Morgan Freeman's biography
"It's easy to be an actor, it's hard to become one" - these words belong to Morgan Freeman, whose name is known worldwide thanks to masterpieces like The Shawshank Redemption, Seven, Million Dollar Baby and many others. Net worth: $250 million.
Childhood
The actor's story begins in the American South, in Memphis. His parents met at the local hospital where they both worked. Freeman Sr. worked as an orderly, while his wife Mayme was a nurse. Their first child Morgan, named after his father, was born on June 1, 1937. Shortly after the birth of his sister, his parents broke up. Mayme, though patient and devout, couldn't tolerate her husband's drinking.Job opportunities opened up in the northern states during the early '40s. Mayme forgave her husband, who came to her promising to quit drinking, and they moved to Chicago seeking a better life. The three-year-old Morgan and his sister were left in the care of their father's mother.
Morgan began school in Chicago. The class had both Black and white children. This was 1945 - while segregation still officially existed in the South, it had been abolished in the North. But here the boy was still humiliated. Mayme's mother, visiting her daughter, took pity on the children and brought Morgan and his sister south to the small village of Greenwood.
Later, Freeman would remember his time with his grandmother as one of the happiest periods of his life. In Greenwood, he attended the school for Black children. Morgan was blessed with teachers who made the tall, easygoing boy believe he could make something of himself. He loved reading and at age 8 got his library card, where he devoured book after book, amazed by the diverse, beautiful world opening up to him.
The handsome black boy was also a dreamer. After watching a film about pilots, he began dreaming of flying, and after high school graduation became a cadet at a military academy in Texas. But reality was nothing like the world Morgan had imagined. With the Vietnam War beginning, Morgan feared being drafted. After graduation, he abandoned his military plans and headed to California.
25 years of obscurity
In Los Angeles, Morgan pounded the pavement at film studios for several years but couldn't land a single role. He was 21 years old, and he had neither money nor acquaintances. He loved the cinema with all his heart and sincerely didn't understand why he was refused. A few years later the young man moved to New York. There Freeman scraped by with odd jobs and performed in amateur theaters.In the late 60s, the actor managed to get a job on television. After working in a children's show for several years, he noticed he was developing a craving for alcohol. His father had already died of liver cirrhosis, and Morgan was afraid. He realized that he could repeat his fate. Getting himself together, he continued pursuing his dream, patiently enduring rejection after rejection.Morgan lived 25 years in New York. Theater work brought him neither satisfaction nor money. Having played many roles, he became increasingly convinced that his vocation was cinema.
Rapid rise
In 1984, the 48-year-old actor landed a role in Harry and Son. The film wasn't a hit, but it brought Morgan some recognition. Over the next two years, he appeared in several films, but his real breakthrough came in 1986. His role in the drama Street Smart, where Morgan brilliantly played a pimp, made him a star overnight. He was nominated for an Oscar for this role in 1987.Morgan started getting film offers but didn't dare leave his theater work. The Driving Miss Daisy stage production he starred in was a huge hit with theatergoers and was later adapted for film. Morgan played the driver who becomes the unlikely best friend of an arrogant Jewish woman, played by Jessica Tandy. This story about the complex relationship between two people from different social classes earned four Oscars and became 1990's Best Picture. The actor himself received a Golden Globe.
Main roles
In 1995, David Fincher's Seven premiered with Freeman starring alongside Brad Pitt. The dark thriller, shot in neo-noir style established by Martin Scorsese in the mid-20th century, stunned audiences. Surprisingly, the filmmakers never expected Morgan Freeman to accept the detective role, thinking the plot was too brutal. But Freeman later joked that he wasn't interested in the plot—just the paycheck—though everyone assumed he was kidding. Freeman is actually known for being quite business-minded about his career choices.
The subtle psychological thriller Under Suspicion particularly stands out among films of that era, where Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman's characters engage in a psychological game that inevitably leads to one man's downfall. While the film didn't dominate the box office, it became a cult favorite among discerning audiences.
In 2017, the actor appeared alongside Michael Caine and Christopher Lloyd in the comedy Going in Style. The story of three retirees who decide to pull off a daring bank heist earned audience acclaim and rave reviews from critics. Matt Dillon also appeared in the picture, playing the detective.
Morgan Freeman's personal life
The actor has two sons from previous relationships, Alfonso and Saifoulaye. In 1967 Morgan Freeman got married for the first time. He married Jeanette Bradshaw, who had a daughter named Dinu from her previous marriage. Morgan adopted the girl, and in 1979 the couple had their common child, daughter Morgana. Shortly after her birth, Morgan and Jeanette split up.
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