Legendary Actors - Morgan Freeman

                                       Morgan Freeman is a dignified and wry, humble yet confident journeyman actor who suddenly found himself at overnight success at 50, an age when many actors are forced into retirement.  Morgan has done roles ranging from a Convict(Shawshank Redemption) to detective(Se7en) to president(Deep Impact) to God(Bruce Almighty). He plays the worldly wise mentor kind of roles. He has that kind of calm assurance, a Father like personality to whom we can look up to. It is not just his persona, it's also his deep bass voice, that is totally out of the world. When you listen to him narrating The Shawshank Redemption , you can feel its not an ordinary voice. His aversion to celebrity is as powerful as his passion for acting, so few are aware that his off-screen life has been as dramatic and colourful as his on-screen exploits.

• Born in June 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA , and Grown up in the depression era, Freeman never experienced racism until he moved to Chicago. Freeman had a difficult childhood moving from place to place. Back in Mississippi he stumbled on what would become his life’s passion when a teacher encouraged Morgan to channel is show-off energy into performing. Arrived in Los Angeles in 1959 and his first job was as a clerk typist.

• After a brief stint as a fighter pilot, Freeman headed for Hollywood, only to be knocked back. He moved to New York where he spent years working his way up the theatrical ladder. Along the way, Freeman was out of work, battled alcohol abuse and the break-up of his marriage and nearly left acting. Morgan's first big acting role was in the children's television series "The Electric Company" and talked to kids about the importance of reading. 

• He really stood out, scoring an Oscar nomination as a merciless hoodlum in Street Smart (1987) and, then, he dazzled audiences and pulled a second Oscar nomination as the patient and dignified chauffeur assisting moody pensioner  in the delightful Driving Miss Daisy (1989). The same year, Freeman teamed up with  Matthew Broderick and fiery Denzel Washington in the epic Civil War drama Glory (1989) about freed slaves being recruited to form the first all-African American fighting brigade.

• He continued to rise, in the 1990s upto now with strong roles , which made him the most respected actor in the modern cinema.

• Trade Mark : Frequently plays characters with calm demeanor. [Narration] Often provides narration for his films, as either himself or the character he is playing. Rich, yet mellow voice.

• Ranked #31 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. Three films of his are on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are: Driving Miss Daisy (1989) at #77, Glory (1989) at #31 and The Shawshank Redemption (1994) at #23.

• Received "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Acting" Award on 7 August 2000. Most of the characters he has played aren't written specifically for an African-American actor. Was honored with the American Film Institute's 39th Lifetime Achievement Award on June 9, 2011. Received the 2012 Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes award ceremony in January 2012

•  Recently earned a Private Pilot license.  

• Listed his five favorite films as King Kong (1933), High Noon (1952), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Moby Dick (1956).

Morgan's Charity Work : 

• Freeman also sits on the Board of Directors for Earth Biofuels, a company whose mission is to promote the use of clean-burning fuels in America.

• Showing his affection for animals, Freeman has given support to the Mississippi Animal Rescue League, and he donated funds to help create a new research area at the Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine, subsequently named the Morgan Freeman Equine Reproduction Research Unit.

• Freeman founded the Grenada Relief Fund, now known as Plan!t Now, to help victims of natural disasters, and his diverse philanthropic profile is further rounded out by his patronage of Artists for a New South Africa, and the Campaign for Female Education.

• Freeman hosted an online disaster relief auction to benefit the American Red Cross. 

 

Morgan Freeman Quotes : 

 "I find it difficult to watch myself...I find it boring."

"I'm not a campaigner or a crusader for ending racism, or anything for that matter. I believe you should live your life according to your own tenets. If there are people you don't like, avoid them. But not liking people based on generalities is stupid."

"That was a strange production. There were moments of extreme tension on the set. Between the producers and actors, between the director and actors, between everybody. Just this personality stuff between different groups. Very strange. Let's stop talking about that one. - on working on The Shawshank Redemption (1994)."

"I don't know about anyone else, but my kids didn't have me. I was busy trying to be somebody."


                                                 If u feel down or have no hope, just have a look at Morgan's life for inspiration. At the age of 40, he was named  Broadway's Best Newcomer!! At 50, he was nominated for an academy award. At 52, he earned his first leading actor role.  At 67 he won his first Oscar. At 72 he played Nelson Mandela, a role Mandela had said that when a movie was made about his life , he should be played by Morgan Freeman. At 75, he had won the Life Time Achievement Award in 2012 Golden Globes.

                                                 In a documentary about Freeman , he tells the interviewer, “I think you don’t have life if you don’t have a dream. If you have something to aim for, put it before you. Put it on the medicine cabinet or the refrigerator door, so that every time you go to the refrigerator, you are reminded ‘This is what I want.‘ You’re gonna get it, guaranteed."

Morgan Freeman - Wikipedia