Freeman was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee.[5] He is the son of Mamie Edna (née Revere; 1912–2000), a teacher,[6] and Morgan Porterfield Freeman (July 6, 1915 – April 27, 1961),[2] a barber, who died of cirrhosis in 1961.[7] He has three older siblings.[8] Some of Morgan's great-great-grandparents were enslaved people who migrated from North Carolina to Mississippi. He later discovered that his white maternal great-great-grandfather had lived with and was buried beside Freeman's black great-great-grandmother in the segregated South, as the two could not legally marry at the time.[6] 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.[9]
As an infant, Freeman was sent to his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi.[10][11] He moved frequently during his childhood, living in Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and finally Chicago.[11] He made his acting debut aged 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.[12] At the age of 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.[13]
Beginning in 1971, Freeman starred in the PBS children's television show The Electric Company, which gave him financial stability and recognition among American audiences.[11] His work on the show was tiring, so he quit in 1975.[15] Television producer Joan Ganz Cooney said that Freeman loathed appearing in The Electric Company, saying "it was a very unhappy period in his life".[20] Freeman later acknowledged that he does not think about the show, but he was grateful to have been a part of it.[21] His first credited appearance in a feature film was in 1971's Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!, a family drama starring Jack Klugman.[19] Also that year, Freeman performed in a theater production of Purlie.[22] After a short career break, he returned to work in 1978, appearing in two stage productions: 1978's The Mighty Gents, winning a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino,[23] and White Pelicans.[24] 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[16] as well as Julius Caesar.[25]
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."[33] Freeman's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[34] He later said that he considered Street Smart to be his breakthrough role.[21] 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 41⁄2 out of 5 stars and called the performances "superb".[35] 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.[16]
His third release was the biographical drama Lean on Me, in which he portrays the principal of an under-performing and drug- and crime-ridden New Jersey high school. Jane Galbraith of Variety magazine thought Freeman's casting was "wonderful".[40] Lastly in 1989, he starred in Walter Hill's Johnny Handsome, a crime drama in which he plays a New Orleans police officer.[41] In a 1990 interview, Freeman said that Glory was one of his favorite releases—"The Black legacy is as noble, is as heroic, is as filled with adventure and conquest and discovery as anybody else's. It's just that nobody knows it."[15] In 1990, Freeman provided the voice of Frederick Douglass in The Civil War, a televisionminiseries about the American Civil War.[42] In the same year he 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.[43] 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.[44] 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,[45] but garnered mixed reviews from critics; The New York Times'Vincent Canby thought Freeman played Azeem with "wit and humor" despite the "muddled" plot.[46]
Freeman also narrated The True Story of Glory Continues, a documentary about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[47] In 1992, he appeared in Clint Eastwood's western Unforgiven, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.[48] 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".[49] Also in 1992 Freeman starred in the John G. Avildsen directed drama The Power of One acting opposite 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.[50] 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."[51]Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times also complimented Freeman's direction but thought the film was "more predictable than powerful".[52]
In 1994, Freeman portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in Frank Darabont's acclaimed drama The Shawshank Redemption, with co-star Tim Robbins. It is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Freeman was cast at the suggestion of producer Liz Glotzer, despite the novella's character of a white Irishman.[53] Filming proved to be challenging, mainly because of Darabont's need for multiple takes. Freeman said, "The answer [I'd give him] was no... having to do something again and again for no discernible reason tends to be a bit debilitating to the energy."[53] Nevertheless, his performance was described as "quietly impressive" and "moving" by The New York Times.[54] At the 67th Academy Awards the film received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and a nomination for Freeman for Best Actor losing to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994).[55] Since its release, The Shawshank Redemption has remained popular among audiences.[53] In 1994, Freeman served as a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.[56]
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 stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Donald Sutherland. Outbreak was a box-office success, grossing $189.8 million worldwide,[57] but gained a mixed critics' response.[58]Mick LaSelle of the San Francisco Chronicle credited Freeman for his performance which may have been unappreciated by viewers.[59] In 1995, Freeman 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."[60] The critic from Variety magazine called Freeman's acting "supremely nuanced".[61]
While filming Outbreak, Freeman expressed an interest in starting a film production company. He turned to McCreary, the producer of Bopha!, to be his business partner. Freeman explained that he wanted to achieve representation on screen, explore challenging issues and reveal hidden truths, so they chose to name their firm Revelations Entertainment.[62] A year later, he appeared in Chain Reaction as Paul Shannon, a science-fiction thriller co-starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment.[63][64] Next, he was cast opposite 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,[65] while The New York Times critic thought he was miscast.[66]
1997–2004: Critical success and established actor
Freeman in 1998
In 1997, Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary The Long Way Home, about Jewish refugees' liberation after World War II and the establishment of Israel.[24] He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's historical epic Amistad alongside Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, and Matthew McConaughey. Based on the events in 1839 aboard the slave ship La Amistad, the film was mostly well-received and earned four nominations at the Academy Awards.[67][68] The critic from Salon magazine, however, thought the film lacked inspiration and Freeman's role was "utterly cryptic".[69] 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.[70]
Freeman went on to star in Deep Impact (1998), a science-fiction disaster film in which he played President Tim Beck.[71] The story depicts humanity's attempt to destroy a 7-mile (11km) wide comet set to collide with Earth and cause a mass extinction. The film was a box-office hit, despite competition from Armageddon, another summer blockbuster of the year.[72] Continuing with the disaster genre, he then starred opposite Christian Slater in 1998's Hard Rain, centering on a heist and man-made treachery amidst a natural disaster in a small Indiana town. The film was unpopular with critics; Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called the characters "one-dimensional" and the film "routine".[73] Freeman returned to the screen in 2000 with the lead role of Charlie in the comedy Nurse Betty, featuring Renée Zellweger, Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to mainly positive reviews; the critic from Variety magazine thought Freeman and Rock had "wonderful chemistry".[74] Next, he appeared in Under Suspicion (2000), a thriller remake of the 1981 French film Garde à vue. The film had been "carting round" for twelve years before Freeman was able to produce it under Revelations Entertainment.[75] 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.[75] Upon release, Under Suspicion was met with lukewarm reception;[76]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".[77]
In 2001, Freeman reprised his role of Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider, a sequel to 1997's Kiss the Girls. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews.[78] Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today observed that "Freeman strides with noble authority" but thought the overall film was unmemorable.[79] In 2002, Freeman was cast opposite Ben Affleck in the spy thriller The Sum of All Fears. It is based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel of the same name, about a plot by an Austrian Neo-Nazi to trigger a 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,[80] but was a commercial success, grossing $193.9 million worldwide.[81] 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.[82][83] In 2003, Freeman appeared as God in the hit comedy Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.[84]
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,[85] and garnered mostly negative reviews; Dreamcatcher has an approval rating of 28% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.[86] Also in 2003, Freeman starred in two other dramas that were not widely seen, Levity and Guilty by Association.[87][88] His 2004 releases were comedy The Big Bounce and sports drama Million Dollar Baby.[89][90] 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.[11] Freeman was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the same category.[91] Roger Ebert complimented Freeman's "flat and factual" narration,[92] and Timeout magazine thought the cast fully inhabited their roles.[93]
2005–2013: Documentaries and thriller films
Freeman in 2007
Freeman made six appearances in various films in 2005. In the drama An Unfinished Life, Freeman plays Mitch, a neighbor of a Wyoming rancher (Robert Redford). The film had a mixed response; The Guardian critic thought it was amiable but questioned the purpose of Freeman's "sidekick" role.[94] Freeman's authoritative voice led to his narration of two documentaries; Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and the Academy Award-winning March of the Penguins.[24] He also appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, the first installment in what would become The Dark Knight Trilogy, as the fictional Lucius Fox.[95] 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.[96] Freeman's next role was in the thriller Edison, which bombed at the box office.[97] In his last release of 2005, he provided the voice of Neil Armstrong in the documentary Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D.[98]
Freeman starred in 2006's The Contract, as assassin Frank Carden opposite John Cusack. The film was released direct-to-video, which critic John Cornelius suggests was unsurprising, considering the generic formula of the thriller.[99] Freeman next appeared in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a crime thriller directed by Paul McGuigan. Starring a principal cast of Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, and Ben Kingsley, the film garnered mixed reception.[100] 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."[101] Next, Freeman portrayed himself in the low-budget comedy 10 Items or Less opposite Paz Vega.[102] 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.[103]
In 2007, Freeman reprised his role as God in Evan Almighty, a sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty, with Steve Carell. Evan Almighty was a box-office failure[104] and negatively received;[105]The Guardian critic wrote: "A cast full of people who have been frequently funny elsewhere flounder in this deluge of sentimentality and CGI. Avoid like the Ten Plagues."[106] The drama Feast of Love was Freeman's second release of 2007. It is based on the 2000 novel The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, about a group of friends living in suburban Oregon who come into contact with a free spirit who changes their outlook on life; Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian sarcastically remarked that it was great to see Freeman in a challenging role.[107] Freeman had a supporting part in Gone Baby Gone (2007), a mystery thriller that was also Ben Affleck's directorial debut. Adapted from the 1998 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".[108] Afterward, he starred in Rob Reiner's 2007 comedy The Bucket List opposite Jack Nicholson.[109] 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.[110]
In 2008, Freeman was cast in the action-thriller Wanted, a loose adaptation of the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The plot revolves around Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society of which Sloan (Freeman) is the leader. Principal photography took place in Chicago; co-star rapperCommon 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."[111] The film received generally favorable reviews; Peter Howell of Toronto Star thought it was original and one of Freeman's bolder performances to date.[112] Freeman narrated The Love Guru (2008),[113] 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.[114] 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.[115]
Freeman continued to accept roles in a diverse range of genres. In 2009, Freeman starred opposite Antonio Banderas in the heist movie Thick as Thieves.[116] Next, he collaborated with Christopher Walken and William H. Macy for the comedy The Maiden Heist. For some time, Freeman expressed a desire to do a film based on Nelson Mandela. Initially, he wanted to adapt Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom into a screenplay, but plans were never finalized.[117] Instead, he purchased the film rights to John Carlin's book: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.[118] 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.[119] 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."[120] 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.[121][122][123] 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.[124]
Freeman in 2009
Freeman's sole film release of 2010 was Red with co-stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich.[125]Red is loosely adapted from the comic-book seriesRed, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and published by the DC Comics imprint 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;[126] writing for Melbourne's The Age, Jim Schembri praised Freeman and the cast who "bring an infectious comic energy to their roles".[127]
Besides film, Freeman worked on other projects. In January 2010, he replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover introduction to the CBS Evening News presented by Katie Couric.[128] CBS gave the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change.[128] 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.[129]
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;[136] 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.[137] He then starred in the science fiction drama Oblivion, with co-star Tom Cruise, as veteran soldier Malcolm Beech,[138] and appeared in the thriller Now You See Me, as an ex-magician.[139] Lastly, he played a retiree in Last Vegas, with co-stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen.[140] Filmed in Las Vegas and Atlanta,[141]Last Vegas was praised for its cast's chemistry, and one critic thought Freeman brought the most amusement.[142]
In 2014, Freeman voiced the character Vitruvius in The Lego Movie, a commercially successful 3D animation.[143] He starred in Transcendence, a science fiction thriller directed by Wally Pfister in his directorial debut, in which Freeman plays scientist Joseph Tagger. Critic reviews of the film were generally mixed, according to Metacritic.[144] Next, he co-starred in the action Lucy (2014), about a woman (Scarlett Johansson) who gains psychokinetic abilities when a nootropic drug is absorbed into her bloodstream. Freeman plays Professor Samuel Norman, who helps her research the condition. Producer Virginie Silla wanted Freeman for the part because of his experience in portraying a character of wisdom.[145] "He was the perfect actor," she said.[145] Upon the release of Lucy, critical reception ranged from mixed-to-positive.[146] In the same year Freeman appeared in Dolphin Tale 2, the sequel to 2011's Dolphin Tale,[147] and 5 Flights Up, a comedy-drama.[148] At the end of 2014, Freeman appeared as himself, among other celebrities, in the documentary Lennon or McCartney.[149]
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;[150] Sara Stewart of New York Post called it "bloody bad", adding: "Once-proud box office names are its first casualties."[151] 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.[152] A television series, Madam Secretary, also occupied Freeman's time. He played Chief Justice Frawley of the United States Supreme Court in a recurring role in the series. He and his producing partner Lori McCreary were executive producers.[153] Freeman directed the first episode; McCreary remarked of his directing style, "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."[154] At the end of 2015, Freeman played a U.S. senator in the thriller Momentum.[155]
Reprising his role as Allan Trumbull, Freeman appeared in London Has Fallen, the 2016 sequel to Olympus Has Fallen. The film follows a plot to assassinate the world leaders of the G7 as they attend the British Prime Minister's funeral in London, as well as Secret Service agent Mike Banning's efforts to protect U.S. President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from being killed. The film was a commercial success;[156] however, writing for The A.V. Club, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky criticized the cheap filmmaking, saying: "The movie periodically cuts to overqualified supporting actors—including Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Robert Forster... (As it turns out, it's possible to write something that will sound like garbage even when spoken in Freeman's sonorous voice.)"[157] Next, Freeman reprised his role as Thaddeus Bradley, starring in Now You See Me 2 (2016),[158] the sequel to Now You See Me, the sequel grossing a successful $334.9 million worldwide.[159] Finally, he had a leading role in the historical drama Ben-Hur, the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Freeman expressed interest in playing Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Nubiansheik, 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."[160]Ben-Hur turned out to be one of 2016's biggest box-office bombs.[161][162]
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.[176] In 2014, he narrated a clip titled What's Possible which had its debut at the United Nations climate summit.[177] 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.[178]
After learning about the decline of honeybees, Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a bee sanctuary in July 2014 beginning with 26 beehives.[179]
Political activism
In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of Black History Month, saying: "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."[180] He opined that the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he noted that there is no "white history month".[180] In an interview with 60 Minutes's Mike Wallace, Freeman said: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."[180][181] Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the Mississippi state flag, which incorporated the Confederatebattle flag at the time.[182][183] In an interview on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, Freeman drew controversy when he accused the Tea Party movement of racism.[184][185][186] 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?"[187]
In June 2021 he and Linda Keena, a professor at University of Mississippi donated $1 million to the university establishing the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.[197]
Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until November 18, 1979;[201] he married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984.[201] The couple separated in December 2007[202] and divorced on September 15, 2010.[202] Freeman has four children: Alfonso, Deena, Morgana, and Saifoulaye.[203] Freeman and Colley-Lee also raised Freeman's step-granddaughter from his first marriage, E'dena Hines. On August 16, 2015, 33-year-old Hines was murdered in New York City.[204]
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."[211] He later said that his experience working on The Story of God with Morgan Freeman did not change his views on religion.[212] In 2019, it was reported that Freeman found religion in Zoroastrianism.[213]
On the evening of August 3, 2008, Freeman was injured in an automobile crash when his 1997 Nissan Maxima was involved in a rollover near Ruleville, Mississippi. He and his passenger, Demaris Meyer, had to be cut free from the vehicle with hydraulic tools. Freeman was conscious after the crash and joked with a photographer at the scene.[214] He was taken via helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis.[215][216] 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.[217] His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery.[218] Although alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash,[219] Meyer sued Freeman for negligence, claiming that he had been consuming alcohol, but the suit was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.[220] Since the incident, Freeman suffers from fibromyalgia,[221] for which he wears a compression glove that supports blood circulation.[222]
On May 24, 2018, CNN published an investigation in which eight women accused Freeman of "what some called harassment and others called inappropriate behavior" towards them while on the set of films or at his production company, describing an "alleged fixation with how women dressed" and "alleged pattern of looking women up and down while making sexually suggestive comments to them." An additional eight people claimed to have witnessed Freeman's alleged conduct, and two of the purported victims accused Freeman of inappropriately touching them, including attempting to lift up a skirt.[226]
In response, Freeman made the 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."[227][228] Freeman's business partner Lori McCreary's spokesperson did not respond to CNN's request for comment.[229]
One of the women named as an accuser, Tyra Martin, spoke out against her portrayal in CNN's report, saying, "I'm not, never was [a victim]. CNN totally misrepresented the video and took my remarks out of context.” According to Essence, Martin "saw many of his [Freeman] comments, though inappropriate, to be said in jest."[230] Freeman's lawyer demanded CNN retract the story and submitted a letter disputing the report's credibility, which CNN rejected as "unfounded"[231] and said declined to address "many of the very specific allegations" made against Freeman;[232] CNN responded: "Is it your position that these women and witnesses are lying? To the contrary, we must assume that Mr. Freeman’s apology is an acknowledgement that he said and did much if not all of what CNN reported, and that his behavior was unacceptable, or else what was he apologizing for?"[232]
After a period of deliberation, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) decided not to take any action against Freeman.[233] In October 2019 Variety reported that, "Since the CNN story broke, the Oscar-winning Freeman has continued to work, but his public persona has taken a hit."[234]
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.[235][236] 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".[237] 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.[238]
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.[239] 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".[240] Freeman has said he is interested in playing character roles[16] 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."[241]
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Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American actor. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time. In 2022, he received the Academy Honorary Award as "a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide".
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. He has received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
Willard Carroll Smith II is an American actor, rapper and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of 2024, his films have grossed over $9.5 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
Colin Andrew Firth is an English actor and producer. He is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2011, Firth was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.
Bradley Charles Cooper is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Cooper appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list three times and on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. His films have grossed $13billion worldwide, and he has been placed in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actors four times.
Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, two Grammy Awards, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and 11 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Akshay Hari Om Bhatia, known professionally as Akshay Kumar, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career spanning over 30 years, Kumar has appeared in over 150 films and has won several awards, including two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, from the Government of India in 2009. Kumar is one of the most prolific actors in Indian cinema. Forbes included Kumar in their lists of both highest-paid celebrities and highest-paid actors in the world from 2015 to 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, he was the only Indian on both lists.
Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. Prominent in both independent films and major studio features, his films have grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Gosling has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Elliot Page is a Canadian actor and producer. His accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, three British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He is also known for his outspoken activism.
Peter Julian Robin Morgan is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has covered extensively in all major media. He has received a number of accolades including five BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. In February 2017, Morgan was awarded a British Film Institute Fellowship.
Daniel Kaluuya is an English actor and filmmaker. His work encompasses both screen and stage, and his accolades include an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2021, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Dev Patel is a British actor and filmmaker. He has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and nominations for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Patel was included in Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.
Colin Morgan is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is known for playing the title character in the BBC fantasy series Merlin (2008–2012), Leo Elster in Humans (2015–2018), and Billy Clanton in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast (2021).
Robert Anthony De Niro is an American actor and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.
James McAvoy is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play (2003), the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003), and the drama series Shameless (2004–2005).
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first success as a leading man came in the legal drama A Time to Kill (1996). His career progressed with lead roles in the science fiction film Contact (1997), the historical drama Amistad (1997), and the war film U-571 (2000).
American actor and producer Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career on film, television and on the stage. His film debut was as an uncredited character in the Sidney Lumet–directed drama The Pawnbroker in 1964. Freeman also made his stage debut in the same year by appearing in the musical Hello, Dolly! He followed this with further stage appearances in The Niggerlovers (1967), The Dozens (1969), Exhibition (1969), and the musical Purlie (1970–1971). He played various characters on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971–1977). Freeman subsequently appeared in the films Teachers in 1984, and Marie in 1985 before making his breakthrough with 1987's Street Smart. His role earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later he appeared in war film Glory (1989), and starred as Hoke Coleburn in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Freeman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the latter and also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
References
↑ "12/09/2008". The Film Programme. September 12, 2008. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
1 2 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.
1 2 "The 60th Academy Awards | 1988". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
1 2 3 "The 62nd Academy Awards | 1990". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
↑ "Videos glorious news for civil war buffs". Arizona Republic. June 21, 1991.
↑ "The 65th Academy Awards | 1993". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
1 2 "The 67th Academy Awards | 1995". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
↑ "The 70th Academy Awards | 1998". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
↑ "Amistad (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. December 10, 1997. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
↑ Taylor, Charles (December 12, 1997). "Amistad". Salon. Archived from the original on March 14, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
↑ Kolbert, Elizabeth (August 1, 2016). "Morgan Freeman's "Ben-Hur"". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
↑ A verbatim transcriptArchived July 30, 2020, at archive.today of this segment of the Mike Wallace interview where Morgan Freeman suggests the abandonment of language that reinforces racism, is posted at the Snopes web site.
↑ Vartan, Kristin (June 10, 2019). "Morgan Freeman Talks Religious Journeys for 'The Story of God'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 13, 2023. Along the way, Freeman, who has long identified himself as agnostic, discovered his religion: Zoroastrianism.
↑ "The 77th Academy Awards | 2005". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
↑ "The 82nd Academy Awards | 2010". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. December 4, 2015. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
↑ "Morgan Freeman". www.goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
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