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Morgan Freeman Fast Facts

By CNN Newsource

Published May 30, 2013 8:45 AM

CNN Editorial Research

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, two 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.

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