American actor Morgan Freeman is one of the legends in the film industry, born on 1 June 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. Morgan is known for his versatility, and particularly from films which include “Million Dollar Baby” in 2004 for which he won a Best Supporting Oscar, and “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1999 which brought him a Golden Globe Award.
So just how rich is Morgan Freeman, as of mid-2017? Authoritative sources estimate that Morgan’s net worth is over $220 million, accumulated largely through his career as an actor which spans more than 50 years. In addition, Morgan has increased his wealth working as a film director and narrator.
Morgan Freeman Net Worth $220 Million
Freeman is descended partly from the Tuareg of West Africa – his mother, Mayme was a teacher, and his father, Morgan Sr. worked as a barber. Morgan was just nine when he played a leading role in a school play, then while studying at what is now Greenwood High School, Mississippi he won a statewide drama competition, and performed in a radio show. After school he then joined the US Air Force for four years, working on radar, after which he lived in Los Angeles, taking acting and dancing lessons.
Beginning in 1960, he worked as a dancer in the Opera Ring musical theater group, and for most of the ‘60s worked on the stage, winning three Obie Awards for the title role in ‘Coriolanus’, as a preacher in “The Gospel at Colonus”, and thirdly as a chauffeur in ‘Driving Miss Daisy’. Freeman is also a winner of a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino in ‘The Mighty Gents’. His net worth was now well established.
Morgan became better known through roles in the TV soap opera ‘Another World’ and the kids’ TV series ‘The Electric Company’ in the early ‘70s. On the big screen Freeman was cast in prominent supporting roles, which boosted his reputation, and so moved to bigger roles which increased his net worth significantly. He reprised his stage role in ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, played Sergeant Major Rawlins in ‘Glory’, Red in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, Azeem in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’, Ned Logan in ‘Unforgiven’ produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, Detective William Somerset in ‘Seven’ and President Tom Beck in ‘Deep Impact’ directed by Mimi Leder, among many other roles.
Freeman’s net worth rose further after he established the film production company Revelations Entertainment together with Lori McCreary and online film distribution company ClickStar, together with his sister. In addition to this, he continued his career as an actor, starring in the religious comedy film ‘Bruce Almighty’ and its sequel ‘Evan Almighty’, a superhero based on the character Batman in “Batman Begins” and two sequels, and the comedy-drama film directed by Rob Reiner – ‘The Bucket List’.
More recently, Freeman played Nelson Mandella in “Invictus”, and starred in the action comedy film ‘Red’ with Bruce Willis, and in the science fiction film ‘Oblivion’.
Aside from acting, Morgan Freeman directorial debut was in 1993 with “Bopha!” for Paramount Pictures, and in using his distinctive voice, Freeman actually replaced Walter Cronkite introducing the CBS Evening News in 2010. Also since 2010, Freeman has hosted “Through the Wormhole” on the Discovery Channel.
His many roles have increased Morgan Freeman’s net worth and brought him fame and awards, as aside from his Oscar and Golden Globe, he is the winner of a Black Reel Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and fifteen Film Critic Awards. Moreover, Freeman’s net worth rose after he received an Award for Lifetime achievement in Mississippi in 2006.
In his personal life, Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from 1967 to 1979. He then married Myrna Colley-Lee in 1984, but the couple finally divorced in 2007. He has four children including two from extra-marital affairs prior to his first marriage.
