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 Ankrums 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 MetroGoldwynMayers production of Tennessee Johnson 1942 a biographical film about Andrew Johnson the 17th US president As Sen Jefferson Davis Ankrum movingly addresses the United States Senate upon his resignation to lead the Confederate States of America as that republics firstand onlypresident Ankrums film career was extensive and spanned 30 years His credits were largely concentrated in the western and sciencefiction 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 scifi genre he appeared in Rocketship XM 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 scifi classic Kronos and had militaryofficer roles in Beginning of the End and The Giant Claw
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