Freeman won an Oscar Award in 2004 for his supporting role in Clint Eastwoods Million Dollar Baby.
He is also the recipient of three additional Oscar nominations, the first in 1987 for his chilling performance as a homicidal pimp in the drama Street Smart, which also brought him the L.A., N.Y., and National Society of Film Critics Awards for best supporting actor as well as an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Freeman earned his second Oscar nomination in 1989 for recreating his award-winning Broadway role in Driving Miss Daisy and his third for Frank Darabonts 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption.
His recent film credits include Luc Bessons Unleashed, Robert Redfords An Unfinished Life, Batman Begins, Lucky Number Slevin, the comedy Bruce Almighty and its sequel, Evan Almighty, Ben Afflecks Gone Baby Gone, Robert Bentons Feast of Love and the Academy Award-winning documentary March of the Penguins, for which he provided the narration.
Among Freeman’s upcoming projects are the next chapter in the Batman saga, The Dark Knight, and the crime drama The Code, both set for 2008 release.
The Memphis-born actor began his career on New York stages in the early 1960s, following a stint as a mechanic in the Air Force. A decade later, he became a nationally known television personality when he created the character Easy Reader on the popular children’s show The Electric Company.
Throughout the 1970s, he continued his work on stage, winning the Drama Desk Award and the Clarence Derwent Award and receiving a Tony Award Nomination for his outstanding performance in The Mighty Gents in 1978. He also won an Obie Award for his portrayal of Shakespearean anti-hero Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival.
In 1984, Freeman won another Obie for his role as The Messenger in the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of Lee Breuer’s Gospel at Colonus and, in 1985, won the Dramalogue Award for the same role. The part of Hoke Coleburn in Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Driving Miss Daisy, brought him a third Obie.
His last stage appearance was as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew at the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Delacorte Theater with Tracey Ullman.
In 1993, Freeman made his film directorial debut with Bopha!, and soon after formed Revelations Entertainment to develop entertainment product that enlightens, inspires and glorifies the human experience. Their most recent production was the Brad Silberling comedy 10 Items or Less, in which Freeman starred with Paz Vega.
His earlier acting credits include roles in Brubaker, Harry & Sons, Teachers Marie, That Was Then This Is Now, Clean & Sober, Johnny Handsome, the multiple award-winning Glory, Chain Reaction, Kiss the Girls, Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, Hard Rain, Deep Impact, Nurse Betty, Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, High Crimes and The Sum of All Fears.
Blessed with a singular, melodic voice, Freeman has often been cast as the authorial voice of a tale, as voice-over narrator, as spiritual guide, and even as God.
