Morris Ankrum

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Morris Winslow Ankrum (born August 28, 1896 in Danville , Illinois as Morris Nussbaum , † September 2, 1964 in Pasadena , California ) was an American character actor who was active in radio , film and television , lawyer and university teacher .

Life

Early life

Morris Ankrum was born as Morris Nussbaum in Danville , Vermilion County , east Illinois . Ankrum initially embarked on an academic career. After his Jura Accounts at the University of Southern California , he was a professor in the subject Economics at the University of California, Berkeley . During his time in Berkeley , he was involved in the theater there and later taught acting and directing at the Pasadena Playhouse .

From 1923 to 1939 he appeared in various Broadway stage productions such as Gods of the Lightning , The Big Blow and Within the Gates .

Film career

Prior to working with Paramount Pictures in the 1930s, Nussbaum changed his family name to Ankrum. He used the name "Stephen Morris" while working with the studio. In 1939 he changed it to Morris Ankrum.

In more than 150 films, mostly B-movies , he got supporting roles as an authority figure , including as a scientist , soldier (especially as a United States Army officer), juror and psychiatrist . His role as Jefferson Davis in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production of Tennessee Johnson (1942), a biopic about Andrew Johnson , the 17th US President , stands out. Ankrum's film career was extensive and lasted for 30 years. He played mostly in western and science fiction films.

Ankrum starred in westerns like Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942), Vera Cruz (1954) opposite Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster , Maasai (1954) and Queen of the Mountains (1954) with Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan .

In the science fiction genre he appeared in Rocket Moon Launches (1950), as a Martian in Flight to Mars (1951), Red Planet Mars (1952) as Secretary of Defense of the United States ; the cult film Invasion from Mars (1953), in which he plays a United States Army officer, and as Army General in Flying Saucers Attack (1956). In 1957 he played a psychiatrist in the classic science fiction film Kronos and had roles as a military officer in films such as Beginning of the End and Attack of the Giant Claw.

Late life

By the end of 1958, Ankrum's career was essentially over, although he still had roles in television series . In the episode Sontag and Evans of the 39-part television series Stories of the Century , Ankrum played businessman Christopher Evans . After having an argument with a railroad company, Evans gets involved in crime and raids trains with his young partner, John Sontag , played by John Smith . The episode is based on Frank Norris ' Muckraker - novel The Octopus: A Story of California .

From 1957 until his death in 1964, Ankrum made 22 appearances as one of several judges on the CBS television series Perry Mason . The series ended two years later.

Ankrum starred in western series such as Bronco , Maverick , A Thousand Miles of Dust , and West of Santa Fé .

On October 15, 1957 Ankrum had a leading role in the episode The Strange Land in the ABC / Warner Bros. western series Sugarfoot with Will Hutchins . Ankrum played a bitter farmer named Cash Billings, who meets the armed robber Burr Fulton (played by Rhodes Reason ). Ankrum appeared again as John Savage in the 1959 Sugarfoot episode "The Wild Bunch". In 1961 he played a farmer again in the episode "Incident at Dawson Flats" of the ABC western series Cheyenne with Clint Walker in the lead role.

Ankrum also occasionally took on unnamed roles in various Roger Corman films. While working in film and television, Ankrum participated in the theater and directed plays at the Pasadena Playhouse .

Private life

Morris Ankrum was married to Gillian Gilbert. After their divorce, Morris married actress Joan Wheeler and had two children with her, actors David Ankrum and Barbara Ankrum.

death

On September 2, 1964, Ankrum died of trichinella at the age of 68. At the time he was involved in Raymond Burr's television series Perry Mason . His last appearance in Perry Mason , "The Case of the Sleepy Slayer," and his last film, Guns of Diablo , in which he played Ray Macklin, were released in 1964 and 1965 after his death.

Morris Ankrum was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville , Illinois .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Stephen Morris / Morris Ankrum. In: The Old Corral. b-westerns.com, accessed May 25, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Hal Erickson : Morris Ankrum. In: All Movie Guide . Allmovie.com, accessed May 25, 2016 .
  3. ^ Railway detective Matt Clark (1954–) - Sontag and Evans in the Internet Movie Database , accessed on May 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Sugarfoot (1957–1961) - The Strange Land in the Internet Movie Database , accessed May 26, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Ankrum, Morris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nussbaum, Stephen Morris (maiden name); Nussbaum, Morris; Ankrum, Morris Winslow; Morrie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American character actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 28, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH Danville , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH 2nd September 1964
Place of death Pasadena , California