Freeman, Morgan

Morgan Freeman, 1990.
Douglas Kirkland/Corbis

(born June 1, 1937, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.) American actor whose emotional depth and versatility made him one of the most respected performers of his generation. Over a career that included numerous memorable performances on stage, screen, and television, Freeman was one of the few African American actors who consistently received roles that were not specifically written for black actors.

As a young man, Freeman had aspirations of being a fighter pilot; however, a stint in the air force (1955–59) proved disappointing, and he turned his attention to acting. He made his Broadway debut in an all-black production of Hello Dolly! in 1967. In the 1970s he continued to work on stage and also appeared on the educational children's television show The Electric Company as the character Easy Reader. Freeman's performance in the film Brubaker (1980) and on the soap opera Another World (1982–84), along with several rave reviews for his theatrical work in the early 1980s, led to more challenging film roles. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance as a dangerous hustler in Street Smart (1987). He was nominated for a best-actor Oscar for his work in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), in which he re-created the role of Hoke after first performing it on stage. A third Oscar nomination came for his soulful turn as a convict in The Shawshank Redemption (1994). In 2005 Freeman finally won an Academy Award, as he was named best supporting actor for his performance as a former boxer in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Freeman won acclaim on stage for performances that ranged from drunks to Shakespearean leads. On screen he thrived in roles written specifically for black actors, such as a disciplinarian principal in Lean on Me (1989) and a hard-hearted Civil War soldier in Glory (1989), as well as in roles that most often fall to white actors, such as an aging gunslinger in Unforgiven (1992) and an analytical detective in Seven (1995). He made his directorial debut with the antiapartheid film Bopha! (1993).