Biography:

To be on the same set with Morgan Freeman is now considered an honor, but in his youth directors found the actor lacking in texture. The Hollywood star, multiple nominee and winner of film awards himself said: from childhood he understood what segregation was, and there was no place for a dark-skinned person with an intelligent expression. The heyday began after 50 years, and it was perhaps for the better – the actor did not break under the burden of fame, like some colleagues.

Childhood and youth:

Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937 in the American city of Memphis. His mother worked as a cleaner, his father had a small hairdresser, but it brought in almost no income. The actor’s grandfather was officially listed as a slave; after his release, the papers he received were written “Free man,” which means “free man.” Hence the surname.

Financial difficulties forced the family to move in search of a better destiny. Morgan had to live in Greenwood, Gary and Chicago. In Chicago, he first appeared on stage – it was a role in a school play, which Freeman coped with superbly.

That first experience in childhood helped him decide on his future profession, but first he had to finish school and serve in the army. Five years of service in the Air Force strengthened his character.

Morgan Freeman studied acting at the Pasadena Theater, then studied theater arts at Los Angeles City College, where, on the advice of a teacher, he began to study dance.

Theater:

It was his passion for dancing that helped the artist become a member of the Opera Ring musical theater troupe in San Francisco. Having played small roles in several performances, Freeman was seriously faced with a choice: dancing or becoming an actor. Obeying a spiritual impulse, the artist chose the second.

After which Morgan tried himself on the Broadway stage in the musical “Hello, Dolly!” in 1968. The original production was distinguished by the fact that all roles were played by black actors.

A year later, on the stage of the Booth Theater, the actor played in Edward Paron’s production of The Dozens. In the 70s, Freeman finally got the lead role in the Broadway musical Purley, based on the book by Ossie Davis.

Later he took part in enterprise performances, alternating them with film work. And he even transferred some roles to the screen from the stage. For example, he embodied Hawk Colburn first in the production of “Driving Miss Daisy” at the John Houseman Theater, and then in the film of the same name.

Movies:

Freeman gained popularity in the 70s when he starred in the famous TV series The Electric Company. Then there was another role, but there was no career takeoff. The directors forgot about Morgan for almost 9 years. He himself explained this by the specifics of his age at work – they were not interested in the young actor.

At the age of 43, Freeman was invited to shoot the film Brubaker, in which he played an intelligent middle-aged man. The audience liked this image; the actor continued to act in this role in the future.

Morgan Freeman appeared as Fast Black in the film Street Guy. Critics called his work a breakthrough. For this role, the actor was nominated for two awards at once – the Golden Globe and the Oscar, but did not receive them.

Two years later, the Golden Globe was in his home collection for the comedy Driving Miss Daisy. Since that period, Morgan has often appeared in films by famous directors. The western “Unforgiven” with his participation received an Oscar in the category “Best Film of the Year”.

In 1994, the performer became an Oscar nominee for the third time, this time for his role in The Shawshank Redemption, but again the award eluded him.

For his work in the neo-noir “Seven,” the artist received the “Empire” award. The authors really wanted to see Freeman in the image of detective William Somerset, but, having sent the script, they expected a refusal. That’s exactly what Al Pacino did. However, Morgan accepted the offer, and was later joined by a young Brad Pitt. The film earned positive reviews from viewers and critics.

And the actor received the long-awaited statuette 10 years later for his role in the film “Million Dollar Baby,” during the filming of which he worked with Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank.

During the same period, Morgan played in the comedy film Bruce Almighty. And although the main character was presented by star comedian Jim Carrey, Freeman got the role of God. When asked how the artist prepared for such work, Morgan replied that he just had to read the script. Playing God was not difficult for him.

The actor’s filmography includes more than a hundred roles. Many films with Morgan’s participation became real hits. At the same time, the actor both appeared on the screen independently and read the voice-over text or voiced the characters. Freeman’s voice was used by the narrator in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, a loose adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel of the same name.

The actor joined the Batman film franchise, directed by Christopher Nolan based on the DC superhero comics. Freeman played the role of the brilliant inventor Lucius Fox consecutively in the films “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Freeman and Jack Nicholson were involved in the comedy-drama Until I Played the Box. The film became the first sign in a series of films on the dark theme of death, which began to appear almost every year. Carter’s son, Morgan’s character, was played by his real son Alfonso, who, according to the actor, was very worried about how his father would appreciate him on screen.

The performer appeared as Nelson Mandela in the film “Invictus,” which was based on the biography of the anti-apartheid fighter. The plot is based on a real episode related to the events of the 3rd Rugby World Cup in 1995.

Freeman had a chance to learn more about Russia on the set of the crime film “A Thief’s Code,” in which he shared the lead role with Antonio Banderas. Complementing the “Russian theme,” the film featured the song “Not Gonna Get Us” by the Tatu group, familiar to listeners as the composition “They Won’t Catch Up with Us.”

In 2010, the actor again starred in a film based on a comic book, this time from DC. Morgan played a retired CIA agent in the action comedy RED.

In 2013, Freeman received key roles in two blockbusters. In the action-packed action film Olympus Has Fallen, he played the role of US House of Representatives Allan Trumbull. During the filming of the film, a rumor spread on the Internet that Freeman, who regularly appeared at work every morning, had died.

In the crime thriller Now You See Me, the performer played former illusionist Thaddeus Bradley, who exposes the secrets of the main characters. The artist received great pleasure from the project, in which, as he noted, everything was interesting – the script, the idea and the story.

In 2016, Freeman played Sheikh Ilderim in Timur Bekmambetov’s epic Ben-Hur, an adaptation of Lew Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: The Story of the Christ and a remake of the 1959 film of the same name.

The actor was invited to play the role of Drosselmeyer in the film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” a Disney adaptation of Ernst Hoffmann’s fairy tale. He was accompanied by Helen Mirren and Keira Knightley.

In 2019, the premiere of the action film “Angel Has Fallen” took place, the third part of the story about an American special agent fighting global terrorism. This time, the hero of Gerard Butler himself was targeted, and the character of Morgan Freeman took the post of President of the United States. In the company of no less eminent than himself, Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones, the artist began the crime comedy “Hollywood Hustle,” which started in the fall of 2020. Speaking about his hero, gangster Reggie Fontaine, Morgan noticed a certain similarity with him. Both actor and character grew up watching and admiring films from the ’30s and ’40s in the cinema.

In the spring of 2021, the premiere of the action film “Angel of Vengeance” took place, in which Freeman had the opportunity to embody the image of Damon, a former police commissioner confined to a wheelchair. Ruby Rose, who first met Morgan on set, said that he is able to create an amazing harmonious atmosphere in the frame, thanks to which the characters are revealed in the best possible way.

Producing:

Not limiting himself to acting, Freeman founded the film production company Revelation Entertainment and worked as a producer. The company’s credits include Repentance with Holly Hunter and Billy Bob Thornton, Theft at the Museum with Christopher Walken, Love Feast with Stana Katic and the film adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction novel Rendezvous with Rama. In all these projects there was a role for Morgan.

A television:

In 2010, Freeman became the host of the Discovery Channel’s popular science program “Through Space and Time with Morgan Freeman”, which in other translations is called “Through a Wormhole with Morgan Freeman” or “Through a Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.” In the program, the actor acted as a narrator and shared scientific facts about the Universe, space and new discoveries with viewers.

In 2016, Morgan appeared on television again – he played in the multi-part documentary film “Stories of God,” filmed together with the National Geographic Channel. In each episode, the actor tried to understand the religious traditions of different peoples. Visiting sacred places around the world, Freeman tried to find answers to eternal questions. Who is God? Is there life after death? What is the nature of evil and are ancient prophecies true?

While working on the project, the star was most surprised by how many different people were asking exactly the same questions as him.

Personal life:

The actor does not talk about his personal life – he believes that the publication of such information in the media takes away part of this very life from him. Morgan Freeman, who is 188 cm tall, had four wives, but all the marriages broke up. There were rumors that his last wife left the actor because of his passion for his adopted granddaughter I’ Dena Hines. Morgan denied the information, saying it was rumors.

The Hollywood star has four children: Alfonso, Saifulai, Diana and Morgana. He maintains good relations with them. Diana is the daughter of his wife Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from his first marriage. Freeman adopted the girl, and she bears his last name.

In 2018, the actor found himself at the center of a harassment scandal that covered Hollywood a year earlier. The CNN television channel conducted a special investigation into the statement of its journalist, who accused Morgan of harassment. As a result, 8 more women spoke about the celebrity’s indecent behavior.

Freeman apologized to those he worked with and who knew him at all, saying that he did not intend to intentionally offend or show disrespect. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding.

“I wanted to create a relaxed atmosphere around myself. So I often joke and compliment women, but I never attack or offer career advancement in exchange for intimacy.”

The scandal did not play such a tragic role in Morgan’s life as, for example, Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey, with whom film producers refused to cooperate.

With age, spots appeared on the artist’s face, which are a special type of dermatosis, often characteristic of skin rich in pigment.

The star has accounts on Instagram (the social network is banned in the Russian Federation; it belongs to the Meta corporation, which is recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation) and Twitter, where he publishes not only photos, but also biting statements, which then turn into quotes. For example, he once wrote:

“I hate the word homophobia.” It’s not a phobia. Are you scared. You’re just a moron.”

Morgan Freeman now:

Now the actor’s venerable age is not at all an obstacle in his career. So, in the summer of 2022, he celebrated his 85th birthday, and in the fall he became the host of the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar. It is curious that after this event rumors appeared that Freeman had decided to convert to the Muslim faith. The reason for such judgments was the dialogue of the presenter with the popular blogger Ghanim al-Mufta at the Al-Bayt stadium.

Another project in the noir genre entered the actor’s filmography in November. Morgan’s company in the detective thriller The Minute You Wake Up Dead was Cole Hauser and Jaimie Alexander. Freeman himself appeared as a sheriff investigating mysterious murders.

The next project forced the actor to don the uniform of a federal agent. The Last Voyage tackled the topic of human trafficking, which has been less popular in Hollywood cinema in recent years. The assistant to the hero Morgan in the film was played by Cameron Monaghan, for whom collaboration with the star became the brightest period in his career.

In 2023, fans were waiting for another appearance by Freeman in the leading role – the premiere of the drama “A Good Man” was planned for the spring. Here the actor played the unexpected role of a man who has lost a loved one.

Filmography:

1964 – The Pawnbroker – Passerby
1980 – Brubaker – Walter
1984 – Teachers – Al Lewis
1985 – Marie – Charles Traufberg
1985 – Then and Now (That Was Then This Is Now) – Charlie Woods
1985 – The Twilight Zone – Game Selection
1986 – Resting Place – Luther Johnson
1987 – Street Smart – Fast Black
1988 – In a sober mind and solid memory (Clean And Sober) – Craig
1989 – Lean on Me – Joe Clark
1989 – Glory – John Rawlins
1989 – Driving Miss Daisy – Hawk Colburn
1989 – Handsome Johnny (Johnney Handsome) – Lieutenant Drones
1990 – The Bonfire of the Vanities – Judge
1991 – The Power of One – Gil Pete
1991 – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Azim Ad-din Bashir al Bakir
1992 – Unforgiven – Ned Logan
1994 – The Shawshank Redemption – Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding
1995 – Seven – William Somerset
1995 – Outbreak – General Billy Ford
1996 – Chain Reaction – Paul Shannon
1996 – Moll Flanders – Hibble
1997 – Amistad – Theodore Jowdson
1997 – Kiss the Girls – Alex Cross
1998 – Hard Rain – Jim
1998 – Deep Impact – President Tom Beck
2000 – Nurse Betty – Charlie Quinn
2000 – Under Suspicion – Victor Benizet
2001 – Along Came A Spider – Alex Cross
2002 – The Sum of All Fears – William Cabot
2002 – High Crimes – Charlie Grimes
2003 – Repentance (Levity) – Pastor Miles Evans
2003 – Dreamcatcher – Curtis
2003 – Vicious Circle (Guilty by Association) – Redding Police Lieutenant
2003 – Bruce Almighty – God
2004 – Million Dollar Baby – Eddie
2004 – The Big Bounce – Walter Kruis
2005 – An Unfinished Life – Mitch
2005 – War of the Worlds – Narrator
2005 – Batman Begins – Lucius Fox
2005 – Edison – Moses Ashford
2005 – Danny the Dog/Unleashed – Sam
2006 – Lucky Number Slevin – “Boss”
2006 – The Contract – Frank Carden
2006 – 10 steps to success (10 Items Or Less) – Cameo
2007 – Feast of Love – Harry Stephenson
2007 – Until I played in the box (The Bucket List) – Carter Chambers
2007 – Gone, Baby, Gone – Jack Doyle
2007 – Evan Almighty – God
2008 – Wanted – Sloane
2008 – The Dark Knight – Lucius Fox
2009 – Code of a Thief (Thick as Thieves) – Keith Ripley
2009 – The Maiden Heist – Charles Peterson
2009 – Invictus – Nelson Mandela
2009 – The Last Full Measure
2010 – RED (Red) – Joe Matheson
2011 – Conan the Barbarian – Narrator
2011 – Dolphin Tale – Dr. McCarthy
2011 – Wish Wizard – Maxwell Omni
2012 – The Dark Knight Rises – Lucius Fox
2012 – Third Act (The Magic of Belle Isle) – Monte Wildhorn
2013 – Olympus Has Fallen – Speaker of the US House of Representatives Trumbull
2013 – Now You See Me – Thaddeus Bradley
2013 – Oblivion – Malcolm Beach
2013 – Starpeckers (Last Bachelor Party in Vegas) (Last Vegas) – Archie
2014 – Transcendence – Joseph Tagger
2014 – Lucy – Professor Norman
2014 – Dolphin Tale 2 – Dr. McCarthy
2014 – Life itself (5 flights up) – artist
2015 – Acceleration (Momentum) – Senator
2015 – The Last Knights – Bartok
2015 – The Third Wheel 2 (Ted 2) – lawyer Patrick Meagan
2016 – London Has Fallen – US Vice President Trumbull
2016 – Ben-Hur – Sheikh Ilderim
2016 – Now You See Me 2 – Thaddeus Bradley
2017 – Going in Style – Willie
2018 – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – Drosselmeyer
2019 – The Poison Rose – Doc
2019 – Angel Has Fallen – Allan Trumbull

Directing works:

1993 – Bofa! (Bopha!)

Producer works:

2003 – Repentance (Levity) 2006 – 10 steps to success (10 Items or Less)
2014 – 2019 – Secretary of State (Madam Secretary)

Voice acting:

2005 – War of the Worlds
2014 – Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
2014 – The Lego Movie

Interesting Facts:

Morgan Freeman is left-handed. In 2008, the artist had an accident in Mississippi, as a result of which he broke his arm in two places, which required surgical intervention. By the way, now the actor’s appearance at social events wearing a compression glove is caused precisely by the consequences of an injury. This is how the star copes with constant pain.
Morgan’s favorite hobbies, until age became an obstacle, were boats and airplanes.

Awards:

1990 – Golden Globe Award – Best Actor for Driving Miss Daisy
2005 – Oscar Award – Best Supporting Actor in the film “Million Dollar Baby”
2005 – Screen Actors Guild Award for his supporting role in the film “Million Dollar Baby”
2012 – Golden Globe Award – Cecil B. DeMille Award
2016 – 2015 US National Medal of the Arts

Nominations:

1988 – Oscar Award – Best Supporting Actor for the film “Street Guy”
1988 – Golden Globe Award – Best Supporting Actor for the film “Street Guy”
1990 – Oscar Award – Best Actor for the film “Driving Miss Daisy”
1995 – Oscar Award – Best Actor for the film “The Shawshank Redemption”
1995 – Golden Globe Award – Best Actor in a Drama for the film “The Shawshank Redemption”
1995 – Screen Actors Guild Award – Best Actor for “The Shawshank Redemption”
2005 – Golden Globe Award – Supporting Actor for the film “Million Dollar Baby”
2010 – Oscar Award – Best Actor for the film “Invictus”
2010 – Golden Globe Award – Best Actor in a Drama for the film “Invictus”
2010 – Screen Actors Guild Award – Best Actor for the film “Invictus”