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 recognized for his extensive six-decade career. He has garnered numerous awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Freeman's contributions to the performing arts have been celebrated with prestigious honors such as the Kennedy Center Honor, the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. His distinguished career and significant impact on the film industry led to his being voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a 2022 Empire poll.
1964: Began prolific film career
Since 1964, Morgan Freeman has been prolific in film, known for his roles in various genres, including dramas, historical epics, thrillers, action-adventure, science fiction, and comedies.
1979: Earns Obie Award for Coriolanus
In 1979, Morgan Freeman earned an Obie Award for his theater role in "Coriolanus".
1980: Earns Obie Award for Mother Courage and Her Children
In 1980, Morgan Freeman earned an Obie Award for his theater role in "Mother Courage and Her Children".
1987: Earns Obie Award for Driving Miss Daisy
From 1987 to 1990, Morgan Freeman earned an Obie Award for his theater role in "Driving Miss Daisy".
1989: Co-starred in Lean on Me
In 1989, Beverly Todd co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the movie "Lean on Me".
1989: Wins Golden Globe for Driving Miss Daisy
In 1989, Morgan Freeman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in "Driving Miss Daisy".
1994: Starred in The Shawshank Redemption
In 1994, Morgan Freeman portrayed Red in the acclaimed drama "The Shawshank Redemption". He was cast at the suggestion of producer Liz Glotzer. Also in 1994, Freeman served as a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
1995: Starred in Outbreak and Seven
In 1995, Morgan Freeman starred in the medical thriller "Outbreak" as General Billy Ford. Also in 1995, he starred with Brad Pitt in David Fincher's crime thriller "Seven", playing a detective.
1996: Starred in Chain Reaction and Moll Flanders
In 1996, Morgan Freeman appeared in "Chain Reaction" as Paul Shannon. He was also cast opposite Robin Wright in "Moll Flanders", a period drama based on the novel of the same name.
1997: Founds Revelations Entertainment
In 1997, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary founded Revelations Entertainment, a film production company.
1997: Narrated The Long Way Home and starred in Amistad and Kiss the Girls
In 1997, Morgan Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary "The Long Way Home". He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's historical epic "Amistad". In that same year, he was cast as psychologist Alex Cross in "Kiss the Girls", a thriller based on James Patterson's 1995 novel of the same name.
1997: Starred in Kiss the Girls
In 1997, Morgan Freeman starred in "Kiss the Girls" as Dr. Alex Cross, later reprising the role in 2001 in Along Came a Spider.
1998: Starred in Deep Impact and Hard Rain
In 1998, Morgan Freeman starred in the science-fiction disaster film "Deep Impact", playing President Tim Beck. Also in 1998, he starred opposite Christian Slater in "Hard Rain".
2000: Starred in Nurse Betty and Under Suspicion
In 2000, Morgan Freeman played the lead role of Charlie in the comedy "Nurse Betty". He also appeared in "Under Suspicion", a thriller remake of the 1981 French film Garde à vue, which he produced under Revelations Entertainment.
2001: Starred 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.
2002: Starred in The Sum of All Fears and High Crimes
In 2002, Morgan Freeman was cast opposite Ben Affleck in the spy thriller "The Sum of All Fears", based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel. Next, Freeman starred alongside Ashley Judd and Jim Caviezel in "High Crimes", a legal thriller based on Joseph Finder's 1998 novel of the same name.
2003: Starred in Bruce Almighty
In 2003, Morgan Freeman appeared as God in the hit comedy "Bruce Almighty" with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.
2003: Morgan Freeman stars in Bruce Almighty
In 2003, Morgan Freeman starred in Bruce Almighty. In 2007 he would reprise this role in Evan Almighty.
2003: Starred in Dreamcatcher, Levity, and Guilty by Association
In 2003, Morgan Freeman starred in the science fiction horror "Dreamcatcher", adapted from Stephen King's 2001 novel. Also in 2003, he starred in two other dramas that were not widely seen, "Levity" and "Guilty by Association".
2004: Helped form the Grenada Relief Fund
In 2004, Morgan Freeman helped form the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan in Grenada. The fund later became PLANIT NOW.
2004: Wins SAG Award for Million Dollar Baby
In 2004, Morgan Freeman won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in "Million Dollar Baby".
2004: Starred in The Big Bounce and Million Dollar Baby
In 2004, Morgan Freeman's releases were the comedy "The Big Bounce" and sports drama "Million Dollar Baby". In Million Dollar Baby, he portrayed an elderly former boxer, which earned him his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
2005: Multiple film appearances
In 2005, Morgan Freeman made six appearances in various films. These included "An Unfinished Life", narration of "War of the Worlds" and "March of the Penguins", "Batman Begins", "Unleashed", "Edison", and providing the voice of Neil Armstrong in "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D".
2006: Founds ClickStar
In 2006, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary founded ClickStar, a film download company, with investment from Intel Corporation.
2006: Starred in The Contract, Lucky Number Slevin, and 10 Items or Less
In 2006, Morgan Freeman starred in "The Contract", "Lucky Number Slevin", and "10 Items or Less". He co-founded ClickStar, a film distribution company that year, and made "10 Items or Less" available for download two weeks after its theatrical release.
2007: Co-starred in The Bucket List
In 2007, Beverly Todd co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the movie "The Bucket List".
2007: Starred in Evan Almighty, Feast of Love, Gone Baby Gone and The Bucket List
In 2007, Morgan Freeman reprised his role as God in "Evan Almighty", a sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty. Also in 2007, he starred in "Feast of Love", based on the 2000 novel, and had a supporting role in "Gone Baby Gone", Ben Affleck's directorial debut, adapted from Dennis Lehane's 1998 novel. Afterward, he starred in Rob Reiner's comedy "The Bucket List".
2008: ClickStar ceases operations
In 2008, ClickStar, the film download company founded by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, ceased operations.
2008: Endorses Barack Obama
In 2008, Morgan Freeman endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bid but stated he would not join the campaign.
2008: Starred in Wanted and The Dark Knight
In 2008, Morgan Freeman was cast in the action-thriller "Wanted". Also in 2008, Freeman narrated "The Love Guru" and appeared in "The Dark Knight", reprising his role as Lucius Fox. Freeman returned to Broadway in 2008 to co-star in "The Country Girl".
July 4, 2009: The Hall of Presidents re-opens
On July 4, 2009, The Hall of Presidents re-opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, featuring Morgan Freeman as the voice of the narrator when Barack Obama was added to the exhibit.
2009: Starred in Thick as Thieves, considered Mandela film, and narrated Anne and Emmett
In 2009, Morgan Freeman starred in "Thick as Thieves" with Antonio Banderas. He also considered a film based on Nelson Mandela, ultimately choosing to adapt John Carlin's "Playing the Enemy" into "Invictus," directed by Clint Eastwood. Freeman portrayed Mandela, receiving critical acclaim and award nominations. Also in 2009, he narrated Janet Langhart's play "Anne and Emmett".
January 2010: Replaced Walter Cronkite at CBS Evening News and Hosted Through the Wormhole
In January 2010, Morgan Freeman replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover for the CBS Evening News. Also in January 2010, he began hosting the Science Channel's "Through the Wormhole" (2010–17) after being approached by Deborah Myers.
December 2010: Joins presentation for U.S. FIFA World Cup bid
In December 2010, Morgan Freeman joined former President Bill Clinton, Sunil Gulati, and Landon Donovan in Zurich for a presentation to bid for the U.S. hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
2010: Starred in Red
In 2010, Morgan Freeman's sole film release was "Red", where he played CIA mentor Joe, alongside co-stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich. The film, loosely adapted from the comic-book series "Red", was a critical and commercial success.
2011: Endorses Bill Luckett
In 2011, Morgan Freeman endorsed his friend Bill Luckett, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Mississippi.
2011: Narrated Conan the Barbarian, Appeared in Dolphin Tale, Acted in 8
In 2011, Morgan Freeman narrated the fantasy film "Conan the Barbarian" and appeared in the family drama "Dolphin Tale". In 2011, he also returned to theater, starring with John Lithgow in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, "8", a staged reenactment of Perry v. Brown.
2012: Starred in The Magic of Belle Isle and The Dark Knight Rises
In 2012, Morgan Freeman starred in "The Magic of Belle Isle", which received poor reviews. Also in 2012, he reprised his role as Lucius Fox in "The Dark Knight Rises".
2013: Appeared in Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion, Now You See Me, and Last Vegas
In 2013, Morgan Freeman appeared in several films: "Olympus Has Fallen", where he played Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull; "Oblivion", a science fiction drama with Tom Cruise; "Now You See Me", as an ex-magician; and "Last Vegas", where he played a retiree.
July 2014: Turned his ranch into a 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: Narrated What's Possible at the United Nations climate summit.
In 2014, Morgan Freeman narrated a clip titled What's Possible which had its debut at the United Nations climate summit.
2014: Voiced Vitruvius in The Lego Movie, Starred in Transcendence and Lucy, Appeared in Dolphin Tale 2 and 5 Flights Up
In 2014, Morgan Freeman voiced Vitruvius in "The Lego Movie". He starred in "Transcendence" as scientist Joseph Tagger, and co-starred in "Lucy" as Professor Samuel Norman. In 2014, Freeman also appeared in "Dolphin Tale 2" and "5 Flights Up". Morgan Freeman also narrated a clip titled What's Possible which had its debut at the United Nations climate summit in 2014.
2015: Starred in Last Knights, Ted 2, and Momentum, and directed Madam Secretary
In 2015, Morgan Freeman starred in "Last Knights" and "Ted 2". Also in 2015, he played Chief Justice Frawley in "Madam Secretary", and he directed the first episode of the show. At the end of 2015, Freeman played a U.S. senator in the thriller Momentum.
2016: Voiceover for Hillary Clinton video
During day four of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Morgan Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
2016: Appeared in London Has Fallen, Now You See Me 2, and Ben-Hur
In 2016, Morgan Freeman reprised his role as Allan Trumbull in "London Has Fallen", Thaddeus Bradley in "Now You See Me 2", and starred as Sheik Ilderim in "Ben-Hur".
September 19, 2017: Appears in Committee to Investigate Russia video
On September 19, 2017, Morgan Freeman appeared in a video by the Committee to Investigate Russia, declaring that the United States was at war and accusing Russia of launching cyber attacks and spreading false information.
2017: Starred in Going in Style and Just Getting Started, Hosted The Story of God and The Story of Us
In 2017, Morgan Freeman appeared in two comedies, "Going in Style" and "Just Getting Started". Also, in 2017, he hosted the National Geographic shows, "The Story of God with Morgan Freeman" and "The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman".
2018: Narrated Alpha, Starred in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Appeared in Brian Banks
In 2018, Morgan Freeman narrated "Alpha", a historical drama set in the last ice age. He starred in Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" and had an uncredited role in "Brian Banks".
2020: Appeared in The Comeback Trail
In 2020, Morgan Freeman appeared in the crime comedy "The Comeback Trail".
June 2021: Donates to University of Mississippi
In June 2021, Morgan Freeman and Linda Keena donated $1 million to the University of Mississippi, establishing the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.
2021: Appeared in Coming 2 America and The Kominsky Method
In 2021, Morgan Freeman appeared in "Coming 2 America", and took a guest starring role in "The Kominsky Method".
2022: Related to US Hosting Rights Bid
Morgan Freeman joined a presentation for the U.S. Hosting Rights bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
2023: Portrays US Secretary of State in Lioness
Since 2023, Morgan Freeman has portrayed a United States Secretary of State in the Taylor Sheridan created Paramount+ spy thriller series Lioness.
November 2025: Set to return to heist franchise with Now You See Me: Now You Don't
In November 2025, Morgan Freeman is set to return to the heist franchise acting in Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
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