Morgan Freeman earned his first Academy Award nomination for his chilling performance as a homicidal pimp in the drama “Street Smart,” which also brought him the LA, N.Y., and National Society of Film Critics Awards for best supporting actor of 1987, as well as an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination. The part of the pimp, Fast Black, was a far cry from his big screen debut as the genial character Afro in his film debut, the 1971 children’s adventure “Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow,” and it signaled the film world that one of its most versatile stars was on the rise.

The 16 year span between those titles saw Freeman range from Shakespeare to an undercover policeman in “Eyewitness.” The next two decades would see him become one of Hollywood’s true luminaries. Freeman earned his second Oscar nomination in 1989, this time as Best Actor, recreating his award-winning Broadway role in “Driving Miss Daisy.” He garnered his third Academy Award nomination playing opposite Tim Robbins in the critically praised 1994 hit “The Shawshank Redemption.” His fourth nomination for Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2005.

The Memphis-born actor began his career on New York stages in the early 1960s, following a stint as a mechanic in the Air Force. A decade later, he became a nationally known television personality when he created the popular character Easy Reader on the popular children’s show, “The Electric Company.”

Morgan Freeman earned his first Academy Award nomination for his chilling performance as a homicidal pimp in the drama “Street Smart,” which also brought him the LA, N.Y., and National Society of Film Critics Awards for best supporting actor of 1987, as well as an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination. The part of the pimp, Fast Black, was a far cry from his big screen debut as the genial character Afro in his film debut, the 1971 children’s adventure “Who Says I Can’t Ride a Rainbow,” and it signaled the film world that one of its most versatile stars was on the rise.

The 16 year span between those titles saw Freeman range from Shakespeare to an undercover policeman in “Eyewitness.” The next two decades would see him become one of Hollywood’s true luminaries. Freeman earned his second Oscar nomination in 1989, this time as Best Actor, recreating his award-winning Broadway role in “Driving Miss Daisy.” He garnered his third Academy Award nomination playing opposite Tim Robbins in the critically praised 1994 hit “The Shawshank Redemption.” His fourth nomination for Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2005.

The Memphis-born actor began his career on New York stages in the early 1960s, following a stint as a mechanic in the Air Force. A decade later, he became a nationally known television personality when he created the popular character Easy Reader on the popular children’s show, “The Electric Company.”