Oscar-winning Morgan Freeman is one of the most versatile, talented, and well-respected names in Hollywood today. However, the Mississippi native did not taste success for years. After delivering his first credited film role in the 1971 film Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow? Morgan Freeman struggled for almost a decade before becoming recognized for his acting talents and it took him another decade to enjoy a Hollywood breakthrough.
In his almost five decades-long career, Morgan Freeman has starred in over 100 films and delivered major successes, such as Street Smart, Se7en, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Batman Begins, Gone Baby Gone, and Invictus. But there is a lot more to this incredibly talented actor than his magnificent voice and cool temper. In this video, we tell you some interesting facts about Morgan Freeman including about that one passion of his for which he almost quit acting. So, hit the play button and enjoy.
Morgan Freeman Almost Quit Acting for THIS
Freeman became a fan of the movies at a very early age. However, he found himself indulging in only one kind of cinema – Morgan Freeman was a fan of war films, and these films had such a strong impact on him that he turned down a theatre scholarship from Jackson University to pursue his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955 and work as a radar technician for four years before promoting to airman.
Freeman’s ultimate dream was to become a fighter pilot, and he came close to achieving this dream too. However, everything changed after he got the chance to sit in a cockpit. In an interview, Freeman confessed that after he found himself in the cockpit, he realized he wasn’t going to ever enjoy being a fighter pilot. He, therefore, quit the Air Force in 1959 and pursued a career in acting. The rest is history.
He, However, Eventually Got His Pilot’s License
Though Freeman decided against becoming a fighter pilot, his love for flying stayed alive, and therefore, he decided to get a pilot’s license. It all happened when Freeman was flying with a friend who handed over the controls to him for a moment. Morgan enjoyed controlling the aircraft so much that he decided to apply for a pilot’s license. Currently, Morgan owns two private jets: a Cessna Citation II and a Cessna 414. Let us also tell you that these are mighty expensive machines with a pre-owned Cessna costing as much as $1 million or more.
He Is Also a Seasoned Sailor
Morgan Freeman sailed for the first time in 1967 in an 18-foot center boat in Stowe, Vermont. He enjoyed the experience so much that he eventually bought a boat and would frequently sail out of Eastchester Bay. Freeman’s first boat stayed with him for 16 long years. In 1979, he sailed to the Caribbean with his wife and daughter and reached Bermuda in nine days, where the family stayed for six weeks. In 1991, Freeman bought a Shannon 38 and cruised the British Virgin Islands in it. The last we knew Morgan owned a Shannin 43 and was using it to cruise the Caribbean.
He Enjoys Playing Golf
Morgan Freeman is an avid golfer. In 2012, he was the only American athlete to have made par on the Extreme 19th at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort located in the 22,000-hectare Entabeni Safari Conservancy in Limpopo in Africa. While every hole in the resort design by a leading golf player, the extreme 19th hole is especially famous among golfers around the world. Freeman met with a car accident in 2008, which left his entire left hand paralyzed. Therefore, he makes use of his right hand while playing the sport and has become quite famous for his one-handed swinging style.
Are you enjoying these fun facts about Morgan Freeman? We all know that Morgan Freeman is incredibly talented and is one of the greatest actors of our time but even then, you will be surprised to know about the number of award nominations and victories the man has to his credit. We will shed more light on this in just a short while. In the meantime, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel if you enjoy watching our videos.
He Realized His Love for Acting After Being Forced to Participate in His School’s Drama Competition
As a child, Morgan Freeman was a big fan of the movies. Though he came from a humble background and his family did not have much money to spare, he would find some or the other way to collect enough money to watch films. Freeman made his stage debut at the age of nine with a lead role in a school play. However, he did not perform again for three years and when he did, it was a punishment. When Freeman was 12, he had a huge crush on a girl in his class. One day, to get this girl’s attention, Freeman pulled the chair from under her just as she was about to sit. The girl make a complaint and as punishment, Freeman forces to participate in the school’s drama competition. Funnily, Freeman won the best actor award in the competition.
He started off as a Dancer but Eventually Became More Interested in Acting
Morgan Freeman started in the entertainment industry as a dancer. After working as a dancer in the World Fair of 1964, he joined the San Francisco-based Opera Ring Musical group. However, after doing a small part in the 1965-film The Pawnbroker, Morgan became convinced that he enjoyed acting more than dancing. In 1967, he made his Off-Broadway debut with The Nigger Lovers. He remained prolific through the 60s and 70s, producing a great amount of work and earning recognition for it. In 1978, he played Wino in The Mighty Gents. His broadway role did not only win him a Best Actor Tony Award but also Drama Desk and Clarence Derwent Awards.
He Is Fluent in Both English and French
Morgan Freeman is fluent in two languages: English and French. He learned French at the University of California, Los Angeles, and delivered the introductory speech at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in French for the 2002 film The Sum of All Fears. However, Morgan says that while talking to French media, he prefers to stick to English as he often finds himself pausing to search for the right words in French when talking to the French media
He Has Reprised a Total of Three Roles in His Acting Career so Far
Morgan Freeman does not mind playing the same role again. In 1995, he appeared as psychologist Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls. The film was a mediocre success but critics praised Freeman’s acting. Freeman reprised his role as Alex Cross in the 2001-sequel Along Came a Spider. Other than Kiss the Girls, Freeman also reprised his role as God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty and Bruce Wayne’s business manager Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Freeman Has Appeared in Two Films Based on Stephen King’s Novels
Morgan Freeman has appeared in two films based on Stephen King’s novels and while one of these films turned out to be one of the biggest hits of his career, the other tanked at the box office. The Shawshank Redemption bases on Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption releases in 1994 and is a major hit. In the film, Freeman played Ellis ‘Red’ Redding and his portrayal of the character won Freeman an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category. The film makes on a budget of $25 million and went on to rake close to $60 million at the box office. Dreamcatcher, on the other hand, release in 2003 and dealt with a parasitic alien invasion. The film was made on a budget of $68 million and grossed close to $75 million. It mostly garnered negative reviews.
He Has Set up a Fund to Help Victims of Hurricanes and Severe Storms
In 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused massive destruction in the Caribbean and the United States. To help those affected by the hurricane, Freeman set up a fund called the Granada Relief Fund, which eventually turned into the PLANIT NOW fund. This fund helps victims of storms and hurricanes.
Not only did Freeman set up the fund, but he also brought together 15 celebrities to work on a cookbook. Morgan Freeman and Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause, published in 2006,offered to readers many exotic recipes and island tales. These recipes and tales came from popular celebrities, including Hilary Swank, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, and Katie Couric. All the money that came from the book went to the Grenada Relief Fund.
He Turned His Mississippi Ranch into a Home for Bees After Coming to Know About the Dwindling Insect Population
Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Mississippi. He currently lives in Charleston, Mississippi but maintains a home in New York. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Freeman revealed that he transformed a 124-acre patch of land on his Mississipi ranch into a honeybee home. Freeman took this decision after he became aware of the fact that the population of bees was dwindling in the area — he maintains 26 beehives at the ranch. That apart, he also owns a Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississipi, which he bought in 2001 in partnership with two of his friends.
He Is One of the Most Incredibly Talented Actors but He Thinks He Just Got Lucky
Morgan Freeman has been recognized with various awards for his work in movies as well as his humanitarian work. The actor has been nominated for Academy and Golden Globes five times. His role in Driving Miss Daisy won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and his portrayal of Eddie ‘Scrap-Iron’ Dupris won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He was also presented with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008, AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012. In 2018, he was presented with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He has even won an award for a performance he delivered 20 years ago — in 2015, Freeman was awarded the Best Vintage Performance Award for his portrayal of Detective Somerset in the 1995-film Se7en. To this day, Morgan Freeman has appeared in more than 100 films, has been nominated for 79 different awards, and won 61 of these awards.
Morgan Freeman is certainly one of the greatest living actors of all time and yet the man refuses to accept his talent and skills and considers himself just lucky.
So, did you enjoy this video about Morgan Freeman and his life? Were you aware of these facts? And are there any other fun facts about the actor that we have missed and you would like to add to the list? If yes, please leave a comment. More importantly, if you enjoy Facts Verse videos, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon to stay updated about all our latest videos.
