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