Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Morgan Freeman
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Morgan Freeman made an impact.
Morgan Freeman is a highly acclaimed American actor, producer, and narrator whose career spans six decades. He has received numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Kennedy Center Honor, an AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. In 2022, he was recognized as one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a readers' poll by Empire.
1964: Began Prolific Film Career
Since 1964, Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career in film, taking roles in diverse genres from dramas and historical epics to thrillers, action-adventure, science fiction, and comedies.
1989: Co-starred in Lean on Me
In 1989, Beverly Todd co-starred with Morgan Freeman in 'Lean on Me'.
1994: The Shawshank Redemption and Berlin Film Festival
In 1994, Morgan Freeman starred as Red in "The Shawshank Redemption", a drama based on the 1982 novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". Despite challenges during filming due to multiple takes, Freeman's performance was well-received, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Also in 1994, Freeman served as a jury member at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
1995: Starring in Outbreak and Seven
In 1995, Morgan Freeman starred in "Outbreak," a medical thriller, playing General Billy Ford. The same year, he also starred in David Fincher's crime thriller "Seven" with Brad Pitt, where he played a detective. Both films received different levels of critical and commercial success, with Freeman's performance in "Seven" being particularly praised.
1996: Chain Reaction and Moll Flanders
In 1996, Morgan Freeman appeared in "Chain Reaction" as Paul Shannon, a science-fiction thriller. Also in 1996, he was cast opposite Robin Wright in "Moll Flanders", a period drama based on the novel of the same name. Both films received mixed to negative reviews.
1997: Founded Revelations Entertainment
In 1997, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary established Revelations Entertainment, a film production company.
1997: Narration, Amistad and Kiss the Girls
In 1997, Morgan Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary "The Long Way Home" and appeared in Steven Spielberg's historical epic "Amistad". He was also cast as psychologist Alex Cross in "Kiss the Girls", a thriller based on James Patterson's 1995 novel.
1998: Starring in Deep Impact and Hard Rain
In 1998, Morgan Freeman starred in "Deep Impact", playing President Tim Beck. Also in 1998, he starred in "Hard Rain" opposite Christian Slater, centering on a heist amidst a natural disaster. The films received mixed responses, with "Deep Impact" being a box-office hit and "Hard Rain" being unpopular with critics.
2000: Starring in Nurse Betty and Under Suspicion
In 2000, Morgan Freeman played the lead role of Charlie in the comedy "Nurse Betty", and appeared in "Under Suspicion", a thriller remake of the 1981 French film. "Nurse Betty" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to mainly positive reviews, while "Under Suspicion" was met with a lukewarm reception.
2001: Starring in Along Came a Spider
In 2001, Morgan Freeman reprised his role of Alex Cross in "Along Came a Spider", a sequel to 1997's Kiss the Girls. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews.
2002: Starring in The Sum of All Fears and High Crimes
In 2002, Morgan Freeman starred opposite Ben Affleck in "The Sum of All Fears", based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel. The same year, he starred alongside Ashley Judd and Jim Caviezel in "High Crimes". Both films received moderate reviews, though "The Sum of All Fears" was a commercial success.
2003: Starring as God in Bruce Almighty
In 2003, Morgan Freeman played the role of God in the hit comedy "Bruce Almighty" alongside Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.
2003: Starring in Dreamcatcher, Levity and Guilty by Association
In 2003, Morgan Freeman starred in "Dreamcatcher", a science fiction horror film adapted from Stephen King's 2001 novel. Also in 2003, he starred in two other dramas, "Levity" and "Guilty by Association".
2004: Formation of Grenada Relief Fund
In 2004, Morgan Freeman helped form the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan. The fund later became PLANIT NOW.
2004: The Big Bounce and Million Dollar Baby
In 2004, Morgan Freeman starred in the comedy "The Big Bounce" and the sports drama "Million Dollar Baby". His role in "Million Dollar Baby" earned him his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
2005: Multiple Film Appearances in 2005
In 2005, Morgan Freeman appeared in six films, including "An Unfinished Life", where he played Mitch. He also narrated "War of the Worlds" and "March of the Penguins". Additionally, he appeared in "Batman Begins" as Lucius Fox, co-starred in "Unleashed" with Jet Li, and appeared in "Edison". Finally, he voiced Neil Armstrong in "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D".
2006: Founded ClickStar
In 2006, Morgan Freeman and business partners founded ClickStar, a film download company, with investment from Intel Corporation.
2006: Releases in 2006: The Contract, Lucky Number Slevin, 10 Items or Less
In 2006, Morgan Freeman starred in "The Contract" as Frank Carden, appeared in "Lucky Number Slevin", and portrayed himself in "10 Items or Less". He also co-founded ClickStar, a film distribution company that year.
2007: Co-starred in The Bucket List
In 2007, Beverly Todd co-starred with Morgan Freeman in 'The Bucket List'.
2007: Evan Almighty, Feast of Love, Gone Baby Gone and The Bucket List Releases
In 2007, Morgan Freeman reprised his role as God in "Evan Almighty", a sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty. He also appeared in "Feast of Love", had a supporting role in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone", and starred in "The Bucket List" opposite Jack Nicholson.
2008: Endorsed Barack Obama
In 2008, Morgan Freeman endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign but declined to formally join it.
2008: Wanted, The Love Guru, The Dark Knight and The Country Girl
In 2008, Morgan Freeman was cast in "Wanted", narrated "The Love Guru", reprised his role as Lucius Fox in "The Dark Knight", and returned to Broadway after an eighteen-year absence to co-star in "The Country Girl".
July 4, 2009: Narrated Disney's Hall of Presidents
On July 4, 2009, Morgan Freeman provided the narration for Disney World's The Hall of Presidents when Barack Obama was added to the exhibit, which re-opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
2009: Starring in Thick as Thieves and Invictus
In 2009, Morgan Freeman starred in "Thick as Thieves" alongside Antonio Banderas and portrayed Nelson Mandela in the biographical drama "Invictus", directed by Clint Eastwood. His performance as Mandela earned him Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. He also narrated Janet Langhart's play "Anne and Emmett" that year.
2010: Release of Red
In 2010, Morgan Freeman's sole film release was "Red", co-starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich. He played CIA mentor Joe, assisting Frank (Willis) in uncovering assassins. The film, adapted from the comic-book series "Red", was both a critical and commercial success.
2011: Narration of Conan the Barbarian and Appearance in Dolphin Tale
In 2011, Morgan Freeman narrated the film "Conan the Barbarian" and appeared in "Dolphin Tale" as Dr. McCarthy. He also performed in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8, playing Attorney David Boies in a reenactment of Perry v. Brown.
2012: The Magic of Belle Isle and The Dark Knight Rises
In 2012, Morgan Freeman starred in "The Magic of Belle Isle" as an alcoholic novelist. He also reprised his role as Lucius Fox in "The Dark Knight Rises".
2013: Box Office Hits: Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion, Now You See Me, and Last Vegas
In 2013, Morgan Freeman appeared in several box office hits including "Olympus Has Fallen", "Oblivion", "Now You See Me", and "Last Vegas". He played Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull in "Olympus Has Fallen", veteran soldier Malcolm Beech in "Oblivion", an ex-magician in "Now You See Me", and a retiree in "Last Vegas".
July 2014: Turning Ranch into Bee Sanctuary
In July 2014, after learning about the decline of honeybees, Morgan Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a bee sanctuary, starting with 26 beehives.
2014: Narration of What's Possible
In 2014, Morgan Freeman narrated a clip titled "What's Possible" which had its debut at the United Nations climate summit.
2014: The Lego Movie, Transcendence, Lucy, and Dolphin Tale 2
In 2014, Morgan Freeman voiced Vitruvius in "The Lego Movie", starred in "Transcendence" as scientist Joseph Tagger, co-starred in "Lucy" as Professor Samuel Norman, and appeared in "Dolphin Tale 2". He also appeared as himself in the documentary "Lennon or McCartney".
2015: Starring in Last Knights, Ted 2, Madam Secretary and Momentum
In 2015, Morgan Freeman starred in "Last Knights" opposite Clive Owen. He also joined the cast of "Ted 2" as Patrick Meighan. Additionally, he played Chief Justice Frawley in the TV series "Madam Secretary", directing one episode. He also played a U.S. senator in the thriller "Momentum".
2016: Voiceover for Hillary Clinton's Video
In 2016, Morgan Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention.
2016: Releases of London Has Fallen, Now You See Me 2, and Ben-Hur
In 2016, Morgan Freeman reprised his role in "London Has Fallen" and "Now You See Me 2". He also had a leading role in "Ben-Hur", playing Sheik Ilderim. Ben-Hur however, became one of the biggest box-office bombs of 2016.
2017: Appearance in Going in Style and Just Getting Started
In 2017, Morgan Freeman appeared in two comedies: "Going in Style", a remake of the 1979 film of the same name, and "Just Getting Started". He also hosted "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" and "The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman".
2018: Narration of Alpha and Starring in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
In 2018, Morgan Freeman narrated "Alpha" and starred in Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms". He also had an uncredited role in "Brian Banks".
2020: Appearance in The Comeback Trail
In 2020, Morgan Freeman appeared in "The Comeback Trail".
June 2021: Donated to the University of Mississippi
In June 2021, Morgan Freeman and Linda Keena donated $1 million to the University of Mississippi to establish the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.
2021: Appearance in Coming 2 America and The Kominsky Method
In 2021, Morgan Freeman appeared in "Coming 2 America", a sequel to the 1988 film, and guest-starred in the Netflix comedy "The Kominsky Method", earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
2023: Lioness series
Since 2023, Morgan Freeman has portrayed a United States Secretary of State in the Taylor Sheridan created Paramount+ spy thriller series Lioness starring Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña.
November 2025: Release of Now You See Me: Now You Don't
In November 2025, Morgan Freeman returned to the heist franchise acting in Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
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