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{{For|the director|Morgan J. Freeman}}
{{Infobox President
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
| name=Thomas François Burgers
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2012}}
| image=ThFBurgers CHM VA0897.jpg
{{Infobox person
| order=4th [[President of the South African Republic|State President of the South African Republic]]
| name = Morgan Freeman
| term_start= 1 July 1872
| image = Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman narrates for the opening ceremony (26904746425) (cropped).jpg
| term_end= 12 April 1877
| caption = Freeman narrating for the opening ceremony to the 2016 [[Invictus Games]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]
| predecessor=[[Marthinus Wessel Pretorius|M.W. Pretorius]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|6|1|df=yes}}
| successor=None (British annexation)
| birth_place = [[Memphis, Tennessee]], U.S.
| birth_date={{birth date|1834|4|15|df=y}}
| death_date = 8/1/2018 07:05 (age 80)
| birth_place= Langefontein, [[Graaff-Reinet]],<br> [[Cape Colony]]
| death_place = His Residence
| death_date={{death date and age|1881|12|9|1834|4|15|df=y}}
| spouse = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|Jeanette Adair Bradshaw|1967|1979|end=div}}|{{marriage|Myrna Colley-Lee<br>|1984|2010|end=div}}}}
| death_place=[[Richmond, Northern Cape|Richmond]],<br> [[Cape Colony]]
| occupation = Actor
| restingplace = [[Heroes' Acre (South Africa)|Heroes' Acre]], [[Pretoria]], [[Gauteng]], [[South Africa]]
| years_active = 1964–2018
| spouse=Mary Bryson (1836-1929)<!--buried alongside her husband, Heroes' Acre, Pretoria-->
| module2 = <center>{{Listen| embed=yes
| occupation= [[minister (Christianity)|Christian minister]]
| filename = Morgan freeman bbc radio4 film programme 12 09 2008 b00dbcdn.flac|title =<center>Morgan Freeman's voice</center>|type = speech |description =<center>from BBC Radio 4's ''[[The Film Programme]]'', September 12, 2008.<ref name="TheFilmProgramme">{{cite episode | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dbcdn | title=12/09/2008 | date=September 12, 2008 | accessdate=January 18, 2014 | series=The Film Programme | station=BBC Radio 4}}</ref></center>}}</center>
| alma_mater= [[Utrecht University]]
|children = 4, including [[Alfonso Freeman]]
| religion=[[Dutch Reformed]]
}}
| signature=
'''Morgan Freeman'''<ref name="New Yorker interview 1978">[https://books.google.com/books?id=l74eAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22+my+father+was+Morgan+Porterfield+Freeman%2C+but+they+forgot+to+give+me+a+middle+name%22&q=Morgan+Porterfield+Freeman Interview (archived via Google Books)], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', July 3, 1978. Freeman: "[My grandmother] had been married to Morgan Herbert Freeman, and my father was Morgan Porterfield Freeman, but they forgot to give me a middle name."</ref> (born June 1, 1937)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steinbeiser|first1=Andrew|title=Happy Birthday! Morgan Freeman Turns 78 Today|url=http://comicbook.com/2015/06/01/happy-birthday-morgan-freeman-turns-78-today/|website=ComicBook.com|publisher=ComicBook.com|accessdate=1 June 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601154434/http://comicbook.com/2015/06/01/happy-birthday-morgan-freeman-turns-78-today/|archivedate=June 1, 2015 |date=1 June 2015}}</ref> is an American actor, producer and narrator. Freeman won an [[Academy Award]] in 2005 for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] with ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' (2004), and he has received [[Academy Awards#Oscar statuette|Oscar]] nominations for his performances in ''[[Street Smart (film)|Street Smart]]'' (1987), ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]'' (1989), ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' (1994) and ''[[Invictus (film)|Invictus]]'' (2009). He has also won a [[Golden Globe Award]] and a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]].
| }}


Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including ''[[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]]'' (1989), ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'' (1991), ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Seven]]'' (1995), ''[[Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact]]'' (1998), ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'' (2002), ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' (2003), ''[[The Dark Knight Trilogy]]'' (2005–2012), ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' (2008), ''[[RED (film)|RED]]'' (2010), ''[[Now You See Me (film)|Now You See Me]]'' (2013), ''[[The Lego Movie]]'' (2014), and ''[[Lucy (2014 film)|Lucy]]'' (2014). He rose to fame as part of the cast of the 1970s children's program ''[[The Electric Company]]''. Morgan Freeman is ranked as the 4th highest box office star with over $4.316 billion total box office gross, an average of $74.4 million per film.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=Actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm "People Index."] Box Office Mojo.</ref>
'''Thomas François Burgers''' (15 April 1834 – 9 December 1881) was the 4th president of the [[South African Republic]] from [[1872 in South Africa|1872]] to [[1877 in South Africa|1877]]. He was the youngest child of Barend and Elizabeth Burger of the farm Langefontein in the Camdeboo district of [[Graaff Reinet]], [[Cape Colony]].


==Early life and education==
==Biography==
Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937 in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]. He is the son of Mayme Edna (née Revere; 1912–2000), a teacher,<ref name="AAL2"/> and Morgan Porterfield Freeman,<ref name="New Yorker interview 1978" /> a barber who died on April 27, 1961, from [[cirrhosis]]. He has three older siblings. According to a DNA analysis, some of his ancestors were from [[Niger]].<ref name="prweb.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/11/prweb1673564.htm|title=Growing Interest in DNA-Based Genetic Testing Among African American with Historic Election of President Elect Barack Obama|date=November 27, 2008|work=PRWeb|accessdate=August 23, 2015}}</ref> Freeman was sent as an infant to his paternal grandmother in [[Charleston, Mississippi]].<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/24/Morgan-Freeman.html Morgan Freeman biography], FilmReference.com.</ref><ref>[http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/morganfreeman/ Profiles: Morgan Freeman], ''Hello''</ref><ref name="actors">''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', Season 11, Episode 10. Original air date: January 2, 2005.</ref> He moved frequently during his childhood, living in [[Greenwood, Mississippi]]; [[Gary, Indiana]]; and finally Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="actors"/> When Freeman was 16 years old, he almost died of [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Blumberg|first=Antonia|title=Morgan Freeman Explains How God Can Be Real And An Invention|date=5 May 2016|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman-miracles_us_572a3535e4b096e9f08ff85e|accessdate=23 March 2017}}</ref>
After studying [[theology]] at the [[University of Utrecht]] in the [[Netherlands]], Burgers became the [[parson]] of [[Hanover, South Africa]] in 1859. A charmingly eloquent, but fiercely individualistic man, he had been influenced by Professor C. W. Opzoomer in the Netherlands and embraced his [[rationalism|rationalist]], [[Liberalism|liberal]] ideas.


Freeman made his acting debut at age nine, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended [[Greenwood High School (Mississippi)|Broad Street High School]], a building which serves today as Threadgill Elementary School, in Greenwood, Mississippi.<ref>[https://movies.nytimes.com/person/90514/Morgan-Freeman/biography "Morgan Freeman: Full Biography,"] All Movie Guide, via ''[[The New York Times]].''. Retrieved October 9, 2012.</ref> 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, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from [[Jackson State University]], opting instead to enlist in the [[United States Air Force]]<ref name="highbeam">{{cite web|title=Freeman, Morgan|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3444700497.html |first=Sabrina|last=Fuchs|publisher= Thomson Gale |work = Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History {{Subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}|accessdate=September 8, 2012|date=January 1, 2006}}</ref> and served as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, rising to the rank of [[Airman 1st Class]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/profile/119477|title=TogetherWeServed - A1C Morgan Porterfield Freeman|work=togetherweserved.com|accessdate=August 23, 2015}}</ref> Freeman's service portrait appears in his character's funeral scene in ''[[The Bucket List]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}
Burgers quickly became involved in a stormy controversy with the [[Dutch Reformed Church|Dutch Reformed]] Synod over his alleged liberalism and disbelief in the literal truth of the [[Bible]]. He was critical of traditional culture and strongly emphasised knowledge and rationalism. In [[1862 in South Africa|1862]], his unorthodox doctrine brought on him an accusation of [[heresy]], and in [[1864 in South Africa|1864]] he was found guilty by the Synod and suspended. The Supreme Court overturned the decision, and in [[1865 in South Africa|1865]], he was readmitted to the ministry. Some of his liberal theological ideas and his diverting viewpoints can be found in the sketches he wrote about daily life in Hanover.<ref name="Burgers1882">{{cite book | last = Burgers | title = Toneelen uit ons dorp}}</ref><ref name="Burgers1882-review">{{cite journal | last = de Jong-Goossens | title = Menselijk en overtuigend: de dorpstonelen van Burgers | pages = 78–79}}</ref>


After four years in the military, he moved to [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], where he took acting lessons at the [[Pasadena Playhouse]] and dancing lessons in [[San Francisco]] in the early 1960s and worked as a transcript clerk at [[Los Angeles City College]].<ref name="highbeam"/> During this period, Freeman 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 musical theater group. He 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 (film)|The Pawnbroker]].'' Freeman made his [[off-Broadway]] debut in 1967, opposite [[Viveca Lindfors]] in ''The Nigger Lovers''<ref>[http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/morgan_freeman_biog/3 Morgan Freeman Biography]. tiscali.co.uk</ref> (about the [[Freedom Riders]] during the [[American Civil Rights Movement]]), before debuting on [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] in 1968's all-black version of ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' which also starred [[Pearl Bailey]] and [[Cab Calloway]].{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}
The [[South African Republic|burghers]] of the South African Republic urged Burgers to stand for the presidency, and he [[Transvaal presidential election, 1872|was elected]] by the considerable majority of 2,964 to 388 in 1872.


He continued to be involved in theater work and received the [[Obie Award]] in 1980 for the title role in ''[[Coriolanus]]''. In 1984, he received his second Obie Award for his role as the preacher in ''[[The Gospel at Colonus]]''. Freeman also won a [[Drama Desk Award]] and a [[Clarence Derwent Award]] for his role as a [[wikt:wino|wino]] in ''The Mighty Gents''. He received his third Obie Award for his role as a chauffeur for a [[Jews|Jewish]] widow in ''[[Driving Miss Daisy (play)|Driving Miss Daisy]]'', which was adapted for the [[Driving Miss Daisy|screen]] in 1989.<ref name="highbeam"/>
The South African Republic's first coins—the famous [[Burgerspond]]—was introduced in [[1874 in South Africa|1874]]. These were struck at [[Heaton's Mint]] in [[Birmingham]], [[England]] when he was there on a visit. Some people in the South African Republic objected to the issue of the Burgerspond, because the portrayal of the President on coins likened him to a dictator.
{{Css Image Crop|Image = South Africa 1874 One Pond.jpg|bSize = 400|cWidth = 200|cHeight = 200|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0|Location = right|Description = <center>1874 [[Coins_of_the_South_African_pound#The_Burgerspond_of_1874|Burgerspond]] (obverse) depicting Thomas Burgers}}
[[File:ThFBurgers CHM VA0915.jpg|thumb|left|President Dr. Th.F. Burgers, ''c.'' 1877]]


==Career==
The 1905 [[New International Encyclopedia|''New International Encyclopædia'']] describes Burgers' policies as president as “characterized by brilliant but impracticable schemes, aiming chiefly at territorial expansion.”<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Burgers, Thomas François|year=1905}}</ref> One of his plans, inspired by the neighbouring Cape Prime Minister [[John Molteno]]'s massive [[Cape Government Railways|railway programme]], was to build a railway linking the Transvaal to the sea. In [[1875 in South Africa|1875]] he traveled to [[Europe]] to raise funds, but his plans were thwarted by the [[Pedi people|Pedi]] chief [[Sekhukhune]], whose lands lay in the path of the proposed railway.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bond |first=J. |title=They were South Africans |location=London |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1956 |chapter=The Makers of Railways |pages= }}</ref>{{Pages needed|date=July 2014}}
[[File:Morgan Freeman y Paz Vega en Madrid 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Freeman at the ''[[10 Items or Less (film)|10 Items or Less]]'' premiere in Madrid with co-star [[Paz Vega]]]]
[[File:Freeman & Colley-Lee crop.jpg|thumb|upright|Freeman and daughter Morgana Freeman at the 1990 [[Academy Awards]]]]


===Acting career===
By [[1877 in South Africa|1877]] Burgers was very unpopular and his government was insolvent. Britain, keen on expanding their empire, stepped in and annexed the Transvaal. Burgers retired from political life, settled in the Cape Colony again, and died in 1881, only forty-seven years old, and leaving his family destitute. Coming to the family's aid, Burgers' former private secretary, Th.M. Tromp, published the sketches Burgers had written about his experiences as minister in Hanover. The proceeds of the book, in Dutch and published in the Netherlands, were used to alleviate his family's financial problems.<ref name="Burgers1882-review" />
Although his first credited film appearance was in 1971's ''Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow?'', Freeman first became known in the American media through roles on the soap opera ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' and the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] kids' show ''[[The Electric Company]]''<ref name="actors"/> (notably as Easy Reader, Mel Mounds the DJ, and Vincent the Vegetable Vampire<sup>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c99NfY7S1aA <nowiki>[clip]</nowiki>]</sup>).


During his tenure with ''The Electric Company'', "(i)t was a very unhappy period in his life," according to [[Joan Ganz Cooney]].<ref>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOAXUuT205s|title=Joan Ganz Cooney discusses the beginnings of "The Electric Company"- EMMYTVLEGENDS|date=October 21, 2011|work=YouTube|accessdate=August 23, 2015}}</ref> Freeman himself admitted in an interview that he never thinks about his tenure with the show at all.<ref name=street>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezWgZV7P6A|title=Morgan Freeman talks 'Street Smart', winning an Oscar and reveals that acting isn't hard|date=August 21, 2014|work=YouTube|accessdate=August 23, 2015}}</ref> Since then, Freeman has considered his ''[[Street Smart (film)|Street Smart]]'' (1987) character Fast Black, rather than any of the characters he played in ''The Electric Company'', to be his [[breakthrough role]].<ref name=street/><ref>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIno3CaFjPg|title=Morgan Freeman Talks About His Big Career Break|date=April 7, 2011|work=YouTube|accessdate=August 23, 2015}}</ref>
He ended his days disheartened and in poverty. His body was disinterred in 1895, to be reburied in the Pretoria cemetery now known as the Heroes' Acre.<ref>{{Citation | first = Roger | last = Webster | title = At the fireside: true South African stories | place = | publisher = Spearhead Press | series = | volume = 2 | edition = | year = 2003 | page = 27 | isbn = 0-86486-536-8 }}</ref>


Beginning in the mid-1980s, Freeman began playing prominent supporting roles in many feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.<ref name="actors"/> As he gained fame, he went on to bigger roles in films such as the chauffeur Hoke in ''Driving Miss Daisy'', and Sergeant Major Rawlins in ''[[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]]'' (both in 1989).<ref name="actors"/> In 1994, he portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in the acclaimed ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]''. In the same year he was a member of the jury at the [[44th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1994">{{cite web |title=Berlinale: 1994 Juries |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1994/04_jury_1994/04_Jury_1994.html |accessdate=June 9, 2011 |publisher=berlinale.de}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Coins of the South African pound]]


He also starred in such films as ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'', ''[[Unforgiven]]'', ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Seven]]'', and ''[[Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact]]''. In 1997, Freeman, together with [[Lori McCreary]], founded the film production company [[Revelations Entertainment]], and the two co-head its sister online film distribution company [[ClickStar]]. Freeman also hosts the channel ''Our Space'' on ClickStar, with specially crafted film clips in which he shares his love for the sciences, especially space exploration and aeronautics.
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Burgers
| first = Th.F.
| title = Toneelen uit ons dorp
| publisher = Henri J. Stemberg
| year = 1882
| location = Den Haag
| isbn =
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Burgers
| first = Th.F.
| author2 = Wium van Zyl (ed.)
| title = Tonele uit ons dorp
| publisher = Africana Uitgewers
| year = 2008
| location = Kaapstad
| isbn =
}}


After three previous nominations—a supporting actor nomination for ''Street Smart'', and leading actor nominations for ''Driving Miss Daisy'' and ''The Shawshank Redemption''—he won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his performance in ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' at the [[77th Academy Awards]].<ref name="actors"/> Freeman is recognized for his distinctive voice, making him a frequent choice for narration. In 2005 alone, he provided narration for two films, ''[[War of the Worlds (2005 film)|War of the Worlds]]'' and the [[Academy Award]]-winning documentary film ''[[March of the Penguins]]''.
==References==
{{EB1911 poster|Burgers, Thomas François}}


Freeman appeared as [[God in Christianity|God]] in the hit film ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Evan Almighty]]'', as well as [[Lucius Fox]] in the critical and commercial success ''[[Batman Begins]]'' and its sequels, ''[[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]]'' and ''[[Dark Knight Rises|The Dark Knight Rises]]''. He starred in [[Rob Reiner]]'s 2007 film ''[[The Bucket List]]'', opposite [[Jack Nicholson]]. He teamed with [[Christopher Walken]] and [[William H. Macy]] for the comedy ''[[The Maiden Heist]]'', which was released direct to video due to financial problems with the distribution company. In 2008, Freeman returned to Broadway to co-star with [[Frances McDormand]] and [[Peter Gallagher]] for a limited engagement of [[Clifford Odets]]'s play, ''The Country Girl'', directed by [[Mike Nichols]].
===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}


He had wanted to do a film based on [[Nelson Mandela]] for some time. At first he tried to get Mandela's autobiography ''[[Long Walk to Freedom (book)|Long Walk to Freedom]]'' adapted into a finished script, but it was not finalized.<ref>Gumbel, Andrew. "Morgan Freeman to play Mandela in new film", ''[[The Independent]]'', September 26, 2007.</ref> In 2007, he purchased the film rights to a book by John Carlin, ''Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation''.<ref>"Morgan Freeman to Star as Nelson Mandela", ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 25, 2007.</ref> [[Clint Eastwood]] directed the Nelson Mandela bio-pic titled ''[[Invictus (film)|Invictus]]'', starring Freeman as Mandela and [[Matt Damon]] as rugby team captain [[Francois Pienaar]].<ref>Keller, Bill. "Entering the Scrum", ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'', August 17, 2008.</ref>
===Literature===
*{{cite journal
| last = de Jong-Goossens
| first = Riet
| title = Menselijk en overtuigend: de dorpstonelen van Burgers
| journal = Maandblad Zuid-Afrika
| volume = 85
| issue = 4
| pages = 78–79
|date=April 2008}}


In 2010, Freeman co-starred alongside [[Bruce Willis]] in ''[[Red (2010 film)|Red]]''.<ref name="red">{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/19/morgan-freeman-joins-the-big-screen-adaptation-of-warren-ellis%e2%80%99-red/|title=Morgan Freeman Joins The Big Screen Adaptation of Warren Ellis' Red|publisher=[[/Film]]|date=July 19, 2009|accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref> In 2013, Freeman appeared in the action-thriller ''[[Olympus Has Fallen]]'', the science fiction drama ''[[Oblivion (2013 film)|Oblivion]]'', and the comedy ''[[Last Vegas]]''. In 2014, he co-starred in the action film [[Lucy (2014 film)|''Lucy'']].
{{Government of Transvaal}}


In 2015, Freeman played the [[Chief Justice of the United States]] in the season two premiere of ''[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|Madam Secretary]]'' (Freeman is also one of the series' executive producers).

===Other work===
[[File:Morgan Freeman - Discovery Shoot (6559314831).jpg|right|150px|Freeman in December 2008|thumb]]
Freeman made his [[directorial debut]] in 1993 with ''[[Bopha!]]'' for [[Paramount Pictures]].

In July 2009, Freeman was one of the presenters at the 46664 Concert celebrating [[Nelson Mandela]]'s birthday at [[Radio City Music Hall]] in New York City. Freeman was the first American to record a [[par (score)|par]] on Legend Golf & Safari Resort's [[Extreme 19th]] hole.<ref>[http://www.legendgolfsafari.com/leaderboard Extreme 19th Leaderboard], Legend Golf & Safari Resort</ref>

Effective January 4, 2010, Freeman replaced [[Walter Cronkite]] as the voiceover introduction to the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' featuring [[Katie Couric]] as news anchor.<ref name="news">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2010/01/05/freeman_replaces_cronkite_on_cbs_news/ |title=Freeman replaces Cronkite on CBS news |work=Boston Globe |date=January 5, 2010 |accessdate=January 5, 2010}}</ref> CBS cited the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change.<ref name="news"/> {{As of|2010}}, Freeman is the host and narrator of the [[Discovery Channel]] television show, focused on [[physics outreach]], ''[[Through the Wormhole]]''.<ref name="wormhole">{{cite web | url = http://science.discovery.com/tv/through-the-wormhole/ | publisher = [[Discovery Channel]] | title = Through the Wormhole}}</ref>

He was featured on the opening track to [[B.o.B]]'s second album ''[[Strange Clouds (album)|Strange Clouds]]''. The track "Bombs Away" features a prologue and epilogue (which leads into a musical outro) spoken by Freeman. In 2011, Freeman was featured with [[John Lithgow]] in the Broadway debut of [[Dustin Lance Black]]'s play, ''[[8 (play)|8]]'', a staged reenactment of ''[[Perry v. Brown]]'', the federal trial that overturned California's [[Proposition 8]] ban on [[Same-sex marriage in California|same-sex marriage]]. Freeman played Attorney [[David Boies]].<ref name="8 the play">{{cite news |title=Prop 8 Play On Broadway Makes Its Debut |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/prop-8-play-broadway_n_971364.html|work=[[Huffington Post]]|accessdate=March 17, 2012 |date=September 20, 2011}}</ref> The production was held at the [[Eugene O'Neill Theatre]] in New York City to raise money for the [[American Foundation for Equal Rights]].<ref name="8 play video">{{cite web|title="8": A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlUG8F9uVgM| publisher= [[YouTube]]| accessdate= March 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=YouTube to broadcast Proposition 8 play live|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/03/01/youtube-to-broadcast-proposition-8-play-live/|publisher=pinknews.co.uk|accessdate= March 18, 2012}}</ref>

In 2015 Freeman directed "The Show Must Go On," the season two premiere of ''[[Madam Secretary (TV series)|Madam Secretary]]''.

==Personal life==

===Family===
From his early life, Freeman has two extramarital children; one of them is [[Alfonso Freeman]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bowles|first=Scott|title=Morgan Freeman remains at the helm in movies, personal life|date=December 19, 2007|publisher=[[USA Today]]|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-12-18-morgan-freeman_N.htm}}</ref>

Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until November 18, 1979.<ref name=cnn>[http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/us/morgan-freeman-fast-facts Morgan Freeman Fast Facts], CNN, May 30, 2013; accessed August 18, 2015.</ref>

He married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984.<ref name=cnn/> The couple separated in December 2007.<ref name=mississippi/> Freeman's attorney and business partner Bill Luckett announced in August 2008 that Freeman and his wife were in divorce proceedings.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Jerry|title=Morgan Freeman discharged from Memphis hospital|date=August 7, 2008|work=[[USA Today]]|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-08-06-morgan-freeman-update_N.htm|accessdate=March 11, 2015}}</ref> On September 15, 2010, their divorce was finalized in Mississippi.<ref name=mississippi>{{cite web|title=Morgan Freeman and wife Myrna Colley-Lee finalize divorce after 26 years of marriage|date=September 17, 2010|work=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/morgan-freeman-wife-myrna-colley-lee-finalize-divorce-26-years-marriage-article-1.443936|accessdate=March 11, 2015}}</ref>

Freeman and Colley-Lee adopted Freeman's stepgranddaughter from his first marriage, E'dena Hines, and raised her together.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hall|first=Katy|title=E'Dena Hines, Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter: Also His Lover?|date=October 8, 2009|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/10/edena-hines-morgan-freema_n_229070.html|accessdate=March 11, 2015}}</ref> On August 16, 2015, 33-year-old Hines was murdered in New York City.<ref name="CBS">{{cite news|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/08/16/washington-heights-fatal-stabbing|title=Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter Found Stabbed To Death In Washington Heights 'Exorcism'|publisher=[[CBS New York]]|date=August 16, 2015|accessdate=August 17, 2015}}</ref>

In 2008, the TV series ''[[African American Lives|African American Lives 2]]'' revealed that some of Freeman's great-great-grandparents were [[slavery in the United States|slaves]] who migrated from North Carolina to Mississippi. Freeman discovered that his [[caucasian race|Caucasian]] maternal great-great-grandfather had lived with, and was buried beside, Freeman's African-American great-great-grandmother (in the [[segregation in the US South|segregated South]], the two could not marry legally at the time).<ref name="AAL2">{{cite web|title=Morgan Freeman profile|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/profiles/freeman.html|work=African American Lives 2|publisher=PBS|accessdate=July 13, 2011}}</ref> A [[DNA]] test on the series stated that he is descended in part from the [[Songhai people|Songhai]] and [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] peoples of Niger.<ref name="prweb.com"/>

===Religious views===
In a 2012 interview with [[TheWrap]], Freeman was asked if he considered himself [[atheist]] or [[agnostic]]. He replied, "It's a hard question because as I said at the start, I think we invented [[God]]. So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God."<ref>{{cite web|last=Molloy|first=Tim|title=Morgan Freeman on Inventing God, Aliens Eating Us and His Survival Odds in ‘Dark Knight Rises’|date=6 June 2012|publisher=[[TheWrap]]|url=http://www.thewrap.com/morgan-freeman-inventing-god-aliens-eating-us-and-his-odds-surviving-dark-knight-rises-42886/|accessdate=8 January 2016}}</ref> Freeman later said that his experience working on ''[[The Story of God with Morgan Freeman]]'' did not change his views on religion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zaimov|first=Stoyan|title=Morgan Freeman Says 'Story of God' Journey Didn't Change His Views on Religion|date=9 May 2016|work=[[The Christian Post]]|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/morgan-freeman-story-of-god-journey-didnt-change-his-views-on-religion-163592/|accessdate=4 April 2017}}</ref>

===Properties===
Freeman lives in [[Charleston, Mississippi]], and New York City. He owns and operates [[Ground Zero (blues club)|Ground Zero]], a [[blues]] club in [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]]. He formerly co-owned Madidi, a fine dining restaurant, also in Clarksdale.<ref name="thegrio">{{cite news| url=http://thegrio.com/2012/02/29/morgan-freeman-closing-madidi-restaurant-in-mississippi/| accessdate=2014-05-31|publisher=thegrio.com: thegrio|date=29 Feb 2012| title=Morgan Freeman closing Madidi Restaurant in Mississippi}}</ref>

===Flying===
At age 65, Freeman earned a [[private pilot's license]].<ref>[http://www.stv.tv/content/out/film/videointerviews/display.html?id=opencms:/out/films/video_interviews/morgan_freeman_the_bucket_list_interview Morgan Freeman: The Bucket List video interview] at STV.tv {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He owns or has owned at least three private aircraft, including a [[Cessna Citation|Cessna Citation 501]] jet and a [[Cessna 414]] twin-engine prop. In 2007, he purchased an [[Emivest SJ30]]<ref>[http://www.sj30jet.com/news9-details.php Article], SJ30jet.com {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927150516/http://www.sj30jet.com/news9-details.php |date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> long-range private jet and took delivery in December 2009.<ref>{{cite web| title=Morgan Freeman purchases the SJ30 private jet for $7 million | url= http://www.luxurylaunches.com/celebrities/morgan_freeman_purchases_the_sj30_private_jet_for_7million.php |publisher= Luxury Launches |date=December 23, 2009 |accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref> He is certified to fly all of them.<ref>{{cite interview|url=http://www.ameinfo.com/219604.html |title=Morgan Freeman buys Emivest SJ30 jet from Dubai manufacturer |interviewer=Blizzard, Phil |first=Morgan |last=Freeman |publisher=Ameinfo |date=December 24, 2009 |accessdate=January 27, 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112185245/http://www.ameinfo.com/219604.html |archivedate=January 12, 2012 |df= }}</ref>

===Car accident===
Freeman was injured in an automobile accident near [[Ruleville, Mississippi]], on the night of August 3, 2008. The vehicle in which he was traveling, a 1997 [[Nissan Maxima]], left the highway and flipped over several times. He and a female passenger, Demaris Meyer, were rescued from the vehicle using the "[[Hydraulic rescue tools|Jaws of Life]]". Freeman was taken via medical helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis.<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt Webb |last=Mitovich |title=Morgan Freeman in Car Accident, Listed in Serious Condition |work=TV Guide |date=August 4, 2008 |accessdate=August 4, 2008 |url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Morgan-Freeman-Car/800044492 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080805225859/http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Morgan-Freeman-Car/800044492 |archivedate=August 5, 2008 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7541667.stm|title=Freeman injured in car accident|date=August 4, 2008 |publisher=BBC News|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> Police ruled out alcohol as a factor in the crash.<ref>{{cite news|title=Actor Morgan Freeman badly injured in crash|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0804/breaking54.htm|date=August 4, 2008|work=The Irish Times|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> Freeman was coherent following the crash, as he joked with a photographer about taking his picture at the scene.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7541667.stm|title=Morgan Freeman hurt in car crash|date=August 4, 2008|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=August 4, 2008}}</ref> His left shoulder, arm, and elbow were broken in the crash, and he had surgery on August 5, 2008. Doctors operated for four hours to repair nerve damage in his shoulder and arm.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7542208.stm|title=Freeman recovering after surgery|publisher=BBC News|date=August 5, 2008|accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref> On [[CNN]]'s ''[[Piers Morgan Tonight]]'' he stated that he is left handed but cannot move the fingers of his left hand. He wears a compression glove to protect against blood pooling due to non-movement. His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery.<ref>{{cite news|author=Horn, James|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-et-freeman5-2008aug05,0,5752402.story|title=Morgan Freeman 'in good spirits' after accident|date=August 5, 2008|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=August 5, 2008}}</ref> Meyer, his passenger, sued him for negligence, claiming that he was drinking the night of the accident. Subsequently, the suit was settled.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-11-05-freeman_N.htm|title=Records: Freeman settles suit on car wreck|date=November 5, 2009|work=USA Today|accessdate=August 27, 2012}}</ref>

===Beekeeping===
After becoming concerned with the [[Colony collapse disorder|decline of honeybees]], Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a sanctuary for them in July 2014, starting with 26 bee hives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/morgan-freeman-is-now-a-beekeeper|title=Morgan Freeman is now a beekeeper|publisher=}}</ref>

==Activism==

===Charitable work===
In 2004, Freeman and others formed the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by [[Hurricane Ivan]] on the island of [[Grenada]]. The fund has since become PLANIT NOW, an organization that seeks to provide preparedness resources for people living in areas afflicted by hurricanes and severe storms.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.planitnow.org/explore01.php| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080508190505/http://www.planitnow.org/explore01.php| archivedate= May 8, 2008 |title=PLANIT NOW History |accessdate =August 21, 2008}}</ref> Freeman has worked on narrating small clips for global organizations, such as One Earth,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oneearth.org |title=ECO |publisher=OneEarth.org |accessdate= September 5, 2010}}</ref> whose goals include raising awareness of environmental issues. He has narrated the clip "Why Are We Here," which can be viewed on One Earth's website. Freeman has donated money to the Mississippi Horse Park in [[Starkville, Mississippi]]. The park is part of [[Mississippi State University]] and Freeman has several horses that he takes there.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.msstate.edu/web/maps/pdf/MissStateCampusMap.pdf |format= PDF| title= Mississippi State Campus Map| accessdate= August 5, 2008}}</ref>

===Politics===
Freeman endorsed [[Barack Obama]]'s candidacy for the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential election]], although he stated that he would not join Obama's campaign.<ref>{{cite news |first= Eleanor | last= Clift |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/81393 |title= Freeman, Obama and Hollywood immortality |work=Newsweek |date=December 21, 2007| accessdate= April 2, 2008}}</ref> He narrated for [[The Hall of Presidents]] with Barack Obama, when he was added to the exhibit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Presidents |url=http://www.wdwradio.com/Liberty-Square/Hall-of-Presidents.html |publisher=WDW Radio |date=September 16, 2007 |accessdate=December 3, 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629183915/http://www.wdwradio.com/Liberty-Square/Hall-of-Presidents.html |archivedate=June 29, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="disneyobama">[http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-asecdisney-hall-of-presidents-06062909jun29,0,1439332.story "Hail to the chief: Obama makes Disney debut at Hall of Presidents"], ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]'', June 29, 2009.</ref> The Hall of Presidents re-opened on July 4, 2009, at [[Walt Disney World Resort]] in [[Orlando, Florida]].<ref name="disneyobama"/> Freeman joined President [[Bill Clinton]], USA Bid Committee Chairman [[Sunil Gulati]], and [[USMNT]] midfielder [[Landon Donovan]] on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, in [[Zurich]] for the U.S. bid committee's final presentation to FIFA for the [[2022 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gousabid.com/blog/entry/morgan-freeman-joins-bid-committee-in-zurich/ |title=Gousabid |publisher=Gousabid |accessdate=January 27, 2012}}{{verify source|date=April 2012}}</ref> On day 4 of the [[2016 Democratic National Convention]], Morgan Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic Presidential candidate [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Gerrad|title=Morgan Freeman narrated Hillary Clinton’s DNC video, and Twitter loved it|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/28/dnc-morgan-freeman-hillary-clinton-dnc-video-twitter|accessdate=August 1, 2016|publisher=''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lockhart|first1=Keely|title=Even God backs Hillary: Morgan Freeman narrates biographical movie for Clinton campaign|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/29/even-god-backs-hillary-morgan-freeman-narrates-biographical-movi/|accessdate=August 1, 2016|publisher=''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]''|date=July 29, 2016}}</ref>

===Comments on racism===
In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of [[Black History Month]], saying, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."<ref name="autogenerated1"/> He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he notes that there is no "white history month."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10482634 |title=Freeman calls Black History Month ridiculous |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |date=December 15, 2005 |accessdate=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Freeman once said in an interview with ''[[60 Minutes]]''{{'}}s [[Mike Wallace (journalist)|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."<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref>[http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/blackhistory.asp A verbatim transcript] of this segment of the Mike Wallace interview where Morgan Freeman suggests the abandonment of language that reinforces racism, is posted at the Snopes web site.</ref> Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the [[Flag of Mississippi|Mississippi state flag]], which contains the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Rebel flag|battle flag]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/18/us/mississippi-votes-wide-margin-keep-state-flag-that-includes-confederate-emblem.html |title=Mississippi Votes by wide margin to keep state flag That includes Confederate emblem| first= David | last= Firestone|date=April 18, 2001|accessdate=April 2, 2008 | work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/14/60minutes/main1127684.shtml|title=Morgan Freeman defies labels|publisher=CBS News| date= December 18, 2005| accessdate=April 2, 2008}}</ref> Freeman sparked controversy in 2011 when, on CNN's ''Piers Morgan Tonight'', he accused the [[Tea Party movement]] of racism.<ref name="THRracist">{{cite news| url= http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/morgan-freeman-sparks-outcry-tea-party-racist-239872 |title=Morgan Freeman Sparks Outcry After Calling Tea Party Racist |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=September 24, 2011 |accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/09/24/morgan-freeman-calls-tea-party-racist/ |title=Morgan Freeman Calls Tea Party 'Racist' (Video) |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=September 24, 2011 |accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/09/obama-backer-attacks-rooted-in-race/1 |title=Obama backer: Some attacks are 'a racist thing' |work=USA Today |date=September 25, 2011 |accessdate=January 27, 2012}}</ref>

In reaction to the [[death of Freddie Gray]] and the [[2015 Baltimore protests]], Freeman said he was "absolutely" supportive of the protesters. "That unrest [in Baltimore] has nothing to do with terrorism at all, except the terrorism we suffer from the police. [...] Because of the technology—everybody has a smartphone—now we can see what the police are doing. We can show the world, Look, this is what happened in that situation. So why are so many people dying in police custody? And why are they all black? And why are all the police killing them white? What is that? The police have always said, 'I feared for my safety.' Well, now we know. OK. You feared for your safety while a guy was running away from you, right?"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/morgan-freeman-baltimore-and-terrorism-we-suffer-police-327300|title=Morgan Freeman on Baltimore and the ‘Terrorism We Suffer From the Police’|work=Newsweek|date=April 30, 2015|accessdate=August 17, 2015}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{main article|Morgan Freeman on screen and stage}}

{{div col||20em}}
* ''[[Brubaker]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Marie (film)|Marie]]'' (1985)
* ''[[That Was Then... This Is Now]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Street Smart (film)|Street Smart]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Driving Miss Daisy]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Lean on Me (film)|Lean on Me]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Johnny Handsome]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Unforgiven (1992 film)|Unforgiven]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Outbreak (film)|Outbreak]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Seven]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Moll Flanders (1996 film)|Moll Flanders]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Amistad (1997 film)|Amistad]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Kiss the Girls (film)|Kiss the Girls]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Nurse Betty]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Along Came a Spider (film)|Along Came a Spider]]'' (2001)
* ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'' (2002)
* ''[[High Crimes]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Unleashed (film)|Unleashed]]'' (2005)
* ''[[An Unfinished Life]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Lucky Number Slevin]]'' (2006)
* ''[[10 Items or Less (film)|10 Items or Less]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Evan Almighty]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Gone, Baby, Gone]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Bucket List]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Feast of Love]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' (2008)
* ''[[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Invictus (film)|Invictus]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Red (2010 film)|RED]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Dolphin Tale]]'' (2011)
* ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' (2012)
* ''[[The Magic of Belle Isle]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Olympus Has Fallen]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Oblivion (2013 film)|Oblivion]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Now You See Me (film)|Now You See Me]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Last Vegas]]'' (2013)
* ''[[The Lego Movie]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Transcendence (2014 film)|Transcendence]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Lucy (2014 film)|Lucy]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Dolphin Tale 2]]'' (2014)
* ''[[Momentum (2015 film)|Momentum]]'' (2015)
* ''[[Ted 2]]'' (2015)
* ''[[London Has Fallen]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Now You See Me 2]]'' (2016)
* ''[[Going in Style (2017 film)|Going In Style]]'' (2017)
* ''[[The Nutcracker and the Four Realms]]'' (2018)
{{div col end}}

==Awards and honors==
{{main article|List of awards and nominations received by Morgan Freeman}}
Morgan Freeman has been nominated for an [[Academy Award]] ''and'' the [[Golden Globe Award]] five different times, each time for the same film for each award. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on ''Million Dollar Baby'', and the Golden Globe for Best Actor with ''Driving Miss Daisy''. Likewise, he has four [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] (SAG) nominations, and one win for ''Million Dollar Baby''.

On October 28, 2006, Freeman was honored at the first Mississippi's Best Awards in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his works on and off the big screen. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts and Letters from [[Delta State University]] during the school's commencement exercises on May 13, 2006.<ref>[http://www.superstarbiography.com/Morgan_Freeman/ Morgan Freeman biography], superstarbiography.com</ref> In 2013, [[Boston University]] presented him with an honorary degree of [[Doctor of Humane Letters]].<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/actor-morgan-freeman-to-receive-honorary-degree/ |title= Actor Morgan Freeman to Receive Honorary Degree| publisher= Boston University | work= BU Today | first= John |last= O’Rourke| date= May 15, 2013 | accessdate= June 2, 2013}}</ref> On November 12, 2014, he was bestowed the honour of [[Freedom of the City]] by the [[City of London]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/534712/Morgan-Freeman-honoured-with-freedom-of-London |title=Morgan Freeman honoured with freedom of London |work=[[Daily Express]] |publisher=[[Express Newspapers]] |date=November 12, 2014|accessdate=May 9, 2016 }}</ref>

In August 2017, he was named the 54th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.<ref>McNary, Dave, [https://variety.com/2017/film/awards/morgan-freeman-wins-sag-achievement-award-1202535307/ "Morgan Freeman to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award"], ''Variety'', August 22, 2017.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[African Americans in Mississippi]]
{{Portal bar|Biography|Film in the United States|Television in the United States|African-American}}

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Morgan Freeman}}
{{Wikiquote|Morgan Freeman}}
* {{Britannica|973066}}
* {{IMDb name|151}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=65882|name=Morgan Freeman}}
* {{HWOF|Morgan Freeman}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|5717|Morgan Freeman}}
* {{Allmovie name|90514}}
* {{Mojo name|morganfreeman}}
* [https://charlierose.com/guests/4006 Morgan Freeman] on ''[[Charlie Rose (TV series)|Charlie Rose]]''
* {{NYTtopic|people/f/morgan_freeman|Morgan Freeman}}
* {{Guardian topic}}
* [http://www.revelationsent.com/ Revelations Entertainment]—Production company co-founded, headed by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary
* [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/morgan_freeman_biog.html A detailed biography of his history as an actor]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090828060511/http://www.movieinformation.com.ar/morganfreemanmovies.php Morgan Freeman movies at Movie Information]

{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Morgan Freeman|Awards for Morgan Freeman]]
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestSupportingActor 2001-2020}}
{{AFI Life Achievement Award}}
{{Cecil B. DeMille Award 2001–2025}}
{{Empire Award for Best Actor}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActorMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1981–2000}}
{{Independentspiritbestsupportingmale 1987-1999}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2000s}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward MaleSupportMotionPicture 2001-2020}}
}}
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{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgers, Thomas Francois}}
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[[Category:1834 births]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:1881 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:People from the Eastern Cape]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Afrikaner people]]
[[Category:African-American male actors]]
[[Category:Presidents of the South African Republic]]
[[Category:American agnostics]]
[[Category:Utrecht University alumni]]
[[Category:African-American agnostics]]
[[Category:American aviators]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Nigerien descent]]
[[Category:American people of Songhai descent]]
[[Category:African-American television producers]]
[[Category:American television producers]]
[[Category:American people of Tuareg descent]]
[[Category:Best Actor Empire Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Independent Spirit Award winners]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Indiana]]
[[Category:Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Male actors from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Male actors from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Greenwood, Mississippi]]
[[Category:United States Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:African-American film producers]]
[[Category:American film producers]]
[[Category:Freemen of the City of London]]
[[Category:Beekeepers]]
[[Category:American beekeepers]]
[[Category:People from Charleston, Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Gary, Indiana]]

Revision as of 19:40, 9 January 2018

For the director, see Morgan J. Freeman.

Morgan Freeman
Freeman narrating for the opening ceremony to the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida
Born (1937-06-01) 1 June 1937 (age 87)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died8/1/2018 07:05 (age 80)
His Residence
OccupationActor
Years active1964–2018
Spouses
  • Jeanette Adair Bradshaw
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1967; div. 1979)​
  • Myrna Colley-Lee
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 2010)​
Children4, including Alfonso Freeman
Morgan Freeman's voice
from BBC Radio 4's The Film Programme, September 12, 2008.[1]

Morgan Freeman[2] (born June 1, 1937)[3] is an American actor, producer and narrator. Freeman won an Academy Award in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor with Million Dollar Baby (2004), and he has received Oscar nominations for his performances in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and Invictus (2009). He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Glory (1989), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Seven (1995), Deep Impact (1998), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Bruce Almighty (2003), The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012), Wanted (2008), RED (2010), Now You See Me (2013), The Lego Movie (2014), and Lucy (2014). He rose to fame as part of the cast of the 1970s children's program The Electric Company. Morgan Freeman is ranked as the 4th highest box office star with over $4.316 billion total box office gross, an average of $74.4 million per film.[4]

Early life and education

Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of Mayme Edna (née Revere; 1912–2000), a teacher,[5] and Morgan Porterfield Freeman,[2] a barber who died on April 27, 1961, from cirrhosis. He has three older siblings. According to a DNA analysis, some of his ancestors were from Niger.[6] Freeman was sent as an infant to his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi.[7][8][9] He moved frequently during his childhood, living in Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and finally Chicago, Illinois.[9] When Freeman was 16 years old, he almost died of pneumonia.[10]

Freeman made his acting debut at age nine, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended Broad Street High School, a building which serves today as Threadgill Elementary School, in Greenwood, Mississippi.[11] 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, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University, opting instead to enlist in the United States Air Force[12] and served as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, rising to the rank of Airman 1st Class.[13] Freeman's service portrait appears in his character's funeral scene in The Bucket List.[citation needed]

After four years in the military, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he took acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse and dancing lessons in San Francisco in the early 1960s and worked as a transcript clerk at Los Angeles City College.[12] During this period, Freeman 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 musical theater group. He 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. Freeman made his off-Broadway debut in 1967, opposite Viveca Lindfors in The Nigger Lovers[14] (about the Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement), before debuting on Broadway in 1968's all-black version of Hello, Dolly! which also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.[citation needed]

He continued to be involved in theater work and received the Obie Award in 1980 for the title role in Coriolanus. In 1984, he received his second Obie Award for his role as the preacher in The Gospel at Colonus. Freeman also won a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino in The Mighty Gents. He received his third Obie Award for his role as a chauffeur for a Jewish widow in Driving Miss Daisy, which was adapted for the screen in 1989.[12]

Career

Freeman at the 10 Items or Less premiere in Madrid with co-star Paz Vega
Freeman and daughter Morgana Freeman at the 1990 Academy Awards

Acting career

Although his first credited film appearance was in 1971's Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow?, Freeman first became known in the American media through roles on the soap opera Another World and the PBS kids' show The Electric Company[9] (notably as Easy Reader, Mel Mounds the DJ, and Vincent the Vegetable Vampire[clip]).

During his tenure with The Electric Company, "(i)t was a very unhappy period in his life," according to Joan Ganz Cooney.[15] Freeman himself admitted in an interview that he never thinks about his tenure with the show at all.[16] Since then, Freeman has considered his Street Smart (1987) character Fast Black, rather than any of the characters he played in The Electric Company, to be his breakthrough role.[16][17]

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Freeman began playing prominent supporting roles in many feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.[9] As he gained fame, he went on to bigger roles in films such as the chauffeur Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy, and Sergeant Major Rawlins in Glory (both in 1989).[9] In 1994, he portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in the acclaimed The Shawshank Redemption. In the same year he was a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.[18]

He also starred in such films as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Unforgiven, Seven, and Deep Impact. In 1997, Freeman, together with Lori McCreary, founded the film production company Revelations Entertainment, and the two co-head its sister online film distribution company ClickStar. Freeman also hosts the channel Our Space on ClickStar, with specially crafted film clips in which he shares his love for the sciences, especially space exploration and aeronautics.

After three previous nominations—a supporting actor nomination for Street Smart, and leading actor nominations for Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption—he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Million Dollar Baby at the 77th Academy Awards.[9] Freeman is recognized for his distinctive voice, making him a frequent choice for narration. In 2005 alone, he provided narration for two films, War of the Worlds and the Academy Award-winning documentary film March of the Penguins.

Freeman appeared as God in the hit film Bruce Almighty and its sequel, Evan Almighty, as well as Lucius Fox in the critical and commercial success Batman Begins and its sequels, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. He starred in Rob Reiner's 2007 film The Bucket List, opposite Jack Nicholson. He teamed with Christopher Walken and William H. Macy for the comedy The Maiden Heist, which was released direct to video due to financial problems with the distribution company. In 2008, Freeman returned to Broadway to co-star with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher for a limited engagement of Clifford Odets's play, The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.

He had wanted to do a film based on Nelson Mandela for some time. At first he tried to get Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom adapted into a finished script, but it was not finalized.[19] In 2007, he purchased the film rights to a book by John Carlin, Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.[20] Clint Eastwood directed the Nelson Mandela bio-pic titled Invictus, starring Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby team captain Francois Pienaar.[21]

In 2010, Freeman co-starred alongside Bruce Willis in Red.[22] In 2013, Freeman appeared in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen, the science fiction drama Oblivion, and the comedy Last Vegas. In 2014, he co-starred in the action film Lucy.

In 2015, Freeman played the Chief Justice of the United States in the season two premiere of Madam Secretary (Freeman is also one of the series' executive producers).

Other work

Freeman in December 2008

Freeman made his directorial debut in 1993 with Bopha! for Paramount Pictures.

In July 2009, Freeman was one of the presenters at the 46664 Concert celebrating Nelson Mandela's birthday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Freeman was the first American to record a par on Legend Golf & Safari Resort's Extreme 19th hole.[23]

Effective January 4, 2010, Freeman replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover introduction to the CBS Evening News featuring Katie Couric as news anchor.[24] CBS cited the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change.[24] As of 2010, Freeman is the host and narrator of the Discovery Channel television show, focused on physics outreach, Through the Wormhole.[25]

He was featured on the opening track to B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds. The track "Bombs Away" features a prologue and epilogue (which leads into a musical outro) spoken by Freeman. In 2011, Freeman was featured with John Lithgow in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8, a staged reenactment of Perry v. Brown, the federal trial that overturned California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Freeman played Attorney David Boies.[26] The production was held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.[27][28]

In 2015 Freeman directed "The Show Must Go On," the season two premiere of Madam Secretary.

Personal life

Family

From his early life, Freeman has two extramarital children; one of them is Alfonso Freeman.[29]

Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until November 18, 1979.[30]

He married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984.[30] The couple separated in December 2007.[31] Freeman's attorney and business partner Bill Luckett announced in August 2008 that Freeman and his wife were in divorce proceedings.[32] On September 15, 2010, their divorce was finalized in Mississippi.[31]

Freeman and Colley-Lee adopted Freeman's stepgranddaughter from his first marriage, E'dena Hines, and raised her together.[33] On August 16, 2015, 33-year-old Hines was murdered in New York City.[34]

In 2008, the TV series African American Lives 2 revealed that some of Freeman's great-great-grandparents were slaves who migrated from North Carolina to Mississippi. Freeman discovered that his Caucasian maternal great-great-grandfather had lived with, and was buried beside, Freeman's African-American great-great-grandmother (in the segregated South, the two could not marry legally at the time).[5] A DNA test on the series stated that he is descended in part from the Songhai and Tuareg peoples of Niger.[6]

Religious views

In a 2012 interview with TheWrap, Freeman was asked if he considered himself atheist or agnostic. He replied, "It's a hard question because as I said at the start, I think we invented God. So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God."[35] Freeman later said that his experience working on The Story of God with Morgan Freeman did not change his views on religion.[36]

Properties

Freeman lives in Charleston, Mississippi, and New York City. He owns and operates Ground Zero, a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He formerly co-owned Madidi, a fine dining restaurant, also in Clarksdale.[37]

Flying

At age 65, Freeman earned a private pilot's license.[38] He owns or has owned at least three private aircraft, including a Cessna Citation 501 jet and a Cessna 414 twin-engine prop. In 2007, he purchased an Emivest SJ30[39] long-range private jet and took delivery in December 2009.[40] He is certified to fly all of them.[41]

Car accident

Freeman was injured in an automobile accident near Ruleville, Mississippi, on the night of August 3, 2008. The vehicle in which he was traveling, a 1997 Nissan Maxima, left the highway and flipped over several times. He and a female passenger, Demaris Meyer, were rescued from the vehicle using the "Jaws of Life". Freeman was taken via medical helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis.[42][43] Police ruled out alcohol as a factor in the crash.[44] Freeman was coherent following the crash, as he joked with a photographer about taking his picture at the scene.[45] His left shoulder, arm, and elbow were broken in the crash, and he had surgery on August 5, 2008. Doctors operated for four hours to repair nerve damage in his shoulder and arm.[46] On CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight he stated that he is left handed but cannot move the fingers of his left hand. He wears a compression glove to protect against blood pooling due to non-movement. His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery.[47] Meyer, his passenger, sued him for negligence, claiming that he was drinking the night of the accident. Subsequently, the suit was settled.[48]

Beekeeping

After becoming concerned with the decline of honeybees, Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a sanctuary for them in July 2014, starting with 26 bee hives.[49]

Activism

Charitable work

In 2004, Freeman and others formed the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan on the island of Grenada. The fund has since become PLANIT NOW, an organization that seeks to provide preparedness resources for people living in areas afflicted by hurricanes and severe storms.[50] Freeman has worked on narrating small clips for global organizations, such as One Earth,[51] whose goals include raising awareness of environmental issues. He has narrated the clip "Why Are We Here," which can be viewed on One Earth's website. Freeman has donated money to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville, Mississippi. The park is part of Mississippi State University and Freeman has several horses that he takes there.[52]

Politics

Freeman endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy for the 2008 presidential election, although he stated that he would not join Obama's campaign.[53] He narrated for The Hall of Presidents with Barack Obama, when he was added to the exhibit.[54][55] The Hall of Presidents re-opened on July 4, 2009, at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.[55] Freeman joined President Bill Clinton, USA Bid Committee Chairman Sunil Gulati, and USMNT midfielder Landon Donovan on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, in Zurich for the U.S. bid committee's final presentation to FIFA for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[56] On day 4 of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Morgan Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.[57][58]

Comments on racism

In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of Black History Month, saying, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history."[59] He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he notes that there is no "white history month."[59] Freeman once said in an interview with 60 Minutes's 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."[59][60] Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the Mississippi state flag, which contains the Confederate battle flag.[61][62] Freeman sparked controversy in 2011 when, on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, he accused the Tea Party movement of racism.[63][64][65]

In reaction to the death of Freddie Gray and the 2015 Baltimore protests, Freeman said he was "absolutely" supportive of the protesters. "That unrest [in Baltimore] has nothing to do with terrorism at all, except the terrorism we suffer from the police. [...] Because of the technology—everybody has a smartphone—now we can see what the police are doing. We can show the world, Look, this is what happened in that situation. So why are so many people dying in police custody? And why are they all black? And why are all the police killing them white? What is that? The police have always said, 'I feared for my safety.' Well, now we know. OK. You feared for your safety while a guy was running away from you, right?"[66]

Filmography

Main article: Morgan Freeman on screen and stage

Awards and honors

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman has been nominated for an Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award five different times, each time for the same film for each award. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on Million Dollar Baby, and the Golden Globe for Best Actor with Driving Miss Daisy. Likewise, he has four Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) nominations, and one win for Million Dollar Baby.

On October 28, 2006, Freeman was honored at the first Mississippi's Best Awards in Jackson, Mississippi, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his works on and off the big screen. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts and Letters from Delta State University during the school's commencement exercises on May 13, 2006.[67] In 2013, Boston University presented him with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.[68] On November 12, 2014, he was bestowed the honour of Freedom of the City by the City of London.[69]

In August 2017, he was named the 54th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.[70]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "12/09/2008". The Film Programme. September 12, 2008. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Interview (archived via Google Books), The New Yorker, July 3, 1978. Freeman: "[My grandmother] had been married to Morgan Herbert Freeman, and my father was Morgan Porterfield Freeman, but they forgot to give me a middle name."
  3. ^ Steinbeiser, Andrew (June 1, 2015). "Happy Birthday! Morgan Freeman Turns 78 Today". ComicBook.com. ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "People Index." Box Office Mojo.
  5. ^ a b "Morgan Freeman profile". African American Lives 2. PBS. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Growing Interest in DNA-Based Genetic Testing Among African American with Historic Election of President Elect Barack Obama". PRWeb. November 27, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  7. ^ Morgan Freeman biography, FilmReference.com.
  8. ^ Profiles: Morgan Freeman, Hello
  9. ^ a b c d e f Inside the Actors Studio, Season 11, Episode 10. Original air date: January 2, 2005.
  10. ^ Blumberg, Antonia (May 5, 2016). "Morgan Freeman Explains How God Can Be Real And An Invention". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Morgan Freeman: Full Biography," All Movie Guide, via The New York Times.. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Fuchs, Sabrina (January 1, 2006). "Freeman, Morgan". Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Thomson Gale. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  13. ^ "TogetherWeServed - A1C Morgan Porterfield Freeman". togetherweserved.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  14. ^ Morgan Freeman Biography. tiscali.co.uk
  15. ^ Joan Ganz Cooney discusses the beginnings of "The Electric Company"- EMMYTVLEGENDS. YouTube. October 21, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Morgan Freeman talks 'Street Smart', winning an Oscar and reveals that acting isn't hard. YouTube. August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  17. ^ Morgan Freeman Talks About His Big Career Break. YouTube. April 7, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  18. ^ "Berlinale: 1994 Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  19. ^ Gumbel, Andrew. "Morgan Freeman to play Mandela in new film", The Independent, September 26, 2007.
  20. ^ "Morgan Freeman to Star as Nelson Mandela", The New York Times, June 25, 2007.
  21. ^ Keller, Bill. "Entering the Scrum", The New York Times Book Review, August 17, 2008.
  22. ^ "Morgan Freeman Joins The Big Screen Adaptation of Warren Ellis' Red". /Film. July 19, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  23. ^ Extreme 19th Leaderboard, Legend Golf & Safari Resort
  24. ^ a b "Freeman replaces Cronkite on CBS news". Boston Globe. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  25. ^ "Through the Wormhole". Discovery Channel.
  26. ^ "Prop 8 Play On Broadway Makes Its Debut". Huffington Post. September 20, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  27. ^ ""8": A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality". YouTube. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  28. ^ "YouTube to broadcast Proposition 8 play live". pinknews.co.uk. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  29. ^ Bowles, Scott (December 19, 2007). "Morgan Freeman remains at the helm in movies, personal life". USA Today.
  30. ^ a b Morgan Freeman Fast Facts, CNN, May 30, 2013; accessed August 18, 2015.
  31. ^ a b "Morgan Freeman and wife Myrna Colley-Lee finalize divorce after 26 years of marriage". New York Daily News. September 17, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  32. ^ Mitchell, Jerry (August 7, 2008). "Morgan Freeman discharged from Memphis hospital". USA Today. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  33. ^ Hall, Katy (October 8, 2009). "E'Dena Hines, Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter: Also His Lover?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  34. ^ "Morgan Freeman's Step-Granddaughter Found Stabbed To Death In Washington Heights 'Exorcism'". CBS New York. August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  35. ^ Molloy, Tim (June 6, 2012). "Morgan Freeman on Inventing God, Aliens Eating Us and His Survival Odds in 'Dark Knight Rises'". TheWrap. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  36. ^ Zaimov, Stoyan (May 9, 2016). "Morgan Freeman Says 'Story of God' Journey Didn't Change His Views on Religion". The Christian Post. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  37. ^ "Morgan Freeman closing Madidi Restaurant in Mississippi". thegrio.com: thegrio. February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  38. ^ Morgan Freeman: The Bucket List video interview at STV.tv [dead link]
  39. ^ Article, SJ30jet.com Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ "Morgan Freeman purchases the SJ30 private jet for $7 million". Luxury Launches. December 23, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  41. ^ Freeman, Morgan (December 24, 2009). "Morgan Freeman buys Emivest SJ30 jet from Dubai manufacturer" (Interview). Interviewed by Blizzard, Phil. Ameinfo. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012. {{cite interview}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 4, 2008). "Morgan Freeman in Car Accident, Listed in Serious Condition". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "Freeman injured in car accident". BBC News. August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  44. ^ "Actor Morgan Freeman badly injured in crash". The Irish Times. August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  45. ^ "Morgan Freeman hurt in car crash". BBC News. August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  46. ^ "Freeman recovering after surgery". BBC News. August 5, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  47. ^ Horn, James (August 5, 2008). "Morgan Freeman 'in good spirits' after accident". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  48. ^ "Records: Freeman settles suit on car wreck". USA Today. November 5, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  49. ^ "Morgan Freeman is now a beekeeper".
  50. ^ "PLANIT NOW History". Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  51. ^ "ECO". OneEarth.org. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  52. ^ "Mississippi State Campus Map" (PDF). Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  53. ^ Clift, Eleanor (December 21, 2007). "Freeman, Obama and Hollywood immortality". Newsweek. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  54. ^ "Hall of Presidents". WDW Radio. September 16, 2007. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ a b "Hail to the chief: Obama makes Disney debut at Hall of Presidents", Orlando Sentinel, June 29, 2009.
  56. ^ "Gousabid". Gousabid. Retrieved January 27, 2012.[verification needed]
  57. ^ Hill, Gerrad. "Morgan Freeman narrated Hillary Clinton's DNC video, and Twitter loved it". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  58. ^ Lockhart, Keely (July 29, 2016). "Even God backs Hillary: Morgan Freeman narrates biographical movie for Clinton campaign". The Telegraph. Retrieved August 1, 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  59. ^ a b c "Freeman calls Black History Month ridiculous". MSNBC. December 15, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  60. ^ A verbatim transcript of this segment of the Mike Wallace interview where Morgan Freeman suggests the abandonment of language that reinforces racism, is posted at the Snopes web site.
  61. ^ Firestone, David (April 18, 2001). "Mississippi Votes by wide margin to keep state flag That includes Confederate emblem". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  62. ^ "Morgan Freeman defies labels". CBS News. December 18, 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  63. ^ "Morgan Freeman Sparks Outcry After Calling Tea Party Racist". The Hollywood Reporter. September 24, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  64. ^ "Morgan Freeman Calls Tea Party 'Racist' (Video)". The Wall Street Journal. September 24, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  65. ^ "Obama backer: Some attacks are 'a racist thing'". USA Today. September 25, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  66. ^ "Morgan Freeman on Baltimore and the 'Terrorism We Suffer From the Police'". Newsweek. April 30, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  67. ^ Morgan Freeman biography, superstarbiography.com
  68. ^ O’Rourke, John (May 15, 2013). "Actor Morgan Freeman to Receive Honorary Degree". BU Today. Boston University. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  69. ^ "Morgan Freeman honoured with freedom of London". Daily Express. Express Newspapers. November 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  70. ^ McNary, Dave, "Morgan Freeman to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award", Variety, August 22, 2017.
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