A mini retrospective on the lengthy career of Morgan Freeman, from the man himself, as he narrates some of his highlights over the years to Yahoo Movies.
From Street Smart (1987), what was his breakout movie role as the volatile pimp Fast Black in which he starred opposite the late Christopher Reeve – who, as Freeman explains in the video below, agreed to do a 4th Superman movie only if the studio allowed him to make this character drama. His performance in the film also earned Freeman his first Oscar nominations (Best Actor in a Supporting Role); to Invictus, 22 years later (2009), in which Freeman played Nelson Mandela – a momentous opportunity for Freeman, who says in the video that he was Mandela’s first choice to play him onscreen. The performance also earned him an Oscar nomination – his 5th nomination (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role).
Freeman also remembers his favorite roles in films that came between the above 2 – Driving Ms Daisy, Glory, The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Million Dollar Baby (for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris) and The Dark Knight Trilogy.
In 2008, Freeman received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished career.
In 2011 he was the recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, and this year, he received with the Gene Siskel Renaissance Award from School of the Art Institute Chicago – just to name a few honors.
Watch the actor relive the above films in the 3 video clips below:
