As our own Scott Von Doviak tipped you yesterday, beloved character actor, Oscar winner, and voice of God Morgan Freeman was involved in a somewhat serious car accident on Monday, having flipped his car while driving down a rural road in Mississippi. After reports that the 71-year-old actor fell asleep at the wheel and had to be removed from the car via the jaws of life (and subsequent, albeit incorrect, information that he was in critical condition), there was much trepidation in film blogger circles that we'd be having to write his obituary today. Happily, the Seasame Street vet/Metatron proved more resilient than we thought; he's reported today to be in good spirits, joking with doctors and reporters, with not much more than a broken arm and elbow and hopes to get released from the hospital within a few days. So relax, office wags -- your "Driving Miss Daisy" jokes will now seem merely lame and not completely tasteless.
The prognosis good news for fans of the man currently cleaning up as Lucious Fox in Dark Knight. Freeman has a well-earned reputation as one of Hollywood's genuine good guys -- a friendly, decent, charitable, and honest man. (Hell, he wasn't even drunk or stoned when he flipped his car, and how rare is that in today's Hollywood?) Everyone who's worked with him has only positive things to say about him, and the worst criticism leveled at him as an actor is that he has a strong prediliction towards playing "Magical Negro" roles, which is really more Hollywood's fault than his own. (It also ignores the fact that his c.v. is crammed with more interesting, if less seen, roles, such as his turn as a noble, if obsessive hitman in the underrated Neal LaBute comedy Nurse Betty.) Here's wishing a speedy recovery and hopes that he's in good condition to see the world premiere of The Human Factor, in which he appears as Nelson Mandela -- very likely the role he was born to play.
How about you, Screengrabbers? What's your favorite non-Sesame Street Morgan Freeman role?
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