Morgan Freeman is an American actor who has received several awards throughout his nearly seven-decade-long career, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for six Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award.
He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a gym assistant and former boxer in the Clint Eastwood sports drama Million Dollar Baby (2004). He was Oscar-nominated for his performances as a pimp in Street Smart (1987), a chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), a prison inmate in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Nelson Mandela in Invictus (2009). He also has earned the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Driving Miss Daisy and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for Million Dollar Baby (2004).
For his work on television, he earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for playing a fictionalized version of himself in the Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method (2021). He also was Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Informational Series or Special for the National Geographic series The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016) and three nominations for Outstanding Narrator for the documentary series March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step (2018), Our Universe (2023), and Life on Our Planet (2024).
Freeman earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Zeke in the Broadway play The Mighty Gents (1978). For his lifetime achievement in acting he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2008. His other honorary awards include the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012 and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018.
Major awards Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1988 Best Supporting Actor Street Smart 1990Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy 1995 The Shawshank Redemption 2005 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby 2010 Best Actor Invictus
Critics' Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby 2007 Best Cast Gone Baby Gone 2008 The Dark Knight 2009 Best Actor Invictus
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 2016 Outstanding Informational Series or Special The Story of God with Morgan Freeman 2018 Outstanding Narrator March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step 2021 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series The Kominsky Method (episode: "The Round Toes, of the High Shoes") 2023Outstanding Narrator Our Universe (episode: "Chasing Starlight") 2024 Life on Our Planet (episode: "The Rules of Life") News and Documentary Emmy Awards2012Outstanding Science and Technology ProgrammingThrough the Wormhole
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1988 Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureStreet Smart 1990 Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Driving Miss Daisy 1995 Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama The Shawshank Redemption 2005 Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Million Dollar Baby 2010 Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Invictus Non-competitive awards2012 Cecil B. DeMille Award
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1996 Best Spoken Word Album for Children Follow the Drinkin' Gourd
Screen Actors Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1995 Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role The Shawshank Redemption 2005 Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting RoleMillion Dollar Baby Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture2010 Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role Invictus Non-competitive awards2017Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1978 Best Featured Actor in a PlayThe Mighty Gents
Critics awards Organizations Year Category Project Result Chicago Film Critics Association 1989 Best Supporting Actor Glory 1994 Best Supporting Actor The Shawshank Redemption 1995 Best Actor Se7en Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association 1994 Best Actor The Shawshank Redemption 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby 2009 Best Actor Invictus Drama Desk Awards 1978 Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play The Mighty Gents Kansas City Film Critics Circle 1989 Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy London Film Critics Circle 1995 Actor of the Year Se7en Los Angeles Film Critics Association 1987 Best Supporting Actor Street Smart 1989 Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy Glory Lean on Me Johnny Handsome 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby National Society of Film Critics 1987 Best Supporting Actor Street Smart 1989 Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy 1995 Best Actor Se7en 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby New York Film Critics Circle 1987 Best Supporting Actor Street Smart 1989 Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 2004 Best Supporting Actor Million Dollar Baby 2009 Best Actor Invictus
Miscellaneous awards Organizations Year Category Project Result Berlin International Film Festival 1989 Silver Bear for Best Acting Team Driving Miss Daisy Black Reel Awards2000 Best Actor Nurse Betty 2002 Best Supporting Actor The Sum of All Fears 2003 Bruce Almighty 2004 Million Dollar Baby 2009 Best Actor Invictus 2015 Best Voice Performance The Lego Movie Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 1996 Favorite Actor – Mystery/Thriller Seven Empire Award 1995 Best ActorSeven Independent Spirit Award 1987 Best Supporting MaleStreet Smart MTV Movie Awards 1991 Best On-Screen Duo Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1995 Best On-Screen Duo Seven NAACP Image Awards1989 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Driving Miss Daisy Lean on Me 1995 Seven 1997Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Amistad1998Deep Impact2000Nurse Betty2001Along Came a Spider 2002 Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureHigh Crimes 2003Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureBruce Almighty2004Million Dollar Baby2009 Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureInvictus2010Red2012The Magic of Belle IsleNational Board of Review 1989 Best Actor Driving Miss Daisy 2009 Best Actor Invictus People's Choice Award 2008 Favorite Cast The Dark Knight Saturn Award1995 Best Actor Seven Satellite Award2000 Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNurse Betty Teen Choice Awards 2003 Choice Movie ChemistryBruce Almighty
Honorary awards Organizations Year Notes Result American Academy of Achievement 1998 Golden Plate Award Hollywood Walk of Fame 2003 Star on the Walk of Fame Cairo International Film Festival 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2008 Kennedy Center Honors Zurich Film Festival 2009 Golden Icon Award Sarajevo Film Festival 2010 Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award Living Legends of Aviation 2011 Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award American Film Institute 2011 AFI Life Achievement Award Golden Globe Awards 2012 Cecil B. DeMille Award City of London 2014 Freedom of the City Screen Actors Guild Award 2017 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
Honorary degrees Organizations Year Notes Rhodes College 1997 Honorary degree Wood, Bennett. Rhodes 150: A Sesquicentennial Yearbook, p. 214. Brown University 2010 Honorary degree Boston University 2013 Honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters)
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