Morgan Freeman - Age, Movies and Facts (2023)

Who is Morgan Freeman?

Morgan Freeman joined the Air Force after high school to become a fighter pilot. He later realized it wasn't what he wanted and started his acting career. After years of small roles and limited success, he began to snag big parts and garner critical and public acclaim. Today he is one of the most respected stars in Hollywood.

Early life

Freeman was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. The youngest of five children of hairstylist Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Sr. and teacher Mayme Edna, Freeman grew up in Chicago and Mississippi in a low-income household. Not long after his birth, Morgan's parents, like so many other African Americans suffering the pressures of the Jim Crow South, moved to Chicago to find work. While his parents looked for jobs, Freeman stayed with his maternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi.

At the age of 6, Freeman's grandmother died and he moved north to be with his mother, who had already separated from her alcoholic husband. They later moved to Tennessee and eventually back to Mississippi where Mayme Edna settled her family in Greenwood.

As a child, Freeman spent much of his time scraping together enough money to see films, where he developed an early admiration for actors such asGary Cooper, Spencer Tracy eSidney Poitier. It was by accident that Freeman got into acting himself. He was in high school, and as punishment for pulling a chair from a girl he had a crush on, Freeman had to enter the school's acting competition. To his great surprise and probably the school administration as well, the 12-year-old proved to be a natural on stage and received the show's top honor.

military service

But while Freeman loved acting, flying -- particularly the idea of ​​being a fighter pilot -- was dear to his heart. And so, after graduating high school in 1955, Morgan turned down a part-time theater scholarship and enlisted in the United States Air Force. However, the military turned out to be very different from what he expected. Instead of shooting across the sky, Freeman was relegated to the ground as a mechanic and radar technician. He also realized that he didn't want to put other people down.

"I had a very clear revelation," he said.AARP Magazine. "You're not in love with it; you're in love with the idea of ​​it." In 1959, Freeman left the Air Force and tried his luck in the West, moving to Hollywood to see if he could make it as an actor. It wasn't an easy life. He took acting classes and struggled to find work. He moved again in the early 1960s, this time to New York City, where more small day jobs and late-night auditions followed.

great luck

In 1967, the same year that he married Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, Freeman's career break came when he landed a role in an African-American Broadway production ofHallo Dolly!with Pearl Bailey. Around this time, Freeman also starred in an off-Broadway production ofThe Black Lovers.

Some national exposure followed in 1971 when he began performing regularlyThe Electric Company, a children's television show produced by public television that focused on teaching children to read. In a show with current and future stars likeRita Moreno,Joan RiverseGene WilderFreeman had some of the series' most memorable characters, such as Easy Reader, Mel Mounds, and Count Dracula.

But television proved to be a tiring and demanding life for Freeman. Despite some stage work, including a Tony-nominated performance inThe Mighty KnightsIn the late 1970s, Freeman didn't get the film the way he wanted it to. IfThe Electric CompanyCanceled in 1976, Freeman faced a career that was far from grounded. His private life also suffered. Long before the show ended, Freeman discovered his marriage was beginning to fall apart, and he began drinking heavily. Freeman and Jeanette divorced in 1979.

A year after his divorce, Freeman's career took a hiatus when he landed a role as a mad recluseRobert RedfordFilm,Brubaker(1980). However, the hoped-for steady stream of film work failed to materialize, and Freeman was forced to return to television for a difficult two years in the soap opera's cast.Another world.

For most of the rest of the decade, Freeman took on roles that earned him some accolades — but not the big, powerful works that would garner A-list attention.Paul NeumannFilmHarry and son, and was narrator of the TV miniseries,The Atlanta Child Murdersamong other roles.

Hollywood-Star

In 1987, Freeman's luck changed when he was cast in the filmstreet smart, which brought the actor to the big screen as fugitive pimp Fast Black. The role proved to be a huge hit for Freeman, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Film critic Pauline Kael even asked out loud, "Is Morgan Freeman the greatest American actor?" Two years later, Freeman picked up more accolades — a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a second Oscar nomination — for playing the kind-hearted but wayward driver in the 1989 film.Drive Miss Daisy. He also starred in Edward Zwick's acclaimed film that same year.Fame, a drama about the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment, which was one of the first recognized African American units in the Civil War. In the 1990s, Freeman was at the peak of his career, starring in big-budget films like 1994.The Shawshank Redemption,Seven(1995) eDeep Impact(1998).

With his booming voice and commanding presence, Freeman was made to play the god in the 2003 comedy.Bruce all powerand its 2007 sequelEvan Almighty.

In 2005, Freeman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorClint EastwoodvonMillion Dollar Baby. He later resumed his roles as Lucius FoxBatman begins(2005) for blockbuster sequelsThe dark knight(2008) eThe Dark Knight rises(2012).He also performed with Rob Reinerthe wish list(2007) and the action thrillerRot(2010) starring Bruce Willis.

At the 2012 Golden Globes, Freeman received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Outstanding Contribution to the World of Entertainment.

"I like being eclectic," he said of his film choices. “The more varied, the better; I'm looking for."

Freeman's eloquent and distinctive voice also made him a natural for storytelling. His voice can be heard in memorable films likewar two worldsand the Oscar-winning documentaryMarch of the Penguins. In 2010 he also replacedWalter Cronkitethe voice of the current news anchorKatie CouricNOCBS Nightly News.

In 2009, Freeman reunited with Eastwood, playing the role of South African President Nelson Mandelaundefeated- The role earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. A few years later, he appeared in the action thrillerOlympia has fallen(2013), der Science-Fiction-Filmforgetfulness(2013), the comedyUltimatives Vegas(2013), der Science-Fiction-BlockbusterLucy(2014) and spoke for the animationThe Lego Movie(2014). In 2015, he played Chief Justice of the United States on the television showlady secretary, on which he is also an executive producer.

The following year, in September 2016, PresidentBarack Obamapresented Freeman with a National Medal of Arts. At the ceremony, President Obama said that Freeman was being honored "for his outstanding work as an actor, director and storyteller and his influence on countless young artists."

Freeman reprized his role as Allan Trumbull in 2016.faithful londone 2019angel fell.

from the camera

While it may be a belated success, it's nothing that would embitter you. "Success comes when it comes," he said. “I have a 30-year career behind me; a 30-year career is not bad. I often think that I was probably just lucky that I wasn't as successful early on and stretched into the 1970s. I could have easily burned it out."

In 1997, Freeman co-founded the film production company Revelations Entertainment, including its online film distribution company, ClickStar. He has also launched a number of charitable ventures. The actor, who lives in the Mississippi Delta, raised money for Katrina victims shortly after the devastating hurricane hit the area. Through the Rock River Foundation, an organization he founded, Freeman's group has donated millions to educational programs. And in 2004, he helped organize relief funds for hurricane victims in Grenada. After hearing about the bee decline and its devastating impact on the environment, Freeman turned his 124-acre ranch into a beekeeping sanctuary in July 2014.

Freeman's energy extends to other areas as well. In his home state of Mississippi, the actor co-founded a blues club in Clarksdale. In later years, Freeman also earned his pilot's license.

Freeman's personal life has gone through some turbulence in recent years. He and his second wife, Myrna, separated in 2007 and were in a near-fatal car accident in Charleston, Mississippi the following year. But among his setbacks, none were as tragic as August 2015, when he discovered that his stepdaughter E'Dena Hines, whom he and Myrna had adopted, was murdered by her boyfriend in New York City.

"The world will never know her artistry and talent and how much she had to offer," Freeman said in a statementPeople. "Her friends and family were lucky enough to know what she meant as a person."

However, despite the trying times, the actor has kept working and shows no signs of slowing down. His choice of role, as well as his off-screen demeanor, has earned him the respect of even those unaccustomed to praising their subjects.

"He's a charming man," said Mike Wallace, who interviewed the actor for an article in 200660 minutes. "He's a thoughtful man. He is by no means a bitter man. He is still exploring his life and times. I have great respect for Morgan Freeman.”

allegations of sexual harassment

On May 24, 2018, CNN reported that eight women had accused Freeman of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. One such woman, a production assistant on her 2015 filmgo in styleShe claims that "he kept trying to pick up my skirt and asking if I was wearing my underwear." Another alleged victim, a senior member of the 2013 film's production teamNow you see Me, told CNN, "He has commented on our bodies... We knew if he was coming... don't wear tops that show our breasts, don't wear anything that shows our buttocks, that is, don't wear clothes that [were] fitted." "

Freeman later issued a statement: "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows that I am not one to intentionally offend anyone or make them feel uncomfortable. "

A few days later, Freeman's attorney sent a letter to CNN President Jeff Zucker, requesting a retraction and an apology for "malicious intent, untruths, sleight of hand, lack of editorial scrutiny, and journalistic negligence" that were "used to intimidate your client." to attack unfairly". CNN immediately hit back with a statement defending its coverage.