Morgan Freeman Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of actor Morgan Freeman.
Personal
Birth date: June 1, 1937
Birth place: Memphis, Tennessee
Birth name: Morgan Porterfield Freeman Jr.
Father: Morgan Porterfield Freeman Sr., a barber
Mother: Mayme Edna (Revere) Freeman, a teacher
Marriages: Myrna (Colley-Lee) Freeman (June 16, 1984-September 15, 2010, divorced); Jeanette Adair (Bradshaw) Freeman (October 22, 1967-November 18, 1979, divorced)
Children: with Jeanette Adair Bradshaw: Deena (adopted by Freeman) and Morgana; mother’s name unavailable publicly: Saifoulaye; with Loletha Adkins: Alphonso
Education: Studied acting at Los Angeles City College in the early 1960s
Military service: US Air Force, 1955-1959
Other Facts
Nominated for one Tony Award, one Grammy Award, three Emmy Awards and five Academy Awards; winner of one Academy Award.
Co-founder of the movie production company Revelations Entertainment.
Has narrated two Academy Award winning documentaries: “The Long Way Home” and “March of the Penguins.”
For six and a half years, starting in January of 2010, his voice was heard on the introduction of the CBS Evening News.
Timeline
1970s – Plays Count Dracula on “The Electric Company.”
1990s – Starts the Rock River Foundation for education in Mississippi.
2005 – Wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “Million Dollar Baby,” 2004.
2008 – Receives Kennedy Center Honors.
2011 – Receives the American Film Institute’s 39th Lifetime Achievement Award.
2012 – Receives the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
December 20, 2016 – Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg debuts Jarvis, an AI assistant voiced by Freeman.
2018 – Receives the Screen Actors Guild’s 54th Life Achievement Award.
May 24, 2018 – In a CNN report, Freeman is accused of harassment and inappropriate behavior by multiple women. Freeman responds in a statement, apologizing “to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected–that was never my intent.”
June 8, 2021 – Freeman and University of Mississippi Professor Linda Keena donate $1 million to the school in order to establish a new center focused on policing, according to a news release from the school.
October 2023 – The nature documentary “Life on our Planet,” narrated by Freeman, is released on Netflix.
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