On his 88th birthday, let’s take a look at seven of his finest performances, including action films to detective dramas.
Morgan Freeman is undoubtedly one of the most loved film stars of contemporary cinema, and in his career spanning six decades, the actor, producer, and narrator has been honoured with several accolades. He has also worked alongside several renowned actors and finest filmmakers of all time. While he kicked off his career in television, he rose to fame in the 1980s, especially with the 1989 Best Picture-winner Driving Miss Daisy. Nonetheless, he has been part of numerous films by filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, among others, and his career is still thriving.
On his 88th birthday, let’s take a look at seven of his finest performances, including action films to detective dramas.
The film, which stood at the top as one of IMDB’s top 250 films of all time, is a prison story of forgiveness, and reprisal. It stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, and Freeman as Ellis Boyd. The film is based on the novel Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Steven King, and Freeman with his performance makes this film a much-loved classic.
Ben Affleck made his directorial debut with the film, which starred his brother Casey as a Boston detective investigating a young girl’s kidnapping. Morgan Freeman gave a heart-hitting performance as one of the lead detectives of the case, and his act as a police officer with authority cannot be missed.
Helmed by American filmmaker David Fincher, the dark 1995 crime film Seven revolves around a serial killer who dispatches his victims using the story of the seven deadly sins. Brad Pitt and Freeman play two detectives who try to foil his plans, and the two highlight the new and old school way of policing respectively.
The film, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1989, is one of Freeman’s greatest films. It sees the actor as a chauffeur for an elderly Jewish woman in the American South, and highlights the racial differences between the two of them while exploring their relationship. The film also stars Jessica Tandy, Dan Aykroyd and Esther Rolle, but Freeman delivered one of his all-time best performances.
Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture-winning film is a story of a merciless killer turned pig farmer, and his return to the world of crime. With the film, the trio of the director, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, captivated the audience. Unforgiven actually remains one of the few western films to claim the top prize at the Oscars. Freeman is seen as Ned Logan, a friend of the protagonist, and ended up becoming one of the most beloved characters.
Starring Freeman along with Clint Eastwood, Anthony Mackie and Jay Baruchel, the film won the Best Picture in 2005. It highlights the tumultuous life of a woman working to become a professional boxer. Million Dollar Baby got Hilary Swank an Oscar for her leading performance, and Freeman too bagged an award for his supporting role as a former boxer.
Helmed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Freeman along with Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Pete Postlethwaite, among others. Despite being one of the director’s worst films, it sees Freeman playing his role of an assistant to the lawyer defending the Mende to perfection.
