Who is Morgan Freeman?
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, movie producer, director, and narrator. He has received numerous global awards and recognition for his acting career which has spanned over five decades. Freeman is known for his stellar performances in movies like “Glory”, “Madam Secretary”, “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Lean On Me”. He is reportedly the owner of “Ground Zero”, a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Morgan Freeman’s childhood and education
Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the youngest of four children born to his parents – Morgan Porterfield Freeman (father) and Mayme Edna (mother). Freeman is 85 years old as of 2022. His parents relocated to Chicago after his birth in search of work while Morgan remained with his maternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi.
His grandma died when he was 6 years old and he had to return to his mom. At that time, his mother had separated from his father. Freeman and his mom would later relocate to Greenwood, Mississippi after they had lived in places like Chicago, Nashville, and Tennessee at different periods.
Morgan Freeman attended Threadgill Elementary School, Greenwood, Mississippi, before proceeding to Broad Street High School. He later studied Theatre Arts at the Los Angeles City College. The legendary actor reportedly turned down a scholarship from Jackson State University to join the Airforce in 1955. According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Freeman took acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse after leaving the Air Force in 1959.
About Morgan Freeman’s parents
Morgan Freeman’s father, Morgan Porterfield Freeman was a barber. The old man died in 1961 from cirrhosis of the liver. His mother, Mayme Edna (née Revere) was a teacher. Information about Morgan Freeman’s parents is scarce but reports had it that some of his ancestors were from the Songhai and Tuareg people of Niger. His great-great-grandparents were said to be slaves who migrated from North Carolina to Mississippi.
According to reports sighted by DNB Stories Africa, Morgan Freeman had a Caucasian maternal great-great-grandfather who lived with and was buried beside his African-American great-great-grandmother in the segregated South as they could not legally marry at the time.
About Morgan Freeman’s siblings
Morgan Freeman is the youngest of four children born to his parents. He has three older siblings. Not much is known about Morgan Freeman’s siblings.
Morgan Freeman’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this report, Morgan Freeman has been married and divorced twice and currently does not have a wife. Freeman has walked down the aisle on two different occasions, first to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw in 1967 and then to Myrna Colley-Lee in 1984. He has four grown-up children.
Freeman married his first wife Jeanette Adair Bradshaw in 1967. They legally divorced in 1979, after 12 years of marriage. After the divorce, Freeman waited for about five years before he got married to his second wife, Myrna Colley-Lee in 1984. They separated in 2007 and their divorce was finalized in 2010.
List of Morgan Freeman’s girlfriends/relationships
- Morgan Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 1967 to November 1979.
- Morgan Freeman was married to Myrna Colley-Lee from June 1984 to September 2010.
- Morgan Freeman and Demaris Meyer dated from 2008 to 2009.
- Morgan Freeman was accused of having an affair with his step-granddaughter E’Dena Hines in 2009.
- Morgan Freeman was speculated to have dated Debbie Allen. The time of their relationship is not known.
- Morgan Freeman allegedly dated Rita Moreno. The time of their relationship is not known.
- Morgan Freeman reportedly dated Lori McCreary, though the time of their affair is unknown.
About Morgan Freeman’s marriage to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw
Jeanette Adair Bradshaw is the first wife of Morgan Freeman. According to reports, Freeman married Jeanette while he was still struggling with his career. The ex-couple got married on October 22, 1967, in a private wedding ceremony after dating for about five years. Their marriage ended on November 18, 1979, after being married for 12 years.
The reason for their split was never disclosed, but there were rumours that an act of infidelity from Freeman played a part in their separation. Freeman’s marriage to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw produced one child, a daughter named Morgana Freeman. However, after they got married, Freeman adopted Jeanette Adair Bradshaw’s other daughter from her previous relationship named Deena Adair.
About Jeanette Adair Bradshaw’s biography
Not much is known about Morgan Freeman’s first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw. She only came into the limelight after her marriage to the movie star and she didn’t waste any time in going back to her private life immediately after their split.
However, it is known that Jeanette Adair Bradshaw had a child before her marriage to Morgan Freeman. Her marriage to the actor also produced another child named Morgana.
Morgan Freeman’s second marriage to Myrna Colley-Lee
Myrna Colley-Lee is Morgan Freeman’s second wife. Morgan Freeman got married to Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984, five years after his first marriage to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw ended. Freeman and Colley-Lee stayed married for about 23 years before separating in December 2007. Their divorce was finalized on September 15, 2010.
Despite being married for over 20 years, Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee did not have a child together. However, they adopted Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines. They were responsible for her until she died in 2015.
During their divorce proceedings, Myrna Colley-Lee accused Morgan Freeman of sleeping with his step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines. It is currently not known if Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee remained on good terms after their divorce in 2010, but there are reports suggesting that Myrna still maintains a good relationship with Morgan’s children.
About Myrna Colley-Lee’s biography
Myrna Colley-Lee is a costume designer, art director, and set designer who has worked in some of Hollywood’s biggest productions even before her marriage to Morgan Freeman. There are reports suggesting that Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee might have met at a movie location.
Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in Hamlet, North Carolina. She is 81 years old as of 2022. She reportedly obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Women’s College, University of North Carolina. She also studied Scene Painting and Properties at Brooklyn College, New York before obtaining a Master’s degree in Scenic and Costume Design from Temple University.
Unlike Freeman’s first wife, Jeanette, Myrna Colley-Lee has remained in the spotlight even after her divorce from Morgan. She also remained single, dedicating all her time to her career.
Morgan Freeman’s sexual harassment allegations
Morgan Freeman has been involved in a number of sexual harassment scandals. In 2018, he was accused by CNN of sexually harassing eight women. Freeman was also accused in 2009 of allegedly having an affair with his step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines.
According to reports, one of the women that accused Freeman of sexual harassment is a production assistant who alleged that Freeman kept trying to lift her skirt and asking if she was wearing underwear during the production of his 2015 movie “Going In Style”.
It was also reported that a senior member of the production team of the 2013 movie “Now You See Me” claimed that Freeman always commented on their bodies and they knew not to wear any fitted clothes that would expose any of their sensitive parts whenever he was coming around.
A co-author of the CNN piece, Chleo Melas also accused Freeman of sexual immorality. She was one of the three reporters that accused the star actor of behaving indecently with the press. Freeman later released a statement where he apologized to all his accusers. In the apology, he stated that making women feel uncomfortable was never his intent.
In his words:
Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feels uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected, that was never my intent.
There were additional reports that Freeman’s lawyer sent a letter to CNN president, Jeff Zucker, demanding a withdrawal of their allegations and an apology for the defamatory and false statement issued against the actor. He also claimed that their action indicates an absence of editorial control and journalistic malpractice.
In response to the lawyer, CNN fired back with a statement that defended its reports. Prior to the allegations by CNN, Morgan Freeman had also faced criticism over reports of having an illicit affair with his late step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines.
About Morgan Freeman and his step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines
Morgan Freeman was accused of having a romantic affair with his step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines in 2009. E’Dena was the daughter of Freeman’s adopted stepdaughter, Deena Adair. Freeman and his ex-wife, Myrna Colley-Lee had adopted Hines at a tender age. She even appeared in Freeman’s 2014 film titled “5 Flights-Off”.
The rumours of Freeman and E’Dena Hines’ affair were spearheaded by the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper which also reported that Freeman and E’Dena Hines had probably gotten married. Additional reports stated that Freeman’s second ex-wife, Myrna Colley-Lee, also accused the veteran actor of the same act during their divorce process.
Freeman and his step-granddaughter, E’Dena Hines denied the rumours at the time. In 2012, Freeman made it clear that the rumour was part of the defamatory fabrications of the tabloid media designed to sell papers. Hines, on the other hand, stated that she found the rumour not only ridiculous but hurtful.
E’Dena Hines’ death
Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter E’Dena Hines died on August 16, 2015, after she was stabbed multiple times by her then-drug-using boyfriend, Lamar Davenport. Davenport had stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death 25 times outside her Manhattan building on August 16, 2015. The young lady died at the age of 33.
During Davenport’s trial, the news of Morgan Freeman sleeping with E’Dena Hines surfaced again. According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, E’Dena Hines had told her boyfriend-turned murderer that Freeman had been having canal knowledge of her for years. Lamar Davenport’s attorney tried to use the story to his defence, but he was eventually found guity and sentenced to 20 years in prison for manslaughter.
Morgan Freeman’s children
Morgan Freeman is the proud father of four children (2 boys and 2 girls), one of which was adopted. The children are named Alfonso, Saifoulaye, Deena Adair, and Morgana Freeman respectively.
Freeman also currently has six publicly known grandchildren, three through his first son Alfonso and others through his daughter Morgana. According to the actor, being a father did not change him so much as he barely had time for the children while they were growing up.
List of Morgan Freeman’s children
- Alfonso Freeman
- Saifoulaye Freeman
- Morgana Freeman
- Deena Freeman
a. Alfonso Freeman
Alfonso Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s first child. He was born on September 13, 1959, in Los Angeles to Morgan Freeman and his then-romantic partner, Loletha Adkins. Alfonso grew up in Compton, California. He is 64 years old as of 2022. He is a graduate of Cal State University. He was once a telemarketer before he delved into acting. He was inspired to try acting by his father’s successful career.
The actor’s son spoke to his father for the first time via a telephone conversation in 1979 at the age of 20. They met physically in 1984 on the set of the film “The Atlanta Child Murders”. Alfonso made his acting debut alongside his father in the 1984 movie “The Shawshank Redemption”. Alfonso Freeman would, later on, appear in other films and shows like “Se7en”, “Burn”, “Death’s Door”, “Ten ‘Til Noon”, and “Nurse Betty”. He debuted as a producer in the 2016 crime movie “Shannon Street: Echoes Under a Blood Red Moon”.
Alfonso Freeman has been married twice just like his father. His first marriage was with Cynthia Gafford in 1982, but they divorced after seven years in 1989. He got married again to Larcenia Letice in 1994, five years after his divorce. He currently has three children named Alfonso Jr. Rene, Joshua Caleb, and Donovan Lee Freeman respectively.
Alfonso Jr. was born on March 11, 1983; Joshua was born on February 27, 1984, while Donovan was born on August 18, 1987. The ages of Morgan Freeman’s grandchildren as of 2022 are 39, 38, and 35 years respectively.
b. Saifoulaye Freeman
Saifoulaye Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s second son. He was born on August 31, 1960, to Morgan Freeman and an unknown woman he dated. As of 2022, Saifoulaye Freeman is 62 years old. Just like his mother, Saifoulaye Freeman has completely stayed off the limelight and there is hardly any information about his education, profession, or upbringing in the media.
c. Morgana Freeman
Morgana Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s first daughter. She is the only child Freeman had with his first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw. She was born on October 13, 1970. She is 52 years old as of 2022. She is an actress and a mother to three children. She starred in the movie “Death of a Prophet” alongside her father in 1981.
d. Deena Adair
Deena Adair is Morgan Freeman’s adopted daughter. Morgan Freeman’s first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw had Deena before her marriage to Morgan Freeman. Morgan Freeman adopted the child and raised her as his own. Deena Adair is the mother of E’Dena Hines whom Freeman was later accused of having an affair with.
