Freeman, Morgan (1937-…), is an American actor who has won acclaim on the stage, in motion pictures, and on television. Freeman won the Academy Award as best supporting actor for his performance in Million Dollar Baby (2004), directed by Clint Eastwood.
Freeman has won several awards for his acting on and off Broadway. He is probably best known for his performance as a chauffeur in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy (1987). Freeman repeated his role in the 1989 motion-picture version.
Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis. He took acting classes after serving in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1959. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 in the all-black revival of the musical comedy Hello, Dolly! Freeman gained recognition as a regular performer from 1971 to 1977 in the Public Broadcasting Service children’s TV program “The Electric Company.” He began working steadily in motion pictures in 1980. His major films include Street Smart (1987); Glory (1989); Unforgiven (1992); The Shawshank Redemption (1994); The Sum of All Fears (2002); Bruce Almighty (2003); Evan Almighty, Feast of Love, The Bucket List, and Gone Baby Gone (all 2007); Wanted (2008); Invictus (2009), in which he starred as antiapartheid leader Nelson Mandela; Red (2010); Dolphin Tale (2011) and its sequel, Dolphin Tale 2 (2014); The Magic of Belle Isle (2012); Last Vegas, Now You See Me, Oblivion, and Olympus Has Fallen (all 2013); Lucy, Transcendence, and 5 Flights Up (all 2014); and Ben-Hur (2016). Freeman also starred as the character Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne’s business manager, in the series of Batman superhero films Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In 2008, Freeman starred in the Broadway production of The Country Girl.
