Morgan Freeman: Black Kitten and Gifted Godly Voice

Morgan Freeman is one of the most respected actors of the time, best known for his distinctive voice and godly presence. Best works among many are Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Glory (1989), Se7en (1995), Million Dollar Baby (2004) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Freeman loves animals as you can see the black kitten on his head. We will look into the secret of his godly voice, too!

How Did Morgan Freeman Become an Actor?

Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. Born to African-American parents, he experienced struggling under the pressure of the Jim Crow laws, and moved a lot.

It was by a chance that Freeman got into acting. He was in junior high school and, as punishment for pulling out a chair from underneath a girl he had a crush on, Freeman was ordered to participate in the school’s drama competition. To everybody’s surprise including himself, Freeman got top honors in the program.

Cats and Dogs

Having been raised with both cats and dogs in his home, Freeman is an advocate for growing up with animals. Freeman said to People pets I think that it’s more than important for kids to grow up with pets, he says. A loving pet is the most loving you’re ever going to get.

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Fighter Pilot

Although the love and interest for acting, Freeman turned down a partial drama scholarship and joined the U.S. Air Force. He loved the idea of being a fighter pilot, it was in his heart of hearts.

However, Freeman was relegated to on-the-ground activity as a mechanic and radar technician. His expectation for the military and the reality was different, also he realized that he didn’t want to be shooting down other people. Freeman later explained that it took a year and a half to get disabused of his romantic notions about it.

In 1959, Freeman left the Air Force and tried his fortunes out West, moving to Hollywood to see if he could make it as an actor.

Big Break

In 1967, his big break came. Freeman landed a part in an all African-American Broadway production of Hello Dolly! (1964) starring Pearl Bailey.

After some national exposure on TV show and doing stage jobs for 20 years, his next break came. In 1987, Freeman was cast in the film Street Smart (1987), the volatile pimp Fast Black, the role he played earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Eloquent Voice

Why does his voice feel that great? His voice has a deep tone that is pleasing to the ears. It’s simple you just relax your throat muscle so the tone of your voice drops. The lower the voice, the better the sound, so he claims. The trick is to relieve the tension, get rid of it all together.

Freeman’s voice is perfect for narration. His voice has its own life and sounds truly convincing whatever he says. You can listen to his velvet voice in many films such as War of the Worlds and the Academy Award-winning documentary March of the Penguins.

One and Only Actor

I like being eclectic, Freeman said about his film choices. The more varied the better; the wider the range. I’ve been sucked into a kind of mold of a good guy and that’s actually almost beyond my ability to control. But other than that, a good story and an interesting character are all I am looking for.

Freeman raised money for disaster victims and his group donated millions to educational programs. Also, Freeman turned his 124-acre ranch into a beekeeping sanctuary in July 2014 after he heard the decline of honeybees and its devastating impact on the environment.

Every interviewer came to be a fan of him as they claim Freeman a thoughtful and delightful man who never stop to explore his life and times. What is the secret behind Freeman’s godly presence, making every film he is in worth to watch? We might be able to have a glimpse of the hint from his quote.

Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen – that stillness becomes a radiance. It’s what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That’s all and that’s the hardest thing.

Morgan Freeman Quotes (Brainy Quote)

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Also published on Medium.