Early Life/Personal Background
"I knew at an early age I wanted to act. Acting was always easy for me. I don't believe in predestination, but I do believe that once you get wherever it is you are going, that is where you were going to be."
Morgan Freeman was born to Morgan Porterfield Freeman and Mayme Edna Revere on June 1, 1937. He, along with four other siblings, was raised in a low income household; first in Mississippi and then in Chicago. His family relocated frequently in Chicago, making his childhood difficult. From ages 6 to 7, Morgan would scrounge up all the money he had to go see the movies as often as he could. A couple years later, he made his acting debut at the young age of 8. Surprisingly, his acting career got off to a start by chance; he was entered in the school’s drama performance as a punishment for pulling a chair out from under a girl he liked. His performance in The Little Blue Boy brought out his natural talent for acting, and teachers started to notice what potential he held. ("Morgan Freeman.") ("Freeman, Morgan.")
Later down the road, he had a big opportunity in high school. He was offered a partial theater scholarship to Jackson State, but he turned it down to join the U.S. Air Force, something he had aspired to do for a long time. He had a passion for flying and wanted to serve the country. But unfortunately for him, it turned out not to be what he expected. They assigned him to be a mechanic on the ground rather than a pilot, which he blamed on the racist tension of that time. They were very hesitant to assign an African American to such a job. He also realized he didn't want to be shooting people down for a living and put his own life on the line. That’s when his decision turned to acting. (Morgan Freeman.)
Morgan Freeman was born to Morgan Porterfield Freeman and Mayme Edna Revere on June 1, 1937. He, along with four other siblings, was raised in a low income household; first in Mississippi and then in Chicago. His family relocated frequently in Chicago, making his childhood difficult. From ages 6 to 7, Morgan would scrounge up all the money he had to go see the movies as often as he could. A couple years later, he made his acting debut at the young age of 8. Surprisingly, his acting career got off to a start by chance; he was entered in the school’s drama performance as a punishment for pulling a chair out from under a girl he liked. His performance in The Little Blue Boy brought out his natural talent for acting, and teachers started to notice what potential he held. ("Morgan Freeman.") ("Freeman, Morgan.")
Later down the road, he had a big opportunity in high school. He was offered a partial theater scholarship to Jackson State, but he turned it down to join the U.S. Air Force, something he had aspired to do for a long time. He had a passion for flying and wanted to serve the country. But unfortunately for him, it turned out not to be what he expected. They assigned him to be a mechanic on the ground rather than a pilot, which he blamed on the racist tension of that time. They were very hesitant to assign an African American to such a job. He also realized he didn't want to be shooting people down for a living and put his own life on the line. That’s when his decision turned to acting. (Morgan Freeman.)