Morgan J. Freeman
Encyclopedia
Morgan J. Freeman is an American
film director
. In 1997, his debut feature, Hurricane Streets
, became the first narrative film to win three awards at the Sundance Film Festival
(Audience Award, Best Director, and Best Cinematography). The film was bought by MGM/UA and distributed the following year.
Morgan received a BA in film studies from UC Santa Barbara in 1992. Morgan spent the following year in Paris
studying film theory at the Sorbonne
. In 1993, he entered NYU's
's Graduate Film Program where he earned his MFA. During the summer of 1994, Morgan interned at a small production company where he was introduced to Todd Solondz
, who was prepping to shoot Welcome to the Dollhouse
. Morgan was an Assistant Director on Dollhouse, which went on to win the 1996 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It was on this film that he befriended actor Brendan Sexton III
, the eventual star of Hurricane Streets.
Following the critical success of Hurricane Streets, Freeman wrote and directed Desert Blue
. The film was distributed by the Samuel Goldwyn Company and reteamed Freeman with Brendan Sexton III. The film starred Christina Ricci
, Casey Affleck
, Ethan Suplee
, Peter Sarsgaard
and Kate Hudson
(in her film debut).
In 2000, Freeman wrote and directed The Cherry Picker for Showtime starring Janeane Garofalo
. He directed several music videos, including two for the breakout indie band Rilo Kiley
, and directed the teen hit Dawson's Creek
for The WB
. In 2001, Freeman directed American Psycho 2
for Lions Gate Entertainment
. In 2003, he helmed the independent feature Piggy Banks, which starred Gabriel Mann
, Kelli Garner
and Tom Sizemore
. Later that year, Freeman produced the MTV
reality TV show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
. In 2007, he created and executive produced the television series Maui Fever
, another MTV reality series.
Just Like the Son
, premiered to immediate audience and critical acclaim at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
and won the Alice Nella Citta Prize for Best Feature Film at its European debut in Italy at the 2006 Rome Film Festival. The film stars Mark Webber
, Brendan Sexton III and Rosie Perez
.
Freeman most recently directed the 2009 film Homecoming, starring Mischa Barton
.
He produces the new MTV reality shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom
.
Freeman currently lives in New York City
where he is writing his next screenplay.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. In 1997, his debut feature, Hurricane Streets
Hurricane Streets
Hurricane Streets is a 1997 American coming-of-age drama which was the debut feature film from writer-director Morgan J. Freeman . The film won the Audience, Best Director, and Best Cinematography Awards at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival—the first film ever to win three awards at the festival...
, became the first narrative film to win three awards at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
(Audience Award, Best Director, and Best Cinematography). The film was bought by MGM/UA and distributed the following year.
Morgan received a BA in film studies from UC Santa Barbara in 1992. Morgan spent the following year in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
studying film theory at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. In 1993, he entered NYU's
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Graduate Film Program where he earned his MFA. During the summer of 1994, Morgan interned at a small production company where he was introduced to Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...
, who was prepping to shoot Welcome to the Dollhouse
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Welcome to the Dollhouse is a 1995 American independent coming of age dark comedy. An independent film, it launched the careers of Todd Solondz and Heather Matarazzo.-Plot:...
. Morgan was an Assistant Director on Dollhouse, which went on to win the 1996 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It was on this film that he befriended actor Brendan Sexton III
Brendan Sexton III
Brendan Eugene Sexton III is an American actor.-Career:Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut in Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award...
, the eventual star of Hurricane Streets.
Following the critical success of Hurricane Streets, Freeman wrote and directed Desert Blue
Desert Blue
Desert Blue is a 1998 American comedy/drama film directed by Morgan J. Freeman and starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, and John Heard....
. The film was distributed by the Samuel Goldwyn Company and reteamed Freeman with Brendan Sexton III. The film starred Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
, Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt , better known as Casey Affleck, is an American actor and film director. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he played supporting roles in mainstream hits like Good Will Hunting and Ocean's Eleven as well as in critically acclaimed independent films such as...
, Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee is an American film and television actor best known for his roles as Seth Ryan in American History X, Louie Lastik in Remember the Titans, Frankie in Boy Meets World, Randy Hickey in My Name Is Earl, Thumper in The Butterfly Effect, Dewey in Unstoppable, and his roles in Kevin Smith...
, Peter Sarsgaard
Peter Sarsgaard
John Peter Sarsgaard is an American film and stage actor. He landed his first feature role in the movie Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron...
and Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
(in her film debut).
In 2000, Freeman wrote and directed The Cherry Picker for Showtime starring Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
. He directed several music videos, including two for the breakout indie band Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel....
, and directed the teen hit Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
for The WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
. In 2001, Freeman directed American Psycho 2
American Psycho 2
American Psycho 2 is a stand-alone 2002 direct-to-video sequel/spin-off of Mary Harron's 2000 film adaptation of American Psycho. It is directed by Morgan J. Freeman and stars Mila Kunis as Rachael Newman, a driven criminology student who is drawn to murder. The film also features William Shatner...
for Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
. In 2003, he helmed the independent feature Piggy Banks, which starred Gabriel Mann
Gabriel Mann (actor)
Gabriel Mann is an American actor and former fashion model, currently starring as Nolan Ross on the ABC drama series Revenge.-Life and career:...
, Kelli Garner
Kelli Garner
Kelli Brianne Garner is an American actress. Her credits include Man of the House, The Aviator, Bully and Thumbsucker. She appeared in two Green Day music videos "Jesus of Suburbia" and the unreleased ""...
and Tom Sizemore
Tom Sizemore
Thomas Edward "Tom" Sizemore, Jr. is an American film and television actor and producer. He is known for his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Strange Days, Pearl Harbor, Heat and Black Hawk Down....
. Later that year, Freeman produced the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality TV show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, often referred to simply as Laguna Beach, is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from September 28, 2004 until November 16, 2006. It documents the lives of several teenagers living in Laguna Beach, an affluent seaside community located in...
. In 2007, he created and executive produced the television series Maui Fever
Maui Fever
Maui Fever is a reality series, created by haole Morgan J. Freeman for MTV. Filmed on location in Maui over a three month period, the show explored the real lives of several young haole friends living in the Kaanapali area....
, another MTV reality series.
Just Like the Son
Just Like the Son
Just Like the Son is an American feature film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman. The film was Freeman’s third from an original screenplay and shot during the summer of 2005 in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina...
, premiered to immediate audience and critical acclaim at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
and won the Alice Nella Citta Prize for Best Feature Film at its European debut in Italy at the 2006 Rome Film Festival. The film stars Mark Webber
Mark Webber (actor)
Mark Allen Webber is an American actor, screenwriter and director known for his roles in the films Snow Day and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.-Personal life:...
, Brendan Sexton III and Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez
Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...
.
Freeman most recently directed the 2009 film Homecoming, starring Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
.
He produces the new MTV reality shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom
Teen Mom
Teen Mom is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 8, 2009. A spin-off of 16 and Pregnant, the series chronicles the lives of four of the teenagers from the original series as they navigate their first few years of motherhood...
.
Freeman currently lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he is writing his next screenplay.