomed Caravan — Stephen Westcott
• 1941I Wake Up Screaming — Assistant District Attorney
• 1941In Old Colorado — Weiler, Davidson's Foreman
• 1941Pirates on Horseback — Ace Gibson
• 1941Ride 'Em Cowboy — Ace Anderson
• 1941Road Agent — Big John Morgan
• 1941The Bandit Trail — Red Haggerty
• 1941The Roundup — 'Parenthesis'
• 1941This Woman Is Mine — Roussel
• 1941Wide Open Town — Jim Stuart
• 1940Buck Benny Rides Again — Second Outlaw
• 1940Cherokee Strip — Hawk Barrett
• 1940Knights of the Range — Gamecock
• 1940The Light of Western Stars — Nat Hayworth
• 1940The Showdown — Baron Rendor
• 1940Three Men from Texas — Bruce Morgan
• 1937Borderland — Loco
• 1937Hills of Old Wyoming — Andrews
• 1937North of the Rio Grande — Henry Stoneham
• 1937Rustlers' Valley — Glen Randall
• 1936Hopalong Cassidy Returns — Blackie Felton
• 1936Trail Dust — Tex Anderson
• 1934Stand Up and Cheer! — Washington Press Correspondent

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1968The Movie Orgy — Self (archive footage)