For the director, see Morgan J. Freeman

Career
1964–1988: Early work and rise to prominence
Freeman worked as a dancer at the 1964 World’s Fair and was a member of the Opera Ring musical theater group in San Francisco.[15] He acted in a touring company version of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, and also appeared as an extra in Sidney Lumet’s 1965 drama film The Pawnbroker starring Rod Steiger.[15] Between acting and dancing jobs, Freeman realized that acting was where his heart lay. “After The Royal Hunt of the Sun, my acting career just took off”, he later recalled.[15] Freeman made his Off-Broadway debut in 1967, opposite Viveca Lindfors in The Niggerlovers, a show about the Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement,[16] before debuting on Broadway in 1968’s all-black version of Hello, Dolly! that also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.[17] In 1969, Freeman also performed on stage in The Dozens.[18]