Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (1991)
Vintage card. Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991).
With his authoritative voice and calm demeanour, American actor Morgan Freeman (1937) has grown into one of the most popular and respected stars of modern Hollywood. His best films include Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Glory (1989), Unforgiven (1992), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). For Million Dollar Baby (2004), Morgan Freeman received an Oscar.
Morgan Freeman was born Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr in 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the fourth of six children of Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. When he was very young, his father and mother, like so many workers in the US South, moved to Chicago in search of work in the factories. Morgan went to live with his paternal grandparents in Charleston. That is where he has his earliest memories and where he still has a home. At the age of 12, he won a state-wide drama competition, and while still at Broad Street High School, he performed on a radio show in Nashville. Freeman attended Los Angeles City College before serving in the US Air Force as a mechanic between 1955 and 1959. He started his acting career onstage. In 1967, he co-starred Viveca Lindfors in 'The Nigger Lovers', about the US civil rights movement (1955-1968). He made his Broadway debut in an all-African American production of the exuberant musical 'Hello, Dolly!' (1968) with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. Throughout the 1970s, he continued his work on stage, winning Drama Desk and Clarence Derwent Awards and receiving a Tony Award nomination for his performance in 'The Mighty Gents' (1978). In 1980, he won two Obie Awards, for his portrayal of Shakespearean anti-hero Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival and his work in 'Mother Courage and Her Children'. Freeman won another Obie in 1984 for his performance as The Messenger in the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of Lee Breuer's 'The Gospel at Colonus'. In 1987, Freeman created the role of Hoke Coleburn in Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Driving Miss Daisy', which brought him his fourth Obie Award. In 1990, Freeman starred as Petruchio in the New York Shakespeare Festival's 'The Taming of the Shrew', opposite Tracey Ullman. Returning to the Broadway stage in 2008, Freeman starred with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' drama 'The Country Girl', directed by Mike Nichols. Freeman first appeared on TV screens at PBS as several characters, including Count Dracula, in the educational children's programme The Electric Company (1971). He then moved into feature film with another children's adventure, Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow! (Edward Andrew Mann, 1971). Next, there was a small role in the thriller Blade (1973). He played Casca in Julius Caesar (1979) and the title role in Coriolanus (1979). Regular film work was now coming in for the talented Freeman. He appeared in the prison dramas Attica (Marvin J. Chomsky, 1980) and Brubaker (Stuart Rosenberg, 1980) opposite Robert Redford, and the thriller Eyewitness (Peter Yates, 1981) with William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. Freeman portrayed the final 24 hours of slain Malcolm X in Death of a Prophet (1981). For most of the 1980s, Freeman continued to contribute decent enough performances in films that fluctuated in their quality. He stood out as a merciless hoodlum in Street Smart (Jerry Schatzberg, 1987), for which he scored an Oscar nomination. Then, he dazzled audiences and pulled a second Oscar nomination in the film version of Driving Miss Daisy (Bruce Beresford, 1989) opposite Jessica Tandy. The same year, Freeman teamed up with Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in the epic Civil War drama Glory (Edward Zwick, 1989) about freed slaves being recruited to form the first all-African American fighting brigade.
Morgan Freeman's star continued to rise, and the 1990s kicked off strongly with roles in The Bonfire of the Vanities (Brian De Palma, 1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991), and The Power of One (1992). Freeman's next role was as gunman Ned Logan, wooed out of retirement by friend William Munny (Clint Eastwood) to avenge several prostitutes in the wild west town of Big Whiskey in the de-mythologised Western Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992). The film was a hit and scored several Oscars, including one for Best Picture. In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut with Bopha! (1993) and soon after formed his production company, Revelations Entertainment. More strong scripts came in. Freeman was back behind bars, portraying a knowledgeable inmate who befriends falsely accused banker Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994). Freeman obtained his third Oscar nomination for his part. He was then back out hunting a religious serial killer in Seven (David Fincher, 1995), starred alongside Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction (Andrew Davis, 1996), and was pursuing another serial murderer in Kiss the Girls (Gary Fleder, 1997) with Ashley Judd. Further praise followed for his role in the slave tale of Amistad (Steven Spielberg, 1997), he was a worried US President facing Armageddon from above in Deep Impact (Mimi Leder, 1998), appeared in Neil LaBute's black comedy Nurse Betty (2000), and reprised his role as Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori, 2001). In 2001, he moved back to Mississippi, where he grew up, to open Ground Zero Blues Club, a blues bar and grill, and Madidi, a restaurant in Clarksdale. Madidi closed down in 2012. The highly popular Freeman was much in demand with cinema audiences, and he co-starred in the terrorist drama The Sum of All Fears (2002), was a military officer in the Stephen King-inspired Dreamcatcher (2003), gave divine guidance as God to Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (2003), and played a minor role in the comedy The Big Bounce (2004). 2005 was a huge year for Freeman. First, he teamed up with Clint Eastwood to appear in the drama Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood, 2004). Freeman's plays ex-prize fighter Eddie 'Scrap Iron' Dupris, who works in a run-down boxing gym alongside grizzled trainer Frankie Dunn. The two work together to hone the skills of never-say-die female boxer Hilary Swank. Freeman received his fourth Oscar nomination and, finally, impressed the Academy's judges enough to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. He also narrated Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (2005) and appeared in Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005) as Lucius Fox, a valuable ally of Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman. Freeman would reprise his role in the two sequels of the record-breaking, genre-redefining trilogy. Roles in tentpoles and indies followed; highlights include his role as a crime boss in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a second go-round as God in Evan Almighty (2007) with Steve Carell taking over for Jim Carrey, and a supporting role in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007). He co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the breakout hit The Bucket List (2007), and followed that up with another box-office success, Wanted (2008), then segued into the second Batman film, The Dark Knight (2008). In 2009, he reunited with Eastwood to star in the director's true-life drama Invictus (2009), on which Freeman also served as an executive producer. For his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film, Freeman garnered Oscar, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor. Freeman appeared in Red (2010), which became a surprise box-office hit. He starred in The Magic of Belle Isle (Rob Reiner, 2012) and capped the Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He acted in the thriller Now You See Me (Louis Leterrier, 2013) and the Sci-Fi actioner Oblivion (2013), in which he starred with Tom Cruise.
He also appeared in Lucy (Luc Besson, 2014) starring Scarlett Johansson. Known for his distinctive voice, he has narrated numerous documentaries including The Long Way Home (1997), March of the Penguins (2005), Through the Wormhole (2010–2017), The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016–2019), Our Universe (2022) and Life on Our Planet (2023). Morgan Freeman was married twice. With his first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, he was married from 1967 till their divorce in 1979. They have two children. In 1984, he married Myrna Colley-Lee, with whom he also has two children. They divorced in 2010.
Sources: Wikipedia (English and Dutch) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (1991)
Vintage card. Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991).
With his authoritative voice and calm demeanour, American actor Morgan Freeman (1937) has grown into one of the most popular and respected stars of modern Hollywood. His best films include Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Glory (1989), Unforgiven (1992), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). For Million Dollar Baby (2004), Morgan Freeman received an Oscar.
Morgan Freeman was born Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr in 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was the fourth of six children of Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. When he was very young, his father and mother, like so many workers in the US South, moved to Chicago in search of work in the factories. Morgan went to live with his paternal grandparents in Charleston. That is where he has his earliest memories and where he still has a home. At the age of 12, he won a state-wide drama competition, and while still at Broad Street High School, he performed on a radio show in Nashville. Freeman attended Los Angeles City College before serving in the US Air Force as a mechanic between 1955 and 1959. He started his acting career onstage. In 1967, he co-starred Viveca Lindfors in 'The Nigger Lovers', about the US civil rights movement (1955-1968). He made his Broadway debut in an all-African American production of the exuberant musical 'Hello, Dolly!' (1968) with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. Throughout the 1970s, he continued his work on stage, winning Drama Desk and Clarence Derwent Awards and receiving a Tony Award nomination for his performance in 'The Mighty Gents' (1978). In 1980, he won two Obie Awards, for his portrayal of Shakespearean anti-hero Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival and his work in 'Mother Courage and Her Children'. Freeman won another Obie in 1984 for his performance as The Messenger in the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of Lee Breuer's 'The Gospel at Colonus'. In 1987, Freeman created the role of Hoke Coleburn in Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Driving Miss Daisy', which brought him his fourth Obie Award. In 1990, Freeman starred as Petruchio in the New York Shakespeare Festival's 'The Taming of the Shrew', opposite Tracey Ullman. Returning to the Broadway stage in 2008, Freeman starred with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' drama 'The Country Girl', directed by Mike Nichols. Freeman first appeared on TV screens at PBS as several characters, including Count Dracula, in the educational children's programme The Electric Company (1971). He then moved into feature film with another children's adventure, Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow! (Edward Andrew Mann, 1971). Next, there was a small role in the thriller Blade (1973). He played Casca in Julius Caesar (1979) and the title role in Coriolanus (1979). Regular film work was now coming in for the talented Freeman. He appeared in the prison dramas Attica (Marvin J. Chomsky, 1980) and Brubaker (Stuart Rosenberg, 1980) opposite Robert Redford, and the thriller Eyewitness (Peter Yates, 1981) with William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. Freeman portrayed the final 24 hours of slain Malcolm X in Death of a Prophet (1981). For most of the 1980s, Freeman continued to contribute decent enough performances in films that fluctuated in their quality. He stood out as a merciless hoodlum in Street Smart (Jerry Schatzberg, 1987), for which he scored an Oscar nomination. Then, he dazzled audiences and pulled a second Oscar nomination in the film version of Driving Miss Daisy (Bruce Beresford, 1989) opposite Jessica Tandy. The same year, Freeman teamed up with Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in the epic Civil War drama Glory (Edward Zwick, 1989) about freed slaves being recruited to form the first all-African American fighting brigade.
Morgan Freeman's star continued to rise, and the 1990s kicked off strongly with roles in The Bonfire of the Vanities (Brian De Palma, 1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Reynolds, 1991), and The Power of One (1992). Freeman's next role was as gunman Ned Logan, wooed out of retirement by friend William Munny (Clint Eastwood) to avenge several prostitutes in the wild west town of Big Whiskey in the de-mythologised Western Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992). The film was a hit and scored several Oscars, including one for Best Picture. In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut with Bopha! (1993) and soon after formed his production company, Revelations Entertainment. More strong scripts came in. Freeman was back behind bars, portraying a knowledgeable inmate who befriends falsely accused banker Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994). Freeman obtained his third Oscar nomination for his part. He was then back out hunting a religious serial killer in Seven (David Fincher, 1995), starred alongside Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction (Andrew Davis, 1996), and was pursuing another serial murderer in Kiss the Girls (Gary Fleder, 1997) with Ashley Judd. Further praise followed for his role in the slave tale of Amistad (Steven Spielberg, 1997), he was a worried US President facing Armageddon from above in Deep Impact (Mimi Leder, 1998), appeared in Neil LaBute's black comedy Nurse Betty (2000), and reprised his role as Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori, 2001). In 2001, he moved back to Mississippi, where he grew up, to open Ground Zero Blues Club, a blues bar and grill, and Madidi, a restaurant in Clarksdale. Madidi closed down in 2012. The highly popular Freeman was much in demand with cinema audiences, and he co-starred in the terrorist drama The Sum of All Fears (2002), was a military officer in the Stephen King-inspired Dreamcatcher (2003), gave divine guidance as God to Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (2003), and played a minor role in the comedy The Big Bounce (2004). 2005 was a huge year for Freeman. First, he teamed up with Clint Eastwood to appear in the drama Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood, 2004). Freeman's plays ex-prize fighter Eddie 'Scrap Iron' Dupris, who works in a run-down boxing gym alongside grizzled trainer Frankie Dunn. The two work together to hone the skills of never-say-die female boxer Hilary Swank. Freeman received his fourth Oscar nomination and, finally, impressed the Academy's judges enough to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. He also narrated Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (2005) and appeared in Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005) as Lucius Fox, a valuable ally of Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman. Freeman would reprise his role in the two sequels of the record-breaking, genre-redefining trilogy. Roles in tentpoles and indies followed; highlights include his role as a crime boss in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a second go-round as God in Evan Almighty (2007) with Steve Carell taking over for Jim Carrey, and a supporting role in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007). He co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the breakout hit The Bucket List (2007), and followed that up with another box-office success, Wanted (2008), then segued into the second Batman film, The Dark Knight (2008). In 2009, he reunited with Eastwood to star in the director's true-life drama Invictus (2009), on which Freeman also served as an executive producer. For his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film, Freeman garnered Oscar, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor. Freeman appeared in Red (2010), which became a surprise box-office hit. He starred in The Magic of Belle Isle (Rob Reiner, 2012) and capped the Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He acted in the thriller Now You See Me (Louis Leterrier, 2013) and the Sci-Fi actioner Oblivion (2013), in which he starred with Tom Cruise.
He also appeared in Lucy (Luc Besson, 2014) starring Scarlett Johansson. Known for his distinctive voice, he has narrated numerous documentaries including The Long Way Home (1997), March of the Penguins (2005), Through the Wormhole (2010–2017), The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016–2019), Our Universe (2022) and Life on Our Planet (2023). Morgan Freeman was married twice. With his first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, he was married from 1967 till their divorce in 1979. They have two children. In 1984, he married Myrna Colley-Lee, with whom he also has two children. They divorced in 2010.
Sources: Wikipedia (English and Dutch) and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.