Morgan Freeman is not only a legendary actor and producer who has made a lasting impact on the film industry with his outstanding performances, but he is also in possession of one of the world’s most exceptional and recognizable voices.
Born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee, Morgan found solace in acting at an early age and performed in school plays and community theater productions throughout his youth.
After high school, Morgan joined the US Air Force and served as a mechanic for four years. After leaving the military, he pursued acting, starting in off-Broadway productions before making his way to television and films.
His breakthrough came in 1987 when he starred as a vicious pimp in “Street Smart.” His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He continued to gain critical acclaim for his roles in films like “Glory,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”
In 2005, Morgan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Million Dollar Baby,” directed by Clint Eastwood. He had worked with Eastwood previously in “Unforgiven” and “Invictus.”
Morgan’s ability to bring complex characters to life on screen has earned him numerous accolades and made him one of the most respected actors in Hollywood.
Undeniably, Freeman’s presence in a room can have everyone turning heads. However, his commanding presence and “voice of god” aren’t the only things he is iconic of – it’s also his gold hoop earrings that he had been wearing since. Apparently, there’s a deep reason for it! Read on to learn more about it.
Aside from wearing gold earrings, in 2022 and 2023, avid fans of Freeman spotted a recurrent fashion style that he had been wearing.
Fans noticed that Freeman wore a black satin glove on one hand and wondered why.
“Someone tell me Morgan Freeman is ok and the glove is meaningless please,” one user urged, while another wrote: “No idea why the black glove on one hand, but I dig it and hope he’s in good health.”
This wasn’t the first time Morgan had been spotted at a public event wearing a single glove. The star delivered a spoken presentation during the opening ceremony for the World Cup in 2022 and wore a beige glove on his left hand.
Freeman typically wears tan-colored compression gloves but opted for the black satin glove to match his black Oscars tuxedo. He told Esquire that they were compression gloves that he wears to keep the blood flowing in his left hand.
“It’s the fibromyalgia up and down the arm. That’s where it gets so bad. Excruciating,” he explained at the time.
As it turned out, Morgan had worn the compression glove to keep circulation going in his arm after he sustained nerve damage from a devastating car crash in 2008. In the incident, Morgan’s vehicle flipped over several times before landing in a ditch near Charleston, Mississippi. He and a passenger had to be cut free from the wreckage before they were airlifted to the hospital.
The consequence is that Freeman can no longer pilot helicopters, ride a ship, or drive manual cars like he used to. However, he now spends his time with his grandchildren and calls himself a doting grandfather. He also rides horses sometimes and plays golf with one hand.
Despite this, Freeman has chosen to look at the positive side of things and continue to inspire more actors with his talent. In 2023 alone, he starred in three films – “The Ritual Killer,” “A Good Person,” and “57 Seconds.” He’s also starring in a lead role on television on Paramount+’s “Special Ops: Lioness.”
As Freeman continued to wield a significant amount of influence and attention on the media with his characters, many noticed a recurring fashion choice he had since – his gold hoop earrings.
Apparently, Freeman has since explained the reason why he has worn the same pair of gold earrings, and turns out it has a deep and philosophical reason.
In an Instagram post in 2019, Freeman had this to say: “These earrings. I get asked all the time about them. The truth is, these are worth just enough for someone to buy me a coffin if I die in a strange place. That’s why sailors used to wear them and that’s why I do.”
Similarly, Freeman elaborated on his decision to wear such earrings in an interview with Fox News.
“When I was a kid, I saw a pirate movie with Burt Lancaster, who wore an earring,” Freeman confessed, referring to the 1952 flick “The Crimson Pirate.” “I thought that was sexy. Then I learned that sailors wore gold earrings to pay for funerals if they died in foreign lands. I’m a sailor, so that nailed it.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Freeman also said that the reason why he wanted to have an earring was because of his attachment to the sea.
Since then, Freeman has been continuously spotted wearing the same gold hoop earrings, making it a simple yet sophisticated touch to his very remarkable fashion style.
Are you a fan of Morgan Freeman? What is your favorite performance of his? What do you think about his reason for wearing gold hoop earrings? Let us know, and pass this on to your friends and other Morgan Freeman fans!