
Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Morgan Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Mayme Edna (née Revere) and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Sr., a barber who died in 1961 from liver cirrhosis. Freeman was sent as an infant to his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi. He has three older siblings. Freeman's family moved frequently during his childhood, living in Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and finally Chicago, Illinois. Freeman made his acting debut at age 9, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended Broad Street High School, currently Threadgill Elementary School, in Mississippi. At age 12, he won a statewide drama competition, and while still at Broad Street High School, he performed in a radio show based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1955, he graduated from Broad Street High School, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University, opting instead to work as a mechanic in the United States Air Force. Freeman moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and worked as a transcript clerk at Los Angeles Community College. During this period, he also lived in New York City, working as a dancer at the 1964 World's Fair, and in San Francisco, where he was a member of the Opera Ring music group. Freeman acted in a touring company version of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, and also appeared as an extra in the 1965 film The Pawnbroker. He made his off-Broadway debut in 1967, opposite Viveca Lindfors in The Nigger Lovers (about the civil rights era "Freedom Riders"), before debuting on Broadway in 1968's all-black version of Hello, Dolly!, which also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until 1979. He married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984. The couple separated in December 2007. Freeman's attorney and business partner, Bill Luckett, announced in August 2008 that Freeman and his wife are in the process of divorce. He has two sons from previous relationships. He adopted his first wife's daughter and the couple also had a fourth child. Freeman lives in Charleston, Mississippi, and New York City. He has a private pilot's license, which he earned at age 65, and co-owns and operates Madidi, a fine dining restaurant, and Ground Zero, a blues club, both located in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He officially opened his second Ground Zero in Memphis, Tennessee on April 24, 2008. Freeman has publicly criticized the celebration of Black History Month and does not participate in any related events, saying, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history." He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he notes that there is no "white history month". Freeman once said on an interview with 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.
Movie | The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard | 2021-08-18 | |
Movie | The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II | Himself | 2020-05-10 |
Movie | The Comeback Trail | Reggie Fontaine | 2020-11-12 |
Movie | Angel Has Fallen | President Trumbull | 2019-08-21 |
Movie | Brian Banks | Jerome Johnson (uncredited) | 2019-08-09 |
Movie | The Poison Rose | Doc | 2019-05-23 |
Movie | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Drosselmeyer | 2018-10-26 |
Movie | Alpha | Narrator (voice) | 2018-08-17 |
Movie | America's Musical Journey | Narrator (voice) | 2018-05-17 |
Movie | Just Getting Started | Duke | 2017-12-01 |
Movie | Laddie | Himself | 2017-10-20 |
Movie | The Words That Built America | Self | 2017-07-04 |
Movie | Going in Style | Willie Davis | 2017-04-06 |
Movie | March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step | Narrator (voice) | 2017-02-15 |
Movie | London Has Fallen | Vice President Alan Trumbull | 2016-03-02 |
Movie | Now You See Me 2 | Thaddeus Bradley | 2016-06-02 |
Movie | Ben-Hur | Sheik Ilderim | 2016-08-17 |
Movie | Momentum | Senator | 2015-10-15 |
Movie | Ted 2 | Patrick Meighan | 2015-06-25 |
Movie | Last Knights | Bartok | 2015-04-03 |
Movie | Lennon or McCartney | Himself (archive footage) | 2014-12-12 |
Movie | Dolphin Tale 2 | Dr. Cameron McCarthy | 2014-09-11 |
Movie | 5 Flights Up | Alex Carver | 2014-09-05 |
Movie | Lucy | Professor Samuel Norman | 2014-07-25 |
Movie | Wish Wizard | Maxwell Omni | 2014-04-29 |
Movie | Transcendence | Joseph Tagger | 2014-04-16 |
Movie | The Lego Movie | Vitruvius (voice) | 2014-02-06 |
Movie | We the People | Narrator | 2014-01-06 |
Movie | Oblivion | Beech | 2013-04-10 |
Movie | Olympus Has Fallen | Speaker Trumbull | 2013-03-20 |
Movie | Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot | Himself | 2013-01-15 |
Movie | Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story | Himself | 2013-04-27 |
Movie | The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy | Himself (archive footage) | 2013-09-24 |
Movie | Last Vegas | Archie | 2013-10-31 |
Movie | Now You See Me | Thaddeus Bradley | 2013-05-29 |
Movie | The Magic of Belle Isle | Monte Wildhorn | 2012-07-06 |
Movie | Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl | Himself | 2012-01-16 |
Movie | The Dark Knight Rises | Lucius Fox | 2012-07-16 |
Movie | B.B. King: The Life of Riley | Narrator (voice) | 2012-10-15 |
Movie | Ending the Knight | Self | 2012-12-04 |
Movie | Dolphin Tale | Dr. McCarthy | 2011-09-23 |
Movie | Conan the Barbarian | Narrator (voice) | 2011-08-17 |
Series | Curiosity | Himself - Narrator | 2011-08-07 |
Movie | Clint Eastwood's West | Himself | 2011-07-06 |
Movie | Breaking the Taboo | Narrator | 2011-06-03 |
Movie | RED | Joe Matheson | 2010-10-13 |
Movie | For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots | (voice) | 2010-01-01 |
Movie | Thick as Thieves | Keith Ripley | 2009-01-09 |
Movie | The Maiden Heist | Charles | 2009-05-09 |
Movie | Invictus | Nelson Mandela | 2009-12-10 |
Movie | The People Speak | Himself | 2009-12-13 |
Movie | The Dark Knight | Lucius Fox | 2008-07-16 |
Movie | The Love Guru | (Voice) | 2008-06-20 |
Movie | Wanted | Sloan | 2008-06-19 |
Movie | A Raisin in the Sun | Narrator (uncredited) | 2008-02-25 |
Movie | Gone Baby Gone | Jack Doyle | 2007-06-06 |
Movie | Evan Almighty | God | 2007-06-09 |
Movie | AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition | Himself | 2007-06-20 |
Movie | Feast of Love | Harry Stevenson | 2007-09-28 |
Movie | The Bucket List | Carter Chambers | 2007-12-25 |
Movie | 10 Items or Less | 'Him' | 2006-09-11 |
Movie | The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays | Jaques (segment "As You Like It") | 2006-05-02 |
Movie | The Contract | Frank Carden | 2006-04-05 |
Movie | Lucky Number Slevin | The Boss | 2006-02-24 |
Movie | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon | Neil Armstrong | 2005-01-01 |
Movie | Blues Divas | Self | 2005-01-22 |
Movie | March of the Penguins | Narrator (english voice) | 2005-01-26 |
Movie | Unleashed | Sam | 2005-02-02 |
Series | Slavery and the Making of America | Narrator | 2005-02-09 |
Movie | Batman Begins | Lucius Fox | 2005-06-10 |
Movie | An Unfinished Life | Mitch Bradley | 2005-09-09 |
Movie | War of the Worlds | Narrator (Voice) | 2005-06-28 |
Movie | Edison | Ashford | 2005-07-29 |
Movie | Million Dollar Baby | Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris | 2004-12-15 |
Movie | Genius. A Night for Ray Charles | Himself | 2004-10-07 |
Movie | The Hunting of the President | Narrator (voice) | 2004-04-27 |
Movie | The Big Bounce | Walter Crewes | 2004-01-30 |
Movie | Bruce Almighty | God | 2003-05-23 |
Movie | Dreamcatcher | Col. Abraham Curtis | 2003-03-21 |
Movie | Levity | Miles Evans | 2003-03-16 |
Movie | Declaration of Independence | Himself | 2003-06-10 |
Movie | The Sum of All Fears | DCI William Cabot | 2002-05-31 |
Movie | High Crimes | Charlie Grimes | 2002-04-05 |
Movie | Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature | Himself | 2001-09-08 |
Movie | Along Came a Spider | Alex Cross | 2001-04-06 |
Movie | Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist | Himself | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows | Narrator (voice) | 2000-09-27 |
Movie | Nurse Betty | Charlie | 2000-08-30 |
Movie | Under Suspicion | Captain Victor Benezet | 2000-09-24 |
Movie | Stephen King: Shining in the Dark | Himself | 1999-09-09 |
Movie | Water Damage | Tom Preedy | 1999-07-30 |
Movie | Deep Impact | President Tom Beck | 1998-05-08 |
Movie | Hard Rain | Jim | 1998-01-16 |
Movie | Amistad | Theodore Joadson | 1997-12-03 |
Movie | Kiss the Girls | Alex Cross | 1997-09-29 |
Movie | The Long Way Home | Narrator (voice) | 1997-09-19 |
Movie | Chain Reaction | Paul Shannon | 1996-08-02 |
Movie | Moll Flanders | Hibble | 1996-06-14 |
Movie | National Geographic: Inside the White House | Narrator | 1996-01-01 |
Movie | Se7en | Detective Lt. William Somerset | 1995-09-22 |
Movie | Outbreak | Billy Ford | 1995-03-10 |
Movie | The Shawshank Redemption | Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding | 1994-09-23 |
Movie | The Power of One | Geel Piet | 1992-03-27 |
Movie | Unforgiven | Ned Logan | 1992-08-07 |
Movie | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Azeem | 1991-06-14 |
Movie | The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry | Narrator | 1991-01-01 |
Movie | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Judge Leonard White | 1990-12-21 |
Series | The Civil War | Frederick Douglass | 1990-09-23 |
Movie | The Earth Day Special | 1990-04-22 | |
Movie | Glory | Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins | 1989-12-15 |
Movie | Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke Colburn | 1989-12-13 |
Movie | Johnny Handsome | Lt. A.Z. Drones | 1989-09-12 |
Movie | Lean On Me | Principal Joe Clark | 1989-03-03 |
Movie | Clean and Sober | Craig | 1988-08-10 |
Movie | Clinton and Nadine | Dorsey Pratt | 1988-05-04 |
Movie | Fight for Life | Dr. Sherard | 1987-03-23 |
Movie | Street Smart | Fast Black | 1987-03-20 |
Movie | Resting Place | Luther Johnson | 1986-01-01 |
Series | The Atlanta Child Murders | Ben Shelter | 1985-02-10 |
Movie | Marie | Charles Traughber | 1985-09-27 |
Movie | That Was Then... This Is Now | Charlie Woods | 1985-11-08 |
Movie | The Execution of Raymond Graham | Warden Pratt | 1985-11-17 |
Movie | Teachers | Lewis | 1984-10-05 |
Movie | Harry & Son | Siemanowski | 1984-03-02 |
Movie | The Marva Collins Story | Clarence Collins | 1981-12-01 |
Movie | Eyewitness | Lieutenant Black | 1981-02-13 |
Movie | Death of a Prophet | Malcolm X | 1981-01-01 |
Movie | Attica | Hap Richards | 1980-03-01 |
Movie | Brubaker | Walter | 1980-06-20 |
Series | Texas | Detective Michaels | 1980-08-04 |
Movie | Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry | Uncle Hammer | 1978-11-12 |
Movie | Out to Lunch | Himself / Croupier | 1974-12-10 |
Movie | Blade | Chris | 1973-12-01 |
Series | The Electric Company | Easy Reader | 1971-10-25 |
Movie | Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? | Grand Central Commuter | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | The Pawnbroker | Man on Street (Uncredited) | 1965-04-20 |
Series | Another World | 1964-05-04 |