Morgan Freeman

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Morgan Freeman
Freeman in 2023
Born (1937-06-01) June 1, 1937 (age 86)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • narrator
Years active1964–present
OrganizationRevelations Entertainment
WorksFull list
Spouses
  • Jeanette Adair Bradshaw
    (m. 1967; div. 1979)
  • Myrna Colley-Lee
    (m. 1984; div. 2010)
Children4
AwardsFull list
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service1955–1959
Rank Airman first class
Morgan Freeman's voice from BBC Radio 4's The Film Programme, September 12, 2008.[1]

Morgan Freeman

Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
in 2018.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeman was raised in Mississippi, where he began acting in school plays. He studied theater arts in Los Angeles and appeared in stage productions in his early career. He rose to fame in the 1970s for his role in the children's television series The Electric Company. Freeman then appeared in the Shakespearean plays Coriolanus and Julius Caesar, the former of which earned him an Obie Award. In 1978, he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Zeke in the Richard Wesley play The Mighty Gents.

Freeman went on to receive the

The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012) and starred in the action films Wanted (2008), Red (2010), Oblivion (2013), Now You See Me (2013), and Lucy
(2014).

Known for his distinctive voice, he has narrated numerous documentary projects, including The Long Way Home (1997), March of the Penguins (2005), Through the Wormhole (2010–2017), The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016–2019), Our Universe (2022) and Life on Our Planet (2023). He made his directorial debut with the drama Bopha! (1993). He founded film production company Revelations Entertainment with business partner Lori McCreary in 1996 where he produced numerous projects including CBS political drama Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2019.

Early life

Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee.

segregated South, as the two could not legally marry at the time.[4] The DNA test suggested that among all of his African ancestors, a little over one-quarter came from the area that stretches from present-day Senegal to Liberia and three-quarters came from the Congo-Angola region.[7]

As an infant, Freeman was sent to his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi.[8][9] He moved frequently during his childhood, living in Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and finally Chicago, Illinois.[9] He made his acting debut at age nine, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended Broad Street High School, a building which serves today as Threadgill Elementary School, in Greenwood, Mississippi.[10] At age 12, he won a statewide drama competition, and while settling into school, discovered music and theater. When Freeman was 16 years old, he contracted pneumonia.[11]

Freeman graduated high school in 1955, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University, opting instead to enlist in the United States Air Force.[5] He served as an Automatic Tracking Radar repairman, rising to the rank of airman first class.[12] After serving from 1955 to 1959, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and took acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse.[5] He also studied theater arts at Los Angeles City College, where a teacher encouraged him to embark on a dance career.[13]

Career

1964–1988: Early work and rise to prominence

Freeman worked as a dancer at the

Broadway in 1968's all-black version of Hello, Dolly! that also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.[16] In 1969, Freeman also performed on stage in The Dozens.[17]

Beginning in 1971, Freeman starred in the

Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino,[21] and White Pelicans.[22] Freeman continued to work in theater, and a year later, appeared in the Shakespearean tragedies Coriolanus, receiving the Obie Award in 1980 for the title role,[14] and Julius Caesar.[23]

In 1980, he had a small role as Walter in the drama Brubaker, which starred Robert Redford as a prison warden.[24] Freeman next appeared in the television film, Attica (1980), which is about the 1971 Attica Prison riot and its aftermath.[25] A year later, he starred in Peter Yates' Eyewitness with co-stars William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.[26] From 1982 to 1984, Freeman was a cast member of the soap opera Another World, playing architect Roy Bingham.[27] After several small roles in dramas, he starred in Marie (1985), a film adaptation of Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas, in which he portrayed Charles Traughber,[28] and also appeared in the miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders.[29] Freeman also had a small role in the drama That Was Then... This Is Now, based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton.[30] In the mid-1980s, he began accepting prominent supporting roles in feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.[9]

In addition to television films, in 1987, Freeman played a violent street hustler, a role that diverged from his previous roles, in Street Smart co-starring Christopher Reeve and Kathy Baker. Freeman's performance was praised by film critics, including Roger Ebert who wrote: "Freeman has the flashier role, as a smart, very tough man who can be charming or intimidating - whatever's needed...Freeman creates such an unforgettable villain."[31] Freeman's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[32] Freeman later said he considered Street Smart to be his breakthrough role.[19] In his next film, he played Craig in the drama Clean and Sober with co-stars Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker. Although the film was not a box-office hit, it gained fair reviews; Roger Ebert gave the film 412 out of 5 stars and called the performances "superb".[33] Freeman also received Obie Awards for his roles as a preacher in the musical The Gospel at Colonus, and as Hoke Colburn in the play Driving Miss Daisy, respectively.[14]

1989–1996: Hollywood breakthrough

Freeman in 1998

Freeman had four film releases in 1989. In the first, he starred as Sergeant Major John Rawlins in

Best Sound.[35] Next, Freeman starred in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy, alongside Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd. Based on Alfred Uhry's play of the same name, in which Freeman had appeared previously, he reprises his role of Hoke Colburn, chauffeur for a Jewish widow. The film was a commercial success and grossed US$145 million worldwide.[36] Film critics were mainly positive; Henry Sheehan from The Hollywood Reporter opined that Freeman and Tandy's performances complemented each other while retaining their "individual star-quality".[37] The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Freeman.[35]

His third release was the biographical drama

The Civil War, a television miniseries about the American Civil War.[40] That year, he also starred in the critically panned The Bonfire of the Vanities. According to the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 16% based on 51 reviews.[41] In the summer of 1990, he played Petruchio, a role he had been thinking about for six years, in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which opened at Delacorte theater in New York City. "[Petruchio] seems to have a lot of fun in life," he said.[42] In 1991, Freeman had a supporting role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, an action-adventure starring Kevin Costner. The film was a commercial success,[43] but garnered mixed reviews from critics; The New York Times' Vincent Canby thought Freeman played Azeem with "wit and humor" despite the "muddled" plot.[44]

Freeman at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990

Freeman also narrated The True Story of Glory Continues, a documentary about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[45] In 1992, he appeared in Clint Eastwood's western Unforgiven, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.[46] The film depicts William Munny (Eastwood), an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job with old friend Ned Logan (Freeman). Unforgiven was widely acclaimed, with one critic calling Freeman's performance "outstanding".[47] Also in 1992 Freeman starred in the

Stephen Dorf and John Gielgud in a loose adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's 1989 novel of the same name, in which he plays boxing coach Geel Piet.[48] In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut with the drama Bopha!, which tells the story of a black policeman (Danny Glover) during South Africa's apartheid era. Bopha! was well-received, in particular for Freeman's directing. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote: "Freeman lays out the father-son dynamics with great skill and very little fuss. There's no hysteria in his approach; instead, he sticks to the facts, relying on his cast to provide the emotion. The result is a surprisingly powerful, insightful film."[49] Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times also complimented Freeman's direction but thought the film was "more predictable than powerful".[50]

In 1994, Freeman portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in

Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and a nomination for Freeman for Best Actor losing to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994).[53] Since its release, The Shawshank Redemption has remained popular among audiences.[51] In 1994, Freeman also served as a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.[54]

Outbreak (1995), a medical thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen, was Freeman's next film. He played General Billy Ford, a doctor dealing with an outbreak of a fictional virus in a small town. The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Donald Sutherland. Outbreak was a box-office success, grossing $189.8 million worldwide,[55] but gained a mixed critics' response.[56] Mick LaSelle of the San Francisco Chronicle credited Freeman for his performance which may have been unappreciated by viewers.[57] In 1995, Freeman also starred with Brad Pitt in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven, the story of two detectives who attempt to identify a serial killer who bases his murders on the Christian seven deadly sins. Freeman's performance generated a positive response; Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Freeman plays nearly every scene in a doleful hush; he makes you lean in to hear his words, to ferret out the hints of anger and regret that haunt this weary knight."[58] The critic from Variety magazine called Freeman's acting "supremely nuanced".[59]

While filming Outbreak, Freeman expressed an interest in starting a film production company. He turned to

Robin Wright in 1996's Moll Flanders, a period drama based on the novel of the same name. The film received a mixed reception; Greg Evans from Variety magazine said Freeman gave a "sweet" performance,[63] while The New York Times critic thought he was miscast.[64]

1997–2004: Critical success and established actor

Freeman in 1998

In 1997, Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary

Salon magazine, however, thought the film lacked inspiration and Freeman's role was "utterly cryptic".[67] In that same year, he was cast as psychologist Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls, a thriller based on James Patterson's 1995 novel of the same name. In a mixed review, Peter Stack of San Francisco Chronicle thought Freeman and co-star Ashley Judd gave strong performances despite the lengthy plot.[68]

Freeman went on to star in

Garde à vue. The film had been "carting round" for twelve years before Freeman was able to produce it under Revelations Entertainment.[73] He co-starred with Gene Hackman; "Working with Gene was wonderful. I didn't find it too hard working with an icon I so respected," Freeman said.[73] Upon release, Under Suspicion was met with lukewarm reception;[74] CNN's Paul Tatara praised the actors but thought the film was "too tawdry to be completely entertaining, and too static to generate much excitement".[75]

Freeman at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival

In 2001, Freeman reprised his role of Alex Cross in

nuclear war between the United States and Russia, so that he can establish a fascist superstate in Europe. The Sum of All Fears received moderate reviews,[78] but was a commercial success, grossing $193.9 million worldwide.[79] Next, Freeman starred alongside Ashley Judd and Jim Caviezel in High Crimes (2002), a legal thriller based on Joseph Finder's 1998 novel of the same name. The story follows lawyer Claire (Judd), whose husband (Caviezel) is arrested and placed on trial for the murder of villagers while he was in the Marines. Although several critics were unimpressed with the story, they credited Freeman and Judd for their chemistry and performances.[80][81] In 2003, Freeman appeared as God in the hit comedy Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.[82]

Next, he starred in the science fiction horror Dreamcatcher, adapted from Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. The film was a box-office flop,[83] and garnered mostly negative reviews; Dreamcatcher has an approval rating of 28% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.[84] Also in 2003, Freeman starred in two other dramas that were not widely seen, Levity and Guilty by Association.[85][86] His 2004 releases were comedy The Big Bounce and sports drama Million Dollar Baby.[87][88] In the latter, directed by Clint Eastwood, Freeman portrayed an elderly former boxer. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor, earning Freeman his first Academy Award.[9] Freeman was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the same category.[89] Roger Ebert complimented Freeman's "flat and factual" narration,[90] and Timeout magazine thought the cast fully inhabited their roles.[91]

2005–2013: Documentaries and thriller films

Freeman in 2007

Freeman made six appearances in various films in 2005. In the drama

The Dark Knight Trilogy, as the fictional Lucius Fox.[93] After this, he co-starred with Jet Li in the action-thriller Unleashed, playing Sam, a blind piano tuner who helps Li's character turn his life around. The film gained a mixed-to-positive reception; Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle was confused with the genre and thought Freeman's character interrupted the narrative.[94] Freeman's next role was in the thriller Edison, which bombed at the box office.[95] In his last release of 2005, he provided the voice of Neil Armstrong in the documentary Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D.[96]

Freeman starred in 2006's

Paul McGuigan. Starring a principal cast of Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, and Ben Kingsley, the film garnered mixed reception.[98] David Mattin of BBC wrote: "Kingsley and Freeman shine individually, but their inevitable, climactic clash of heads lacks force. Like its leading man [Hartnett], this movie presents a charming façade with nothing much underneath."[99] Next, Freeman portrayed himself in the low-budget comedy 10 Items or Less opposite Paz Vega.[100] Two weeks after its theatrical release, 10 Items or Less was made available for download from ClickStar, a film distribution company that Freeman co-founded that year.[101]

In 2007, Freeman reprised his role as God in

novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, Freeman plays Captain Jack Doyle of the Boston Police Department. The story and cast performances were positively received; Time Out magazine called it "flawed but impressive".[106] Afterward, he starred in Rob Reiner's 2007 comedy The Bucket List opposite Jack Nicholson.[107] The plot follows two terminally ill men on a road trip with a list of things to do before they die. The film grossed $175 million worldwide.[108]

Freeman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela (pictured) in the film Invictus (2009)

In 2008, Freeman was cast in the action-thriller

rapper Common remarked on the set atmosphere: "Freeman is a cool guy. He’d be walking around joking and singing and just dancing. You know, artists are free and I just felt the freedom in him."[109] The film received generally favorable reviews; Peter Howell of Toronto Star thought it was original and one of Freeman's bolder performances to date.[110] Freeman narrated The Love Guru (2008),[111] before appearing in The Dark Knight (2008), the second installment of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, in which he reprised his role as Lucius Fox.[112] Freeman returned to Broadway in 2008 after an eighteen-year absence to co-star with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' play, The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.[113]

Freeman continued to accept roles in a diverse range of genres. In 2009, Freeman starred opposite

Long Walk to Freedom into a screenplay, but plans were never finalized.[115] Instead, he purchased the film rights to John Carlin's book: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.[116] The book was adapted into a film which Clint Eastwood directed, Invictus, starring Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby team captain Francois Pienaar.[117] The biographical drama received positive reviews for Freeman's performance; Roger Ebert wrote: "Freeman does a splendid job of evoking the man Nelson Mandela ... He shows him as genial, confident, calming, over what was clearly a core of tempered steel."[118] Freeman received Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.[119][120][121] The same year he provided the narration for Janet Langhart's Anne and Emmett, a play featuring an imaginary conversation between Emmett Till and Anne Frank, both killed as young teenagers because of racial persecution.[122]

Freeman in 2009

Freeman's sole film release of 2010 was

Homage. Freeman plays CIA mentor Joe, who helps retired fellow agent Frank (Willis) to uncover some assassins. The film was a critical and commercial success;[124] writing for Melbourne's The Age, Jim Schembri praised Freeman and the cast who "bring an infectious comic energy to their roles".[125]

Besides film, Freeman worked on other projects. In January 2010, Freeman replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover introduction to the CBS Evening News presented by Katie Couric.[126] CBS stated the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change.[126] Deborah Myers, head of Science Channel, approached Freeman to be the presenter of Through the Wormhole (2010–17). She had heard that he was "really interested in space and the universe," and the pair agreed to develop the series together.[127]

In 2011, Freeman narrated the fantasy

Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Freeman played Attorney David Boies.[129] The production was held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.[130][131] Freeman had a lead role in the 2012 drama The Magic of Belle Isle, as an alcoholic novelist trying to write again. The film fared poorly with critics, gaining only a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[132] Lastly in 2012, Freeman reprised his role as Lucius Fox for the third time in The Dark Knight Rises.[133]

A number of box office hits were released in 2013. Freeman appeared in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen, the first installment in what would become the Has Fallen film series;[134] he portrays Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull. The San Francisco Chronicle critic gave Olympus Has Fallen 3 out of 4 stars and opined that Freeman gave an amicable supporting performance.[135] He then starred in the science fiction drama Oblivion, with co-star Tom Cruise, as veteran soldier Malcolm Beech,[136] and appeared in the thriller Now You See Me, as an ex-magician.[137] Lastly, he played a retiree in Last Vegas, with co-stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen.[138] Filmed in Las Vegas and Atlanta,[139] Last Vegas was praised for its cast's chemistry, and one critic thought Freeman brought the most amusement.[140]

2014–present: Continued success

Freeman at the Invictus Games in 2016

In 2014, Freeman voiced the character

5 Flights Up, a comedy-drama.[146] At the end of 2014, Freeman appeared as himself, among other celebrities, in the documentary Lennon or McCartney.[147]

Kazuaki Kiriya's action-thriller Last Knights was Freeman's first film of 2015, starring opposite Clive Owen. The plot centers on a band of warriors who seek to avenge the loss of their master at the hands of a corrupt minister. Reviews were largely underwhelming;[148] Sara Stewart of New York Post called it "bloody bad", adding: "Once-proud box office names are its first casualties."[149] Freeman next joined the cast of Ted 2, a comedy sequel to Ted, directed by Seth MacFarlane. The story follows the talking teddy bear Ted as he fights for civil rights in order to be recognized as a person. Freeman portrays Patrick Meighan, a highly respected civil rights attorney.[150] A television series also occupied Freeman's time. He played Chief Justice Frawley of the United States Supreme Court in a recurring role in Madam Secretary. He and his producing partner Lori McCreary served as executive producers.[151] Freeman directed the first episode; of his directing style, McCreary remarked: "What's riveting is that he can achieve a complete tonal change in performance with the least amount of direction ... Everybody behaves better when Morgan is there ... but he's very fun."[152] At the end of 2015, Freeman played a U.S. senator in the thriller Momentum.[153]

Reprising his role as Allan Trumbull, Freeman appeared in

Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Nubian sheik, stating: "This character has quite a bit of power in the story. And I like playing power. It's something about my own personal ego."[158] Ben-Hur turned out to be one of 2016's biggest box-office bombs.[159]

In 2017, Freeman appeared in two comedies: Going in Style and Just Getting Started. The first of these is a remake of the 1979 film of the same name, co-starring Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, in which they play bank robbers after their pensions are canceled.[160] It opened to a mixed response;[161] The Telegraph's Robbie Collin thought the trio of actors looked tired before the end of it.[162] Just Getting Started, in which Freeman starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Rene Russo, was critically panned by reviewers.[163] The plot follows an ex-FBI agent (Jones) who must put aside his personal feud with a former mob lawyer (Freeman) at a retirement home when the mafia comes to kill the pair. Freeman hosted the National Geographic The Story of God with Morgan Freeman and The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, in 2016 and 2017, respectively.[164]

In 2018, Freeman narrated Alpha, a historical drama set in the last ice age. He then starred in Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and Marius Petipa's and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.[165] Finally, he had an uncredited role as Jerome in the biographical drama Brian Banks, a high-school football player who was falsely accused of rape and upon his release attempted to fulfill his dream of making the NFL.[166] In 2019, Freeman starred opposite John Travolta in The Poison Rose, an adaptation of the novel by Richard Salvatore.[167] In Angel Has Fallen, Freeman reprised his role as Allan Trumbull, the third installment in the Has Fallen film series, following Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. Although critical reception was mixed,[168] the film was a box office success, earning $147.5 million worldwide.[169]

Freeman next appeared alongside an ensemble cast in George Gallo's crime comedy The Comeback Trail (2020) and in Coming 2 America (2021), a sequel to the 1988 film.[170] On November 20, 2022, Freeman performed with Ghanim Al-Muftah at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[171][172]

Other ventures

Environmental activism

In 2004, Freeman helped form the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan on the island of Grenada. The fund has since become PLANIT NOW, an organization that seeks to provide preparedness resources for people living in areas affected by hurricanes and severe storms.[173] In 2014, he narrated a clip titled What's Possible, which debuted at the United Nations climate summit.[174] Freeman has donated to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville, Mississippi, part of Mississippi State University and Freeman has several horses that he takes there.[175]

After learning about the decline of honeybees, Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a bee sanctuary in July 2014, starting with 26 beehives.[176]

Political activism

In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of

Piers Morgan Tonight, Freeman drew controversy when he accused the Tea Party movement of racism.[181][182][183] Regarding the 2015 Baltimore protests, Freeman said he was "absolutely" supportive of the protesters. "That unrest [in Baltimore] has nothing to do with terrorism at all, except the terrorism we suffer from the police. ... Because of the technology—everybody has a smartphone—now in reaction to the death of Freddie Gray we can see what the police are doing. We can show the world, 'Look, this is what happened in that situation.' So why are so many people dying in police custody? And why are they all Black? And why are all the police killing them white? What is that? The police have always said, 'I feared for my safety.' Well, now we know. OK. You feared for your safety while a guy was running away from you, right?"[184]

During the

Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.[187] On day four of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[188][189] On September 19, 2017, Freeman appeared in a video by the committee to Investigate Russia group,[190][191] in which he declared "we [United States] are at war" and accusing Russia of "launching cyber attacks and spreading false information".[192][193]

In June 2021, he donated $1 million along with University of Mississippi Professor Linda Keena to the university in order to establish the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.[194]

Business ventures

In 1997, Freeman and business partner

Ground Zero, a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and is the former co-owner of Madidi, a fine dining restaurant in the same city.[197]

Personal life

Freeman with daughter Morgana at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990

Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until November 18, 1979,[198] and subsequently married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984.[198] The couple separated in December 2007[199] and divorced on September 15, 2010.[199] Freeman has four children: Alfonso, Deena, Morgana, and Saifoulaye.[200] Freeman and Colley-Lee also raised Freeman's step-granddaughter from his first marriage, E'dena Hines.[201] On August 16, 2015, 33-year-old Hines was murdered in New York City.[202]

Freeman resides in

Emivest SJ30.[206][207][208]

When asked if he believed in God, Freeman said: "It's a hard question because as I said at the start, I think we invented God. So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God."[209] Freeman later said that his experience working on The Story of God with Morgan Freeman did not change his views on religion.[210] In 2019, it was reported that Freeman found religion in Zoroastrianism.[211]

On the evening of August 3, 2008, Freeman was injured in an automobile crash when his 1997

hydraulic tools. Freeman was conscious after the crash and joked with a photographer at the scene.[212] He was taken via helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis.[213][214] His left shoulder, arm, and elbow had been broken in the accident, and he received surgery on August 5. Doctors operated on him for four hours to repair nerve damage in his shoulder and arm.[215] His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery.[216] Although alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash,[217] Meyer sued Freeman for negligence, claiming that he had been consuming alcohol, but the suit was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.[218] Since the incident, Freeman suffers from fibromyalgia,[219] for which he wears a compression glove that supports blood circulation.[220]

In December 2010, Freeman joined President Bill Clinton, President of the United States Soccer Federation Sunil Gulati, and soccer player Landon Donovan in Zurich for a presentation to bid for the U.S. hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[221]

Freeman's favorite film that he did not work on, as stated in an interview with IGN, is Moulin Rouge!.[222]

On May 24, 2018, CNN published an investigation in which eight women accused Freeman of being "overly flirtatious" by "making inappropriate comments" while on the set of films or at his production company.[223] In response, Freeman issued a statement: "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected—that was never my intent."[224][225] The spokesperson for Lori McCreary, Freeman's business partner, did not respond to CNN's request for comment.[226] Several journalists spoke out in response to the story, including Tyra Martin who stated, "I'm not, never was [a victim]. CNN totally misrepresented the video and took my remarks out of context.”[227] Freeman's lawyer demanded that CNN retract the story.[228] After a period of deliberation, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) decided not to take any action against Freeman.[229] On December 8, 2020, La Opinión reported on a Spanish-language blog post from 2018 that alleged that CNN fabricated their report on Freeman.[230]

Artistry and legacy

Freeman at the 2018 Deauville American Film Festival

Freeman's deep voice is considered to be distinctive, iconic, and recognizable, which frequently makes him a preferable choice for narration in films and documentaries.[231][232] The journalist Radhika Sanghani writes that his "deeply reassuring voice, with its mellifluous tones and authoritative presence, is why an entire generation still hear his trademark tones when they think of the almighty".[233] Freeman said that his voice developed in this way while taking speech classes in college; he found that most people speak in a voice either too fast or too high and he developed a commanding voice by speaking in a lower octave and enunciating each word.[234]

According to author Miriam DeCosta-Willis, Freeman is an intuitive actor. He likes to select his roles carefully, and study the character to ensure he portrays them with depth, sensitivity, and substance.[235] Commenting on Freeman's persona, Beverly Todd, who co-starred with him in Lean on Me (1989) and The Bucket List (2007), said: "The world knows he is such a consummate actor. He's a very sharing actor and such a nice guy. He's not the kind of actor who demands that he has all of the scenes and all the dialogues and all the emphasis is on him".[236] Freeman has said he is interested in playing character roles,[14] and values the importance of listening carefully while filming scenes: "The big danger in acting is to wait for your line. That's what I never do. I always listen, no matter how many times we do it."[237]

Waxwork of Freeman at Madame Tussauds, London

On October 28, 2006, Freeman was honored at the first Mississippi's Best Awards in Jackson, Mississippi with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and theater. He received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from Delta State University during the school's commencement exercises on May 13, 2006.[238] In 2013, Boston University presented him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.[239] On November 12, 2014, he was bestowed the honor of Freedom of the City by the City of London.[240]

In 2008, Freeman was chosen as a

John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.[241] In 2011, he received the AFI Life Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the film industry. Those who honored Freeman included Sidney Poitier, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Rita Moreno, Helen Mirren, Clint Eastwood, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Matthew Broderick.[242] In 2012, he was awarded the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the film industry.[243][244] In August 2017, he was named the 54th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.[245] His co-star Rita Moreno from The Electric Company presented him the award in the following January.[246]

Filmography and theater credits

Key filmography:

Prolific in film since 1964, Freeman is known for his roles in genres ranging from

comedies. Freeman's most acclaimed and highest-grossing films, according to the online portal Box Office Mojo and the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, include:[247][248]

Select theater roles:[249]

Awards and nominations

Freeman has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following performances:

Freeman has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, winning one for

Best Actor in Driving Miss Daisy (1989).[252] He has also been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning one for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Million Dollar Baby (2004).[253] He earned an Obie Award for each theater role in Coriolanus (1979), Mother Courage and Her Children (1980), and Driving Miss Daisy (1987–90).[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "12/09/2008". The Film Programme. September 12, 2008. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Ross, Harold Wallace; White, Katharine Sergeant Angell (July 3, 1978). "Interview with Morgan Freeman". The New Yorker. [My grandmother] had been married to Morgan Herbert Freeman, and my father was Morgan Porterfield Freeman, but they forgot to give me a middle name. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
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External links