Morgan Freeman Children: Meet Alfonso, Saifoulaye, Deena and Morgana and Their Lives Today

Morgan Freeman has spent decades building one of Hollywood’s most recognizable careers, appearing in films such as The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy and Invictus. Away from movie sets, however, Freeman is also the father of four children: Alfonso, Saifoulaye, Deena and Morgana.

His family story has not always been simple. Freeman became a father before his acting career had fully taken shape, and he later acknowledged that his ambition sometimes made it difficult to balance work and parenthood. As he grew older, his relationship with family changed, and he became especially proud of being a grandfather.

Freeman once said that fatherhood did not immediately transform him because so much of his early energy was focused on becoming an actor. With his daughters, he became more involved in everyday parenting, and later in life he spoke warmly about being a grandfather. In 2014, he said he had 14 grandchildren.

Several members of the Freeman family have also built careers connected to entertainment, although not everyone chose to follow Morgan directly into acting.

Who Are Morgan Freeman’s Children?

Morgan Freeman has four children.

His oldest son, Alfonso Freeman, was born in 1959. His second son, Saifoulaye Freeman, arrived in 1960.

After Freeman married Jeanette Adair Bradshaw in 1967, he adopted her daughter Deena, who had been born several years earlier. Freeman and Bradshaw later welcomed their daughter Morgana in 1971.

Freeman and Bradshaw divorced in 1979. He later married costume designer Myrna Colley-Lee in 1984. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2010.

Across the years, Freeman’s children have followed very different paths. Alfonso became an actor, Deena established a career behind the scenes in Hollywood, Morgana became involved in business and charitable work, while Saifoulaye has maintained a much more private life.

Alfonso Freeman Followed His Father Into Acting

Alfonso Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s eldest child. He was born in 1959 and was raised by his mother, Loletha Adkins.

His relationship with Morgan began differently from that of his younger siblings. Alfonso grew up without his father being a regular presence in his childhood.

Interestingly, he watched Morgan on The Electric Company without initially understanding that the actor he was seeing on television was his biological father.

The two began communicating when Alfonso was around 19 years old. They finally met face to face a couple of years later when Morgan unexpectedly arrived at his door.

It was an emotional beginning to their relationship, but father and son gradually developed a connection.

Alfonso eventually entered the entertainment industry himself.

He appeared in several productions connected to his father, including The Shawshank Redemption and Se7en. His television work has included appearances in ER, The West Wing and Southland.

One of the more memorable moments in Alfonso’s acting career came in The Bucket List in 2007. He played Roger, the son of Morgan Freeman’s character.

Despite the family connection, Alfonso reportedly still had to audition for the part rather than simply being handed the role.

Alfonso Freeman’s Wife and Children

Alfonso has been married twice.

He married Cynthia Gafford in 1982. Their marriage ended in 1989, and they share three sons: Alfonso Freeman II, Joshua Freeman and Donovan Freeman.

He later married Larcenia Letice in 1994.

Through Alfonso, Morgan Freeman became a grandfather, adding another generation to the family.

Alfonso has generally kept his private life quieter than his father’s public career, but his acting work has given fans occasional opportunities to see the two generations together on screen.

Saifoulaye Freeman Lives a Private Life

Saifoulaye Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s second son.

He was born in 1960, but comparatively little is publicly known about his life. The identity of his mother has not been widely disclosed, and he has largely stayed away from Hollywood publicity.

Unlike Alfonso, Saifoulaye did not develop a well-known acting career.

He has rarely appeared at major entertainment events alongside his father and siblings. When Morgan was honored with the SAG Life Achievement Award in 2018, several family members attended the ceremony, while Saifoulaye was not publicly pictured with the group.

His decision to remain private makes him the least publicly documented of Morgan Freeman’s four children.

That privacy has also helped separate his identity from the enormous fame associated with the Freeman name.

Deena Freeman Built a Hollywood Career Behind the Camera

Deena became Morgan Freeman’s daughter through adoption.

She was born to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw before Bradshaw married Morgan in 1967. Freeman later adopted her and considered her his daughter.

Deena eventually found her own place in Hollywood, but she did not pursue acting.

Instead, she built a career in hair and makeup.

Her work has included major film productions, and she frequently worked on projects starring Morgan. Her credits have been connected with films such as Amistad, Bruce Almighty, Along Came a Spider, Million Dollar Baby and The Dark Knight.

Deena’s work was recognized within the television industry as well. She was part of hairstyling teams that received Emmy nominations for Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story and Ring of Fire.

Her career is a good example of how the Freeman family’s connection to Hollywood extends beyond performers standing in front of a camera.

Deena’s Daughter E’Dena Hines

Deena became a mother to E’Dena Hines in 1982.

E’Dena was later raised in large part by Morgan Freeman and his second wife, Myrna Colley-Lee. This gave Freeman a relationship with E’Dena that was especially close, combining the roles of grandfather and parental figure.

E’Dena later studied acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and began building an acting career.

Her credits included smaller television and film roles, and she appeared in the independent movie Landing Up.

Her life ended tragically in August 2015 when she was killed at the age of 33.

Her former boyfriend, Lamar Davenport, was later convicted of manslaughter and received a 20-year prison sentence.

Following E’Dena’s death, Freeman publicly remembered her talent and the impact she had on the people who knew her.

Her death remains one of the most painful chapters in the Freeman family story.

Morgana Freeman Is Morgan’s Youngest Child

Morgana Freeman is Morgan Freeman’s youngest child and his daughter with Jeanette Adair Bradshaw.

She was born in 1971.

Morgan has spoken about becoming more involved in parenting when his daughters were young, including handling everyday responsibilities that he had missed during the earliest years of fatherhood.

Morgana has frequently accompanied her father to major Hollywood events.

She attended the Academy Awards with him in 1990 when he was nominated for Driving Miss Daisy. Two decades later, she returned to the ceremony when he was nominated for Invictus.

Morgana has also appeared alongside her father at film premieres and other major industry celebrations.

Despite her familiarity with Hollywood events, she did not choose acting as her primary profession.

Morgana’s Career Outside Acting

Morgana studied economics at Spelman College in Atlanta.

She also trained in cosmetology and went on to own salons in Georgia.

Her professional interests eventually expanded into nonprofit work.

Morgana has served as executive director of the Tallahatchie River Foundation, an organization associated with her father that focuses on improving educational opportunities for young children in Mississippi.

Morgan spent part of his childhood in Mississippi, and education has become an important part of the family’s charitable work there.

For Morgana, working with the foundation has provided a way to use the opportunities created by her father’s success to support communities connected to his early life.

Morgan Freeman as a Grandfather

Morgan Freeman has been noticeably enthusiastic about his role as a grandfather.

He said in 2014 that he had 14 grandchildren, although the family has generally kept many of them outside the public eye.

One grandchild who has occasionally appeared with him is Alexis Freeman, Morgana’s daughter.

Alexis accompanied Morgan to the Chaplin Award gala in New York in 2016.

She spoke warmly about her grandfather and said one of the lessons he had taught her was the value of working for what she wanted rather than assuming success would come easily.

That attitude fits with Freeman’s own career story.

He spent years working on stage and television before becoming the internationally famous film actor audiences know today.

A Family With Different Paths

Morgan Freeman’s children did not all try to duplicate their father’s career.

Alfonso became an actor and has even shared the screen with him.

Deena built a respected career behind the camera as a hair professional.

Morgana moved between business, cosmetology and nonprofit leadership.

Saifoulaye chose a much quieter path and has kept most of his personal life outside public view.

Their different choices make the Freeman family story more interesting than simply being the children of a famous Hollywood star.

Morgan himself has been open about the fact that he was not always the father he later wished to be. His acting ambitions dominated much of his youth, particularly during the years when he was trying to establish himself professionally.

As he became older, family appears to have taken on a different importance.

His relationships with his daughters, grandchildren and extended family became more visible, particularly during major career celebrations.

Morgan Freeman may be known around the world for his voice and unforgettable film roles, but his family knows another side of him. For Alfonso, Saifoulaye, Deena and Morgana, the Academy Award-winning actor is first connected to them through a much simpler title: father.