Morgan Freeman Through the Years
1 of 40
Morgan Freeman Turns 80
Born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 1, 1937, Morgan Freeman turns 80 Thursday. The beloved actor has been acting since he was a child, and got his start in Hollywood with roles on the soap opera Another World and the PBS kids' show The Electric Company. He has gone on to capture audiences with his performances in films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Glory, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, and many more. In honor of Freeman’s 80th birthday, see photos of the star through the years.
1 of 40
2 of 40
1971
On the set of the PBS TV series The Electric Company
2 of 40
3 of 40
April 12, 1978
Freeman with first wife Jeanette at the Mighty Gents Broadway opening party
3 of 40
4 of 40
1986
Publicity shot of Freeman in the film Street Smart in New York
4 of 40
5 of 40
January 23, 1988
At the 45th Annual Golden Globe Awards
5 of 40
6 of 40
January 24, 1988
From left: Broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, film director Joseph L. Brooks, Freeman, actor Jack Nicholson at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards at Sardi's restaurant
6 of 40
7 of 40
February 26, 1990
With Sidney Poitier at the D.W. Griffith Awards
7 of 40
8 of 40
March 20, 1990
Attending the Annual Academy Awards Oscar Nominees luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel
8 of 40
9 of 40
March 26, 1990
With second wife Myrna Freeman at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards
9 of 40
10 of 40
March 6, 1993
At the Indian Wells IBM/ATP Tour Awards Champions Cup at Stouffer Esmeralda Resort in Palm Springs
10 of 40
11 of 40
September 24, 1993
Portrait taken in Toronto
11 of 40
12 of 40
March 27, 1995
With wife Myrna Freeman and their daughter during The 67th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles
12 of 40
13 of 40
September 7, 1995
With Michael Jackson during the VH1 Honors in Los Angeles
13 of 40
14 of 40
September 13, 1997
In London
14 of 40
15 of 40
October 1998
With Cate Blanchett at the New York premiere of the actress' film Elizabeth
15 of 40
16 of 40
September 18, 2000
Hugging actor Gregory Peck at the premiere of Under Suspicion in Santa Monica
16 of 40
17 of 40
October 28, 2000
With Sidney Poitier at the 14th Annual Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel
17 of 40
18 of 40
July 16, 2001
Portrait taken in Melbourne
18 of 40
19 of 40
May 29, 2002
At the premiere of The Sum of All Fears in Westwood, Calif.
19 of 40
20 of 40
June 5, 2002
At his footprint ceremony at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
20 of 40
21 of 40
January 16, 2003
Attending the premiere of Levity at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah
21 of 40
22 of 40
May 30, 2004
Acknowledges the crowd as official pace car driver during the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
22 of 40
23 of 40
September 7, 2004
At the screening for The Sugarland Express at the Deauville American Film Festival in France
23 of 40
24 of 40
February 12, 2005
With Diana Ross at Clive Davis' Pre-Grammy Awards party at the Beverly Hills Hotel
24 of 40
25 of 40
February 27, 2005
Posing with his Best Supporting Actor trophy (for his role in Million Dollar Baby) at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood
25 of 40
26 of 40
November 16, 2006
At the Sithengi round table in Cape Town, South Africa
26 of 40
27 of 40
September 2, 2007
With Nelson Mandela at the Unite For A Better World gala dinner in Monte Carlo, Monaco
27 of 40
28 of 40
December 18, 2007
Discussing the impact of severe storms and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
28 of 40
29 of 40
December 7, 2008
The 2008 Kennedy Center honorees: (L-R, front row) performer Barbra Streisand, Freeman, dancer Twyla Tharp, (L-R, back row) producer George Stevens, Jr., President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Michael M. Kaiser, musician Roger Daltrey, musician Pete Townshend, musician George Jones, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Stephen A. Schwarzman
29 of 40
30 of 40
November 18, 2009
With actor/director Clint Eastwood at the GQ Men Of The Year party at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood
30 of 40
31 of 40
October 4, 2010
Being interviewed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in New York
31 of 40
32 of 40
June 9, 2011
Receiving the Life Achievement Award at the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Morgan Freeman
32 of 40
33 of 40
June 7, 2012
Attending the AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine in Culver City, Calif.
33 of 40
34 of 40
June 6, 2013
With Robert De Niro backstage at AFI's Life Achievement Award Tribute to Mel Brooks in Hollywood
34 of 40
35 of 40
January 18, 2014
Hugging Rita Moreno at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles
35 of 40
36 of 40
November 18, 2014
With costar Tim Robbins at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 20th anniversary screening of The Shawshank Redemption in Beverly Hills
36 of 40
37 of 40
May 9, 2015
Waving before receiving an honorary doctorate at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
37 of 40
38 of 40
May 8, 2016
On stage at the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games in Orlando
38 of 40
39 of 40
February 6, 2017
Puckering up to Helen Mirren after being presented the Career Achievement Award at the 16th Annual AARP The Magazine's Movies For Grownups Awards in Beverly Hills
39 of 40
40 of 40
March 28, 2017
Attending the AOL Build series to discuss Going In Style in New York City