ACTOR · BORN 1937
Morgan Freeman
- Born
- 1 June 1937, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Known for
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Se7en (1995), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Unforgiven (1992)
38 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Morgan Freeman (born 1 June 1937) is an actor best known for The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en and The Dark Knight Rises.
Morgan Freeman over the years
38 Interesting Facts About Morgan Freeman
Interesting Facts (5)
- #001
He is the first American to record a par score on the 19th hole at the Legend Golf and Safari Resort in the Entabeni Safari Conservatory, Limpopo, South Africa.
- #002
The scrapped Disney project "King of the Elves" had its protagonist modeled on him.
- #003
Is an avid beekeeper.
- #004
He was (along with director/actress Billie Allen, director/playwright Garland Thompson, and journalist Clayton Riley') a founding member of the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, named after noted Black actor Frank Silvera.
- #005
Has recorded a new radio public service announcement about the national parks.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #006
In an issue of Life magazine (February 2005), he said that he can be seen as an extra in The Pawnbroker (1964).
- #007
He speaks French fluently. He gave an introductory speech in French to the crowd of extras gathered at Montreal's Olympic Stadium to portray the Baltimore Super Bowl audience in The Sum of All Fears (2002).
Characters & Cast (2)
- #008
Most of the characters he has played are not written specifically for an African-American actor.
- #009
He has played three men who teach someone to box in three separate films. First, he played Geel Piet in The Power of One (1992); he then played Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls (1997), where at the beginning of the film he was teaching a group of young boys how to box; and he also played Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupree in Million Dollar Baby (2004).
Career & Awards (11)
- #010
He is the only African-American actor to appear in three Best Picture Oscar winners: Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
- #011
He received the "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Acting" Award on August 7, 2000.
- #012
He has appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Pawnbroker (1964), Glory (1989), Unforgiven (1992), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Dark Knight (2008).
- #013
His performance as Fast Black in Street Smart (1987) is ranked #77 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
- #014
He has purchased the film rights to Orange Crushed, a mystery novel by African-American writer Pamela Thomas-Graham, who is also the CEO of the cable news channel CNBC. Orange Crushed features an African-American heroine, Professor Nikki Chase.
- #015
Twenty years later, he won the Vintage Performance by an Actor award in 1995 for his role as Detective Somerset in Seven (1995) at the first Vintage Film Awards.
- #016
He was honored with the American Film Institute's 39th Lifetime Achievement Award on June 9, 2011.
- #017
He made his Broadway debut in the musical "Hello, Dolly!" with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.
- #018
He was ranked #31 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
- #019
In an interview with Charlie Rose regarding the 10th anniversary of The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Freeman said he regarded that film, Glory (1989), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Unforgiven (1992) as the highlights of his career.
- #020
He credits his voice to studying at the LACC Theater Academy, whose other alumni include Clint Eastwood, Mark Hamill, Cindy Williams, Donna Reed and Rene Hack.
Life & Family (18)
- #021
He earned a private pilot's license at the age of 65.
- #022
In May 2005, he won the right to the Internet domain name www.morganfreeman.com from the company Mighty LLC, of Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis, in a UN panel.
- #023
He owned a restaurant called Madidi, but it closed down in 2012.
- #024
His grandfather was Morgan Herbert Freeman and his father was Morgan Porterfield Freeman. He has said that his parents forgot to give him a middle name.
- #025
He worked as a mechanic in the United States Air Force.
- #026
He is the youngest of five children.
- #027
He originally had a higher-pitched voice with a thick Southern accent, but a voice instructor from LACC changed it.
- #028
He turned down a drama scholarship to join the air force in 1955.
- #029
He had a pilot's license but had to give it up because he injured his left hand and is unable to use it.
- #030
He keeps his Oscar statuette inside a cabinet in his office. The cabinet was built by a good friend of his in 1998 especially for the Oscar that his friend predicted he would win. It even came with a plaque that read: "No Parking. Reserved for Oscar."
- #031
In January 2001, he opened Madidi, a fine-dining restaurant in Clarksdale, Mississippi, with local attorney and businessman Bill Luckett. They also co-own Ground Zero Blues Club, a blues bar and grill that opened in May 2001.
- #032
He has said that watching Gary Cooper's films in his youth inspired him to become an actor.
- #033
Though he was born in Memphis, he actually grew up in the Mississippi Delta region. He moved back to Mississippi to open a blues club and restaurant in 2001.
- #034
He broke his arm and shoulder when he flipped his car near his home in Charleston, Mississippi, on August 3, 2008.
- #035
He owns a boat berthed in the Caribbean, but his busy schedule only allows him to go sailing on it once a year.
- #036
His son Alfonso Freeman (actor) was born in Los Angeles on September 13, 1959, to Morgan and Loletha Adkins (Polk). Alfonso first met his father in 1984.
- #037
Listed his five favorite films as King Kong (1933), High Noon (1952), Moulin Rouge (1952), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Moby Dick (1956).
- #038
Has an Equine (horse) Center for research named after him at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi in 2004.
Related pages
- London Has Fallen — Morgan Freeman comes up in the facts on that page
- Million Dollar Baby — Morgan Freeman comes up in the facts on that page
- Now You See Me — Morgan Freeman comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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