EASY READER, SPEEDY RECOVERY: Of all the actors whose work I know and like, the one with whom I have had the longest relationship is Morgan Freeman, who strode into my life in the early 1970s in a catastrophe of denim, headbands, dashikis, jive, and cocksure literacy (that video, by the way, is Oscar winner Morgan Freeman dueting with Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Rita Moreno). I can't say I've loved each and every thing he's done, but Freeman has done an amazing job putting together a cohesive body of work. I can't think of another actor other than Jimmy Stewart (in a slightly different way) whose appearance in a film brings a character such a ready-made dignity, humanity, and practicality before even the first line reading. There's something for everyone in that body of work, though I'd probably buck the trend and cite his (ultimately) melancholy Unforgiven instead of his wise and bemused Shawshank Redemption as my own favorite. But enough -- this is not a eulogy.
Freeman was in a bad automobile accident last night in Mississippi, and reportedly is in serious condition. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.
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