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 | Hate to See You Go | Sonny Bell | 2025 |
Movie | Gunner | Kendrick Ryker | 2024-06-06 |
Movie | A Good Person | Daniel | 2023-03-23 |
Movie | The Ritual Killer | Dr. Mackles | 2023-03-09 |
Series | 100 Years of Warner Bros. | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2023-05-25 |
Series | Life on Our Planet | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2023-10-25 |
Movie | Betty White: A Celebration | Self | 2022-01-17 |
Movie | Paradise Highway | Gerick | 2022-07-29 |
Movie | Sidney | Self | 2022-09-10 |
Movie | Coming 2 America | Morgan Freeman | 2021-03-04 |
Movie | Vanquish | Damon | 2021-04-16 |
Movie | Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard | Senior | 2021-06-14 |
Movie | Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It | Self | 2021-06-18 |
Series | Solos | Stuart | 2021-05-21 |
Movie | Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize | Self | 2020-01-07 |
Movie | Meeting the Beatles in India | Narrator (voice) | 2020-09-09 |
Movie | The Comeback Trail | Reggie Fontaine | 2020-11-12 |
Movie | The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II | Self | 2020-05-10 |
Movie | Angel Has Fallen | Alan Trumbull | 2019-08-21 |
Movie | The Poison Rose | Doc | 2019-05-23 |
Movie | America's Musical Journey | Narrator (voice) | 2018-05-17 |
Movie | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Drosselmeyer | 2018-10-26 |
Movie | March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step | Narrator (english voice) | 2017-02-15 |
Movie | Going in Style | Willie Davis | 2017-04-06 |
Series | The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman | Self - Host | 2017-10-11 |
Movie | The Words That Built America | Reader - Declaration of Independence | 2017-07-04 |
Movie | Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies | Self | 2017-11-12 |
Movie | Just Getting Started | Duke | 2017-12-01 |
Movie | London Has Fallen | Alan Trumbull | 2016-03-02 |
Series | The Story of God with Morgan Freeman | Self - Host | 2016-04-03 |
Movie | Now You See Me 2 | Thaddeus Bradley | 2016-06-02 |
Movie | Ben-Hur | Sheik Ilderim | 2016-08-17 |
Movie | The C Word | Narrator (voice) | 2016-07-28 |
Movie | Last Knights | Bartok | 2015-04-03 |
Movie | Momentum | Senator | 2015-10-15 |
Movie | Ted 2 | Patrick Meighan | 2015-06-25 |
Movie | Island of Lemurs: Madagascar | Narrator (voice) | 2014-04-03 |
Movie | The Lego Movie | Vitruvius (voice) | 2014-02-06 |
Movie | We the People | Narrator (voice) | 2014-01-06 |
Movie | Transcendence | Joseph Tagger | 2014-04-16 |
Movie | Dolphin Tale 2 | Dr. Cameron McCarthy | 2014-09-11 |
Movie | Wish Wizard | Maxwell Omni | 2014-04-29 |
Movie | 5 Flights Up | Alex Carver | 2014-09-05 |
Movie | Lennon or McCartney | Self (archive footage) | 2014-12-12 |
Movie | Lucy | Professor Samuel Norman | 2014-07-25 |
Movie | Olympus Has Fallen | Alan Trumbull | 2013-03-20 |
Movie | Oblivion | Beech | 2013-04-10 |
Movie | The Editor and The Dragon: Horace Carter Fights the Klan | Narrator (voice) | 2013-01-01 |
Movie | Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot | Self | 2013-01-15 |
Movie | Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story | Self | 2013-04-27 |
Movie | Last Vegas | Archibald 'Archie' Clayton | 2013-10-31 |
Movie | The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy | Self (archive footage) | 2013-09-24 |
Movie | JFK: A President Betrayed | Narrator (voice) | 2013-11-23 |
Movie | Now You See Me | Thaddeus Bradley | 2013-05-29 |
Movie | Echoes 'Cross the Tracks | Self | 2012-03-01 |
Movie | Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl | Self | 2012-01-16 |
Movie | Le frontiere dell'Astronomia - EP-7 Vite aliene nel cosmo | Narratore | 2012-03-21 |
Movie | The Dark Knight Rises | Lucius Fox | 2012-07-17 |
Movie | Ending the Knight | Self | 2012-12-04 |
Movie | The Magic of Belle Isle | Monte Wildhorn | 2012-07-06 |
Movie | B.B. King: The Life of Riley | Narrator (voice) | 2012-10-15 |
Movie | Born to Be Wild | Narrator (voice) | 2011-04-08 |
Movie | Breaking the Taboo | Narrator (voice) | 2011-06-03 |
Series | Curiosity | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2011-08-07 |
Movie | Clint Eastwood's West | Self | 2011-07-06 |
Movie | Conan the Barbarian | Narrator (voice) | 2011-08-17 |
Movie | Dolphin Tale | Dr. McCarthy | 2011-09-22 |
Movie | The Eastwood Factor | Narrator (voice) | 2010-02-16 |
Movie | For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots | Self (voice) | 2010-01-01 |
Movie | Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy | Self (archive footage) | 2010-05-04 |
Movie | Wild Ride | 2010-06-01 | |
Movie | RED | Joe Matheson | 2010-10-13 |
Movie | The President's Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office | Narrator (voice) | 2010-11-24 |
Series | Through the Wormhole | Self - Host | 2010-06-09 |
Movie | Prom Night in Mississippi | Narrator (voice) | 2009-01-15 |
Movie | Thick as Thieves | Keith Ripley | 2009-01-09 |
Movie | The Maiden Heist | Charles Peterson | 2009-05-09 |
Series | 30 for 30 | Unknown | 2009-10-06 |
Movie | The People Speak | Self | 2009-12-13 |
Series | Live from Studio Five | Unknown | 2009-09-14 |
Movie | Invictus | Nelson Mandela | 2009-12-10 |
Movie | A Raisin in the Sun | Narrator (voice) (uncredited) | 2008-02-25 |
Movie | Where the Water Meets the Sky | 2008-06-06 | |
Movie | Wanted | Sloan | 2008-06-19 |
Movie | The Dark Knight | Lucius Fox | 2008-07-16 |
Movie | The Love Guru | (Voice) | 2008-06-20 |
Movie | AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition | Self | 2007-06-20 |
Series | The Graham Norton Show | Himself | 2007-02-22 |
Movie | Evan Almighty | God | 2007-06-09 |
Movie | The Bucket List | Carter Chambers | 2007-12-25 |
Movie | Gone Baby Gone | Jack Doyle | 2007-09-18 |
Movie | All About Us | Self | 2007-10-01 |
Movie | Feast of Love | Harry Stevenson | 2007-09-28 |
Movie | The Contract | Frank Carden | 2006-04-05 |
Movie | Lucky Number Slevin | The Boss | 2006-02-24 |
Movie | The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays | Jaques (segment "As You Like It") | 2006-05-02 |
Movie | Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters | Self | 2006-06-13 |
Movie | The Electric Company's Greatest Hits & Bits | Self | 2006-11-25 |
Movie | 10 Items or Less | 'Him' | 2006-09-11 |
Movie | Unleashed | Sam | 2005-02-02 |
Movie | March of the Penguins | Narrator (English voice) | 2005-01-26 |
Series | Slavery and the Making of America | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2005-02-09 |
Movie | Blues Divas | Self | 2005-01-22 |
Movie | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon | Neil Armstrong (voice) | 2005-09-23 |
Movie | Batman Begins | Lucius Fox | 2005-06-10 |
Series | The Reichen Show | 2005-11-11 | |
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 | The Big Bounce | Walter Crewes | 2004-01-30 |
Series | America Beyond the Color Line | Himself | 2004-02-03 |
Movie | Genius. A Night for Ray Charles | Self | 2004-10-07 |
Movie | Million Dollar Baby | Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris | 2004-12-15 |
Movie | The Hunting of the President | Narrator (voice) | 2004-04-27 |
Movie | Levity | Miles Evans | 2003-03-16 |
Movie | Dreamcatcher | Col. Abraham Curtis | 2003-03-21 |
Movie | Bruce Almighty | God | 2003-05-23 |
Movie | Guilty by Association | Lt. Redding | 2003-07-22 |
Series | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Unknown | 2003-09-08 |
Movie | Declaration of Independence | Self | 2003-06-10 |
Movie | The Sum of All Fears | DCI William Cabot | 2002-05-31 |
Movie | High Crimes | Charlie Grimes | 2002-04-05 |
Movie | Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven' | Self | 2002-09-24 |
Movie | All on Accounta Pullin' a Trigger | Self | 2002-09-24 |
Series | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Unknown | 2002-07-20 |
Movie | Along Came a Spider | Alex Cross | 2001-04-06 |
Movie | Under Suspicion | Captain Victor Benezet | 2000-08-24 |
Movie | Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows | Narrator (voice) | 2000-09-27 |
Movie | Nurse Betty | Charlie | 2000-08-30 |
Series | Family Guy | Unknown | 1999-01-31 |
Movie | The Life Before This | Paper Boy | 1999-09-15 |
Movie | Stephen King: Shining in the Dark | Self | 1999-09-09 |
Movie | Water Damage | Tom Preedy | 1999-07-30 |
Movie | Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist | Self | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | Hard Rain | Jim | 1998-01-16 |
Movie | 54 | Angelic Boy | 1998-08-28 |
Movie | Deep Impact | President Tom Beck | 1998-05-08 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
Movie | The Long Way Home | Narrator (voice) | 1997-09-19 |
Series | King of the Hill | Unknown | 1997-01-12 |
Movie | Amistad | Theodore Joadson | 1997-12-10 |
Movie | Kiss the Girls | Alex Cross | 1997-09-29 |
Movie | Eastwood on Eastwood | Himself (archive footage) | 1997-11-01 |
Movie | Inside the White House | Narrator (voice) | 1996-01-01 |
Movie | Chain Reaction | Paul Shannon | 1996-08-02 |
Movie | Cosmic Voyage | Narrator (voice) | 1996-08-09 |
Movie | Moll Flanders | Hibble | 1996-06-14 |
Movie | Se7en | Detective Lt. William Somerset | 1995-09-22 |
Movie | Outbreak | General Billy Ford | 1995-03-10 |
Movie | The Shawshank Redemption | Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding | 1994-09-23 |
Series | Inside the Actors Studio | Unknown | 1994-08-14 |
Series | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Unknown | 1993-09-13 |
Movie | The Power of One | Geel Piet | 1992-03-27 |
Movie | Unforgiven | Ned Logan | 1992-08-07 |
Series | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Unknown | 1992-05-25 |
Series | Pebble Mill | Unknown | 1991-10-14 |
Movie | The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry | Narrator (voice) | 1991-01-01 |
Movie | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Azeem | 1991-06-14 |
Movie | The True Story of Glory Continues | Narrator (voice) | 1991-06-19 |
Movie | The Earth Day Special | Walter Samson | 1990-04-22 |
Movie | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Judge Leonard White | 1990-12-21 |
Movie | Night of 100 Stars III | Self | 1990-05-21 |
Series | The Civil War | Frederick Douglass | 1990-09-23 |
Movie | Lean On Me | Principal Joe Clark | 1989-03-03 |
Movie | Johnny Handsome | Lt. A.Z. Drones | 1989-09-12 |
Movie | Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke Colburn | 1989-12-13 |
Movie | Glory | Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins | 1989-12-15 |
Movie | Clean and Sober | Craig | 1988-08-10 |
Movie | Clinton and Nadine | Dorsey Pratt | 1988-05-04 |
Series | American Experience | Narrator (voice) | 1988-10-04 |
Series | LIVE with Kelly and Mark | Unknown | 1988-09-05 |
Movie | Street Smart | Leo "Fast Black" Smalls, Jr. | 1987-03-20 |
Movie | Fight for Life | Dr. Sherard | 1987-03-23 |
Movie | Resting Place | Luther Johnson | 1986-04-27 |
Series | The Atlanta Child Murders | Ben Shelter | 1985-02-10 |
Movie | Marie | Charles Traughber | 1985-09-27 |
Movie | The Execution of Raymond Graham | Warden Pratt | 1985-11-17 |
Movie | That Was Then... This Is Now | Charlie Woods | 1985-11-08 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1985-09-27 |
Movie | Teachers | Lewis | 1984-10-05 |
Movie | Harry and Son | Siemanowski | 1984-03-02 |
Movie | Death of a Prophet | Malcolm X | 1981-01-01 |
Movie | Eyewitness | Lieutenant Black | 1981-02-13 |
Movie | The Marva Collins Story | Clarence Collins | 1981-12-01 |
Series | Texas | Detective Michaels | 1980-08-04 |
Movie | Attica | Hap Richards | 1980-03-02 |
Movie | Brubaker | Walter | 1980-06-20 |
Movie | Coriolanus | Coriolanus | 1979-03-31 |
Series | The Kennedy Center Honors | Unknown | 1978-12-28 |
Movie | Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry | Uncle Hammer | 1978-06-02 |
Movie | Out to Lunch | Self / Croupier | 1974-12-10 |
Movie | Blade | Chris | 1973-12-01 |
Movie | Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow! | Afro | 1971-11-18 |
Series | The Electric Company | Easy Reader | 1971-10-25 |
Movie | Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? | Grand Central Commuter | 1968-06-19 |
Movie | A Man Called Adam | Party Guest (Uncredited) | 1966-03-16 |
Movie | The Pawnbroker | Man on Street (Uncredited) | 1964-06-01 |
Series | The Oscars | Morgan Freeman | 1953-03-19 |
Series | Today | Unknown | 1952-01-14 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |