Morgan Freeman Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 6 ft 2 in |
Weight | 97 kg |
Date of Birth | June 1, 1937 |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Eye Color |
Dark Brown |
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, director, and narrator who is best known for portraying roles such as God in Bruce Almighty, Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris in Million Dollar Baby, Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption, and Professor Norman in Lucy. He has also appeared in a variety of other TV shows and films such as Brubaker, Harry & Son, That Was Then… This Is Now, Driving Miss Daisy, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Outbreak, Seven, Dreamcatcher, Batman Begins, Olympus Has Fallen, Now You See Me, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Death of a Prophet, Madam Secretary, and many more. His theatre credits include plays like Hello, Dolly!, The Country Girl, Julius Caesar, and The Gospel at Colonus. For his acting skills, Morgan has been honored with awards like the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Tony Award.
Born Name
Morgan Freeman
Nick Name
Morgan
Sun Sign
Gemini
Born Place
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Residence
- Charleston, Mississippi, U.S.
- New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality
Education
Morgan studied at the Broad Street High School in Greenwood, Mississippi and graduated in 1955. The school building is now called the Threadgill Elementary School.
The actor took voice training from the LACC Theater Academy in Los Angeles. Mark Hamil, Donna Reed, Cindy Williams and Rene Michelle Aranda are some other famous alumni of the academy.
In the early 1960s, he took acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse in California and dancing lessons in San Francisco.
On May 13, 2006, the Delta State University in Cleveland honored Morgan Freeman with an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts and Letters.
In 2013, the actor was honored with the Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree by the Boston University.
Occupation
Actor, Producer, Film Director, and Narrator
Family
- Father – Morgan Porterfield Freeman (Barber) (Died due to cirrhosis on April 27, 1961)
- Mother – Mayme Edna (Teacher)
- Siblings – He has 3 older siblings.
- Others – Morgan Herbert Freeman (Paternal Grandfather)
Manager
He is managed by Stan Rosenfield & Associates, Inc.
Build
Average
Height
6 ft 2 in or 188 cm
Weight
97 kg or 214 pounds
Girlfriend / Spouse
Morgan Freeman dated –
- Debbie Allen – The actor had an encounter with film / TV producer Debbie Allen.
- Marcia Gay Harden – Morgan was in a relationship with actress Marcia Gay Harden in the past.
- Rita Moreno – He dated Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno for a short while.
- Loletha Adkins – Morgan was romantically linked with Loletha Adkins and the couple together had a son named Alfonso Rene Freeman (b. 1959) (also became an actor).
- Jeanette Adair Bradshaw (1967-1979) – The actor married Jeanette Adair Bradshaw on October 22, 1967. The couple got divorced on November 18, 1979. They had two children together, daughters Morgana Freeman and Deena Freeman.
- Myrna Colley-Lee (1984-2010) – Morgan tied the knot with costume designer Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984, after meeting while working off-Broadway. They ended their marriage in December 2007 and the divorce proceedings began which were finalized on September 15, 2010 in Mississippi. The couple adopted and raised E’dena Hines (Morgan’s stepgranddaughter from his first marriage). E’dena Hines was murdered in New York City on August 16, 2015, at the age of 33.
- Demaris Meyer (2008) – Morgan had a fling with Demaris Meyer in 2008 after splitting from Myrna.
Morgan also had a son named Saifoulaye Freeman (b. 1960) from one of his early relationships.
Race / Ethnicity
Black
Morgan got a DNA test done which established his ancestry with the Songhai and Tuareg tribes of Niger.
Hair Color
Gray
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Distinctively smooth, deep voice
- Calm demeanor
- Several marks on the face
Brand Endorsements
Morgan Freeman has been a part of many print advertisements and TV commercials.
He has done print adverts for the Give Health a Hand PA campaign in 2010 for the AARP and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Morgan has been seen on TV commercials for –
- Listerine Mouthwash (1973)
- McDonald’s (1974)
- Be A Mentor campaign of Save the Children (1999)
- Public Service Announcement for USA CORPS (2002)
- The University of Mississippi at Oxford, Mississippi
- St. Judes Children Hospital (2005)
- RebuildingTogether.org (2012)
The actor has done voiceovers for TV commercials for
- Visa Cards for the Summer Olympics of 2008
- More People Go With Visa campaign for Visa Cards (2009)
- 2010 Winter Olympics Visa credit card sponsor campaign in Canada (2009)
In April 2021, he teamed up with The Creative Coalition and the National Blue Ribbon Task Force for a PSA to urge hesitant Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccines and ensure them of the vaccine’s safety.
Religion
Zoroastrianism
Talking about his religious beliefs in an interview in 2012, he said that the question whether he was an atheist or agnostic was a hard one as he thought that God was invented by humans. He said that if he believed in God it was because he thought himself to be God.
In 2019, he found out his religion to be Zoroastrianism.
Best Known For
Morgan has been a part of many blockbusters including Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Million Dollar Baby (2004) that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2005, and Invictus (2009).
He also gained fame in the television series in Another World and the PBS kids’ show The Electric Company.
First Film
His acting debut in movies was in the drama film The Pawnbroker in 1964 for his role as Man on Street. It was an uncredited role.
First TV Show
His first television show was The Electric Company in which he played various characters including Mel Mounds and Easy Reader from 1971 to 1977.
First Direction
He made his debut as a director with Paramount Pictures’Â Bopha! in 1993.
Morgan Freeman’s Favorite Things
- Actor – Gary Cooper
- Movies – King Kong (1933), High Noon (1952), Moulin Rouge (1952), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Moby Dick (1956)
- Musician – Al Green
- TV Show – All in the Family (1971-1979)
- Book –Â The Shawshank Redemption (By Stephen King)
- Character –Â Bass Reeves
- Southern Dish –Â Collard greens or turnip greens, cornbread, and fried chicken
Source –Â IMDb, IGN, SouthernLiving
Morgan Freeman Facts
- He spent his childhood with his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi to whom he was sent as an infant.
- Morgan rejected a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University.
- His childhood was spent partly in the areas of Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and Chicago, Illinois.
- At age 9, Freeman made his foray into the world of acting as he played the lead role in a school play.
- At age 12, he became the winner of a drama competition held statewide.
- He performed at a radio show in Nashville, Tennessee while studying at Broad Street High School.
- He was enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman and went on achieve the Airman 1st Class rank.
- Morgan shifted base to Los Angeles, California after spending 4Â years in the military.
- Before becoming an actor, he worked at the Los Angeles City College as a transcript clerk.
- In October 1997, Morgan was ranked No. 31 in “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” list of Empire Magazine in the UK.
- On August 7, 2000, the actor was honored with the Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award.
- In 2004, he founded the Grenada Relief Fund to help the victims of Hurricane Ivan on Grenada island.
- On September 19, 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office gave him a trademark on his name.
- In July 2009, Freeman participated in Nelson Mandela‘s birthday at the Radio City Music Hall as one of the presenters during the 46664 Concert.
- On June 9, 2011, Morgan was awarded the 39th Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute.
- He holds the honor of being the first American to record a par at the Extreme 19th hole at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in the Entabeni Safari Conservatory in South Africa.
- He is the owner of the blues club named Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
- He was also an owner of a fine dining restaurant called Madidi earlier.
- Morgan earned his private pilot license at the age of 65. He is the proud owner of three private aircraft including Cessna Citation 501 jet, Cessna 414 twin-engine prop, and Emivest SJ30. He has a certification to fly all of these aircraft.
- Freeman made a monetary donation to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville.
- On November 12, 2014, the City of London bestowed upon him the honor of Freedom of the City.
- He is the owner of Revelation Entertainment, a production firm.
- In May 2022, Morgan was banned from Russia. It was reported that he was banned due to a PSA that he filmed in 2017, where he accused Russia of conspiring against the United States.
- He has done voiceover work in video games for characters such as Lucius Fox in Batman Begins and Sloan in Wanted: Weapons of Fate.
- In August 2008, Morgan was involved in an accident when his car was involved in a rollover in Mississippi. He was later hospitalized at The Regional Medical Center in Memphis and underwent surgery due to the injuries on his left arm, shoulder, and elbow. Due to the incident, he suffers from fibromyalgia and can’t move his hand. He often wears a glove on his left hand.
- Morgan is good friends with country singer Kenny Chesney.
- At Oscars 2023, he debuted his new look. He went completely bald and was seen without his long dreadlocks.