Ankrum was born Joan Natalia Wheeler on January 8, 1913, in Palo Alto, California.
She got her start in acting with Pasadena Playhouse, where she met her husband, character actor Morris Ankrum.
[5] Ankrum initially founded the gallery to show her nephew Morris Broderson's work, but the gallery then handled the artwork of other California artists, such as Helen Lundeberg, Richard Bauer, Hans Burkhard, Suzanne Jackson, Samella Lewis, and Lorser Feitelson.
"[1] A 1971 New York Times article about women gallery owners in Los Angeles noted that the Ankrum Gallery was "the largest in sales and size on La Cienega Boulevard" at the time.
[1] She also helped organize the Monday Night Art Walk program on La Cienega Boulevard.