Morgan Freeman
Born
June 1, 1937
in Memphis, TN
Morgan Freeman launched his career as a stage and television performer, sculpting his technique on and off Broadway in shows as varied as Peter Shaffer's "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" and an all-black version of "Hello, Dolly!" As a screen actor, Freeman's commanding presence can make you suspect he's really the leading man even when he's ostensibly playing a sidekick role, like Clint Eastwood's partner in crime or Brad Pitt's partner in law enforcement. Not that Freeman would upstage a colleague. Good acting, he likes to say, is all about trust — in the director, the designers, above all in your fellow performers. There always have been at least two ways to take Morgan Freeman. You could think of him, most obviously, as a paradigm of the versatile studio pro. An actor capable of transitioning from a vicious black pimp ("Street Smart," his first Oscar nomination) to a persnickety white woman's genteel chauffeur ("Driving Miss Daisy," his second), a stoic Civil War soldier ("Glory") and a prisoner with the hard-earned acuity of an Old Testament wise man ("The Shawshank Redemption," his third Oscar nod). He won a supporting actor Oscar as a boxing gym manager in 2004's "Million Dollar Baby." In "Invictus," for which he received his latest Oscar nomination, he portrays Nelson Mandela at a crucial moment in his tenure as South Africa's first elected black president. Freeman's Mandela possesses a sly humor and an iron will, camouflaged by his disarming smile and cordial bearing.
|
Related stars
|
|
Points of interest
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Best Supporting Actor | Street Smart | Nomination |
| 1989 | Best Actor | Driving Miss Daisy | Nomination |
| 1994 | Best Actor | The Shawshank Redemption | Nomination |
| 2004 | Best Supporting Actor | Million Dollar Baby | Win |
| 2009 | Best Actor | Invictus | Nomination |
Permalink
|
Delicious
|
Digg
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Enjoy more stories like this for 
Share a thought about Morgan Freeman
Did you ever meet Morgan Freeman? Share your memory.
Which other stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Morgan Freeman?
Are other places in the world important to Morgan Freeman?
Does Morgan Freeman deserve this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?