In some ways, the role of Lucius Fox, the sage president of Wayne Enterprises in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy, is perfect for Morgan Freeman.
Here, Freeman is able to capitalize on the whole voice of God thing, while steering Bruce Wayne and Batman in the right direction (and outfitting him with lots of nifty gadgets).
Of course, the actor has made a career off playing such characters. Freeman, who celebrated his 75th birthday on June 1, has played God in two movies, at least, and it seems he’s been around since the dawn of time. (Imagine, by the way, Morgan Freeman saying, “Since the dawn of time…”)
In fact, he’s only been a movie star for about a quarter-century; he didn’t get his breakthrough role until he was 50, playing the pimp Fast Black in 1987’s “Street Smart.” And he didn’t win an Oscar until his was 67, for his ringside role in 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby.” Yet he seems omnipresent, whether he’s appearing in movies like “The Dark Knight Rises” or merely offering voiceover narration in them, like the soon-to-be-released documentary “We the People.” His voice is the one we’d love to have narrating our own lives, or at least answering our voicemail calls.
In fact, it’s his platinum pipes that really make all the difference. Looking back at some of the memorable lines he’s uttered on film, many of them are memorable only because they passed through his golden throat. Here’s a selection of some of the best (and worst) movie quotes that we remember because Morgan Freeman uttered them. (Some, naturally, are NSFW.)
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Morgan Freeman’s Best Quotes
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20. “Lucky Number Slevin” (2006)
“I bet it was that mouth that got you that nose.” — The Boss in “Lucky Number Slevin” (2006)
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19. “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” (1991)
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18. “The Big Bounce” (2004)
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17. “Levity” (2003)
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16. “Lean on Me” (1989)
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15. “Glory” (1989)
“And what are you? So full of hate you want to go out and fight everybody! Because you’ve been whipped and chased by hounds. Well that might not be living, but it sure as hell ain’t dying. And dying’s been what these white boys have been doing for going on three years now! Dying by the thousands! Dying for <em>you,</em> fool! I know, ’cause I dug the graves. And all this time I keep askin’ myself, when, O Lord, when it’s gonna be our time? Gonna come a time when we all gonna hafta ante up. Ante up and kick in like men. Like men! You watch who you call a nigger! If there’s any niggers around here, it’s you. Just a smart-mouthed, stupid-ass, swamp-runnin’ nigger! And if you not careful, that’s all you ever gonna be!” — Rawlins in “Glory” (1989)
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14. “Se7en” (1995)
“I didn’t say I was different or better. I’m not. Hell, I sympathize; I sympathize completely. Apathy is the solution. I mean, it’s easier to lose yourself in drugs than it is to cope with life. It’s easier to steal what you want than it is to earn it. It’s easier to beat a child than it is to raise it. Hell, love costs: it takes effort and work.” — Det. William Somerset in “Se7en” (1995)
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13. “Feast of Love” (2007)
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12. “Nurse Betty” (2000)
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11. “Se7en” (1995)
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10. “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
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9. “The Dark Knight” (2008)
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8. “Nurse Betty” (2000)
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7. “Se7en” (2005)
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6. “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)
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5. “Deep Impact” (1998)
“We watched as the bombs shattered the second comet into a million pieces of ice and rock that burned harmlessly in our atmosphere and lit up the sky for an hour. Still, we were left with the devastation of the first. The waters reached as far inland as the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. It washed away farms and towns, forests and skyscrapers. But, the water receded. The wave hit Europe and Africa too. Millions were lost, and countless more left homeless. But the waters receded. Cities fall, but they are rebuilt. And heroes die, but they are remembered. We honor them with every brick we lay, with every field we sow, With every child we comfort, and then teach to rejoice in what we have been re-given. Our planet. Our home. So now, let us begin.” — President Beck in “Deep Impact” (1998)
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4. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
“Rehabilitated? Well, now let me see. You know, I don’t have any idea what that means…. I know what <em>you</em> think it means, sonny. To me it’s just a made up word. A politician’s word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie, and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did?… There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret. Not because I’m in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can’t. That kid’s long gone and this old man is all that’s left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It’s just a bullshit word. So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit.” — Red in “The Shawshank Redemption”
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3. “Invictus” (2009)
“Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.” — Nelson Mandela in “Invictus” (2009)
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2. “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
“Maggie walked through that door with nothing buts guts. No chance in the world of being what she needed to be. It was because of you that she was fighting the championship of the world. You did that. People die everyday, Frankie — mopping floors, washing dishes and you know what their last thought is? I never got my shot. Because of you, Maggie got her shot. If she dies today you know what her last thought would be? I think I did all right.” — Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris in “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
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1. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
“Get busy living, or get busy dying. That’s goddamn right… I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” — Red in “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
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Morgan Freeman’s Worst Quotes
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10. “War of the Worlds” (2005)
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9. “Red” (2010)
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8. “Lean on Me” (1989)
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7. “Dreamcatcher” (2003)
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6. “Bonfire of the Vanities” (1990)
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5. “Lean on Me” (1989)
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4. “Street Smart” (1987)
“Do you know you’ve got the prettiest titties I have ever seen? — Fast Black in “Street Smart” (1987)
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3. “Evan Almighty” (2007)
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2. “An Unfinished Life” (2005)
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1. “Bruce Almighty” (2003)
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