Morgan Freeman Announces Divorce Soon After Car Crash

Morgan Freeman, who stars in Dark Knight, has been having a rather dark week. First he was in a car accident on August 4 in Mississippi with friend Demaris Meyer, 48, who was riding in the passenger seat. Both had to be removed from the wreck with the Jaws of Life. Freeman, 71, and Meyer were flown by helicopter to a regional hospital.

Then just a few days after the crash, Morgan's lawyer and business partner, Bill Luckett, announced that Morgan and his wife of 24 years, Myrna Colley-Lee, are getting a divorce. Luckett said that Freeman and his wife separated in December 2007 for "legal and practical purposes".

Morgan and Myrna were married in June 1984. He has two sons from previous relationships, and he adopted his first wife's daughter. Morgan and Myrna have a fourth child, Morgana.

Although Morgan Freeman's acting career began in the 1960's, it really took off in the 1980's, when he starred in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), for which he received a Best Actor nomination. A few years later he received a second Best Actor nomination for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Then in 2004 Freeman won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the hit film Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Freeman is also known for his roles in Bruce Almighty (as God), Batman Begins, and The Bucket List, opposite Jack Nicholson. All together, he has appeared in 83 films. Currently he has five more in various stages of production.

Morgan Freeman underwent surgery the same night of the wreck. Doctors worked for four and a half hours to reconnect nerves and repair left arm and hand damages. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, August 7. Hospital staff gave no further information.