Morgan Freeman became known nationally when he created the popular character Easy Reader on the highly praised public television children’s show The Electric Company, although he was already known in New York’s theater circles for the critical body of work and characters he had created there. Freeman won the Drama Desk Award, the Clarence Derwent Award and received a Tony Award Nomination for his outstanding performance in The Mighty Gents in 1978, and received more acclaim and an Obie Award for his appearance as the Shakespearean anti-hero Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival.

In 1984, Freeman won an additional Obie for his role as The Messenger in the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of Lee Breuer’s Gospel at Colonus. In 1985, he was awarded the Dramalogue Award for the same role. The role of Hoke Colburn in Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy won him his third Obie Award. His most recent stage appearance was as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew at the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Delacorte Theater, with Tracey Ullman.

Freeman’s numerous television credits include, notably, NBC’s The Atlanta Child Murders, with Cicely Tyson, and CBS’s The Execution of Raymond Graham. Film credits include: Brubaker, Eyewitness, Harry & Sons, Teachers, Marie, That Was Then, This Is Now, Street Smart (for which he won the LA, N.Y., and National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor of 1987, and was nominated for both a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award), Clean & Sober, Johnny Handsome, Glory, Driving Miss Daisy (for which Freeman won his second Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe Award and The Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival) and Chain Reaction. The Shawshank Redemption, a story of hope based on a Steven King novel, won Freeman his third Academy Award nomination.

Freeman was then seen in the thriller Kiss the Girls, produced by David Brown. He also starred in the Steven Spielberg production Amistad, as abolitionist Theodore Jackson; the adventure film Hard Rain, opposite Christian Slater; and as the President of the United States in the box office success Deep Impact. Following was Nurse Betty with Chris Rock and Renee Zellweger, which was released to critical acclaim in 2000, and Along Came a Spider, in which Freeman reprised his Kiss the Girls character, Alex Cross. This film was a box office smash in the spring of 2001. High Crimes, with Ashley Judd, was released in April of 2002, and the Tom Clancy thriller The Sum of All Fears, with Ben Affleck, was released in June 2002. Up next was Levity, directed by and co-starring Billy Bob Thornton, and another Steven King premise, Dreamcatcher, followed by Bruce Almighty, with Jim Carrey.

In 1993, Freeman made his film directorial debut with Bopha!, starring Danny Glover and Alfre Woodard, and soon after formed his production company, Revelations Entertainment.

Freeman recently wrapped production on several upcoming films including Unleashed with Jet Li, An Unfinished Life with Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford, and Edison with Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J and Kevin Spacey.

He won a Oscar for his role in Clint Eastwood's drama Million Dollar Baby.

Filmography

• The Last Full Measure (2007)
• Rendezvous with Rama (2009)
• Harry and the Butler (2008)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• Wanted (2008)
• The Bucket List (2007)
• The Feast of Love (2007)
• Gone, Baby, Gone (2007)
• Evan Almighty (2007)
• The Contract (2006)
• 10 Items or Less (2006)
• Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
• Edison (2005)
• An Unfinished Life (2005)
• Batman Begins (2005)
• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Danny the Dog (2005)
• "Slavery and the Making of America" (4 episodes, 2005)
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)
• A Remarkable Promise (2004)
• The Big Bounce (2004)
• Guilty by Association (2003)
• Bruce Almighty (2003)
• Dreamcatcher (2003)
• Levity (2003)
• The Sum of All Fears (2002)
• High Crimes (2002)
• Along Came a Spider (2001)
• Nurse Betty (2000)
• Under Suspicion (2000)
• Deep Impact (1998)
• Hard Rain (1998)
• Amistad (1997)
• Kiss the Girls (1997)
• Chain Reaction (1996)
• Moll Flanders (1996)
• Se7en (1995)
• Outbreak (1995)
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
• Unforgiven (1992)
• The Power of One (1992)
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
• A Festival at Ford's (1991)
• The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
• Glory (1989)
• Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
• Johnny Handsome (1989)
• Lean on Me (1989)
• Clean and Sober (1988)
• Clinton and Nadine (1988)
• Fight for Life (1987)
• Street Smart (1987)
• Resting Place (1986)
• The Execution of Raymond Graham (1985)
• "The Twilight Zone" (1 episode, 1985)
• That Was Then... This Is Now (1985)
• Marie (1985)
• "The Atlanta Child Murders" (1985)
• The Gospel at Colonus (1985)
• "Great Performances" (1 episode, 1985)
• Teachers (1984)
• Harry & Son (1984)
• "Another World" (1964)
• The Marva Collins Story (1981)
• "Ryan's Hope" (2 episodes, 1981)
• Eyewitness (1981)
• Death of a Prophet (1981)
• Brubaker (1980)
• Attica (1980)
• Hollow Image (1979)
• Coriolanus (1979)
• Julius Caesar (1979)
• "Visions" (1 episode, 1978)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1978)
• "The Electric Company" (780 episodes, 1971-1977)
• Out to Lunch (1974)
• Blade (1973)
• Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow? (1971)
• Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968)
• A Man Called Adam (1966)
• The Pawnbroker (1964)

Awards

• Oscar Best Supporting Actor "Million Dollar Baby" 2005
• Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role "Million Dollar Baby" 2005
• National Board of Review Awards Career Achievement Award 2003
• NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture "Deep Impact" 1998
• NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture "Amistad" 1997
• London Film Critics Circle Award Best Actor "Seven" 1996
• Berlin Film Festival Joint Performance Award "Driving Miss Daisy" 1990
• Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) "Driving Miss Daisy" 1990
• National Board of Review Award Best Actor "Driving Miss Daisy" 1990
• NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture "Lean on Me" 1989
• Independent Spirit Award Best Supporting Actor "Street Smart" 1987
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actor "Street Smart" 1987
• National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor Award "Street Smart" 1987
• New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actor "Street Smart" 1987
• OBIE Award Performance "Driving Miss Daisy" 1986 - 87
• OBIE Award Performance "Gospel at Colonus" 1983 - 84
• OBIE Award Performance "Mother Courage" and "Coriolanus" 1979 - 80
• Clarence Derwent Award Best Actor "The Mighty Gents" 1978
• Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play "The Mighty Gents" 1978