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73 SAG -AF TR A | Special Issue 2018 | SAGAFTRA.org Arts and Revitalization Effort, the Rock River Foundation and PLAN!T NOW, his organization focused on natural disaster preparedness. Much of his work, particularly with art, education, and economic development, has been focused on his home state of Mississippi. Freeman is also a co-founder of the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, which works to support, nurture and amplify the voices of promising African-American playwrights. He has also supported Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education. Freeman serves on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Actors Council. With such a storied career, it's easy to see why the SAG-AFTRA Honors and Tributes Committee chose Freeman as this year's honoree. Each year, the committee considers members who have made extraordinary artistic and philanthropic contributions, and for outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession. Morgan Freeman clearly fits the bill. Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B. DeMille Award, an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, several Obies, a Kennedy Center Honor and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Freeman's career has continued to flourish in recent years. He continues to be an audience favorite, ranking among the top five worldwide top-grossing actors of all time, with his films having earned more than $4.5 billion in cumulative ticket sales. He has three new films slated to premiere in 2018, plus The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, a television documentary program that began airing on the National Geographic Channel in late 2017. The program is produced by Revelations Entertainment, a production company he co- founded with producer Lori McCreary. Freeman is as dedicated to philanthropic causes as he is to his craft. Over the course of his career, Freeman has been involved with organizations that focus on youth education and community arts, such as Teach for America, the Charleston CBS FILMS/PHOTOFEST In recent years, Freeman has appeared in comedies such as Last Vegas. SAGAFTRA.org | Special Issue 2018 | SAG-AFTRA 73