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.

In a Lonely Place

7.6

The Postman Always Rings Twice

7.0

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

6.6

Vera Cruz

6.6

Invaders from Mars

5.9

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

6.0

The Fountainhead

6.9

Apache

6.1

Perry Mason

7.7

Gunsmoke

6.6

Lady in the Lake

6.0

The Thin Man Goes Home

7.1

The Giant Claw

4.8

Song of the Thin Man

6.8

Joan of Arc

6.1

I Wake Up Screaming

6.8

Colorado Territory

6.9

Silver Lode

6.1

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

6.6

Tower of London

6.0

The Damned Don't Cry

7.1

Rocketship X-M

4.8

The Harvey Girls

6.5

The Rifleman

7.0

Kronos

5.6

Beginning of the End

3.8

Along the Great Divide

7.2

Maverick

6.8

Tales of Manhattan

6.3

Courage of Lassie

5.7

Zombies of Mora Tau

5.5

High Wall

6.2

Flight to Mars

5.3

From the Earth to the Moon

5.2

How to Make a Monster

5.6

Red Planet Mars

4.7

The Sea of Grass

6.3

Cattle Queen of Montana

5.6

Good News

6.2

Curse of the Faceless Man

5.4

Borderline

5.5

Ride 'Em Cowboy

5.8

Roxie Hart

6.9

Chief Crazy Horse

5.6

Taza, Son of Cochise

5.5

Chain Lightning

6.2

Tomorrow Is Another Day

6.5

Tennessee's Partner

6.5

Drums Across the River

5.4

Crashout

6.5

Reunion in France

6.4

We Were Strangers

5.9

My Favorite Spy

6.0

Sea Hunt

6.5

No Man's Woman

4.7

Guns of Diablo

5.3

Giant from the Unknown

4.0

Dark Shadows

9.3

Walk the Proud Land

6.1

Son of Ali Baba

5.8

The Movie Orgy

6.5

The Heavenly Body

5.7

Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman

3.0

Mutiny

4.8

Adventure

6.2

Devil's Canyon

4.8

The Moonlighter

5.7

Stand Up and Cheer!

4.8

The Last Command

6.4

The Man Behind The Gun

5.7

Arena

4.7

Most Dangerous Man Alive

4.9

Duel on the Mississippi

6.5

The Redhead and The Cowboy

4.9

Gentle Annie

5.2

Tennessee Johnson

6.1

Four Star Playhouse

6.1

Hell's Crossroads

5.4

Desire Me

5.7

The Eternal Sea

6.4

Badman's Country

5.4

The Mighty McGurk

6.4

Southside 1-1000

5.7

For the Love of Mary

5.8

Fort Vengeance

6.2

The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe

5.7

Naked Gun

6.8

M Squad

5.2

The Hidden Eye

7.6

Quincannon, Frontier Scout

4.4

Because of You

5.4

Cynthia

5.9

The Raiders

6.2

Drango

5.4

This Woman Is Mine

3.2

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

5.8

The Saga of Hemp Brown

5.6

Twilight for the Gods

4.2

Three Men from Texas

6.3

Southwest Passage

5.4

Omar Khayyam

5.0

Barbary Coast Gent

4.6

Best Foot Forward

6.0

Meet the People

5.0

Merton of the Movies

6.8

Three Young Texans

5.2

Main Street Today

6.2

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

6.2

Time to Kill

5.5

In Old Colorado

6.7

Hopalong Cassidy Returns

6.3

The Cockeyed Miracle

6.7

Swing Fever

5.0

The Lion Hunters

5.3

Fury at Gunsight Pass

6.0

Phantoms, Inc.

5.3

Bad Men of Tombstone

6.3

The Silver Star

5.0

Frontier Gun

6.0

Marriage Is a Private Affair

5.2

Cowboy G-Men

5.3

Young and Wild

3.5

The Showdown

6.0

Rustlers' Valley

6.0

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

4.0

Sky Commando

5.5

Rationing

3.0

Fighting Back

6.0

Fort Osage

6.0

Flight Nurse

5.5

Cherokee Strip

4.5

The Bandit Trail

6.5

Mexican Manhunt

5.8

Fighting Coast Guard

6.5

Souvenirs of Death

6.5

Tarawa Beachhead

6.0

Doomed Caravan

3.0

North of the Rio Grande

6.0

Trail Dust

4.0

The Fabulous Fraud

5.0

The Little Lamb: A Christmas Story

2.0

Dixie Dugan

5.0

The Omaha Trail

7.0

Light of Western Stars

4.0

Short Grass

6.0

Border Vigilantes

6.0

The Roundup

8.0

The Outlaw Stallion

5.0

Little Mister Jim

4.0

Return from Nowhere

5.0

Fall Guy

0.0

When Gangland Strikes

0.0

Pirates on Horseback

0.0

Wide Open Town

0.0

Borderland

0.0

Hills of Old Wyoming

0.0

Hiawatha

0.0

The Steel Cage

0.0

A Star Shall Rise

0.0

Two Guns and a Badge

0.0

Purity Squad

0.0

Buck Benny Rides Again

0.0

Knights of the Range

0.0

The Power of the Resurrection

0.0

I Beheld His Glory

0.0

The Desperados Are in Town

0.0

Road Agent

0.0