Myrna Colley-Lee is a renowned name in the costume design industry, and her life has been nothing short of extraordinary. For over twenty years, she has been in the public eye due to her former marriage to renowned actor Morgan Freeman and their eventual split.
Myrna Colley-Lee Profile Summary
Full name: Myrna Colley-Lee
Date of birth: 1942
Age: 81 years old (as of 2023)
Birthplace: New York, USA
Nationality: American
Zodiac Sign: Unknown
Religion: Christianity
College: Department of Arts, Mississippi State University
Ethnicity: White
Current Residence: New York, USA
Height: 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight: 132 lbs (60 kg)
Marital status: Divorced
Ex-husband’s name: Morgan Freeman
Profession: Theater Producer and Costume Designer
Early Life & Education
Myrna Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in the town of Hamlet, North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina’s Women’s College, she went on to receive her master’s degree in scenic and costume design at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Career
Colley-Lee has been a driving force in many boards focused on protecting the arts. Throughout her career, she was part of notable groups including the National Museum of Women in the Arts based in Washington, D.C., and the Black Theatre Network situated in St. Louis, Missouri.
In addition to her work at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, she was also a faculty or staff member at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C., and the Design and Management Institute of the National Arts Consortium in New York.
In 2017, Myrna Colley-Lee was a vital part of setting up the “Reflections” art gallery which focused on the experiences of African Americans. She also took on the role of Mississippi Arts Commission commissioner.
She has been a costume designer since the 1960s and is renowned for her role in the Black Theater Movement. She has worked on an array of productions, including All My Sons and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at the St. Louis Repertory Theatre and Two Trains Running at the Geva Theatre Center.
Her expertise in costume design, coupled with backing from a key Hollywood figure, made her transition into the movie industry effortless. Her costumes have been included in such films as Relatively, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, The Piano Lesson, Forest City, and Radio Golf, an adaptation of the August Wilson play.
She hosted art shows through charitable donations, in addition to her infatuation with art. One of the events was held at the John Grisham Room, in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University.
In 2014, she carried out one of the most significant exhibitions, labeled: A Theatre of Color: Costume Design for the Black Theatre, at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum. This exhibition displayed an extensive accumulation of more than 200 costume designs, illustrations, and pastiches.
Apart from her achievements in costume design, Colley-Lee has also done noteworthy work in the field of art direction and set design. She also made a brief appearance on the renowned television show, 60 Minutes.
Personal Life
Sources indicate that Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman were brought together by a mutual acquaintance. Going from friends to lovers, the pair’s private life has largely remained undisclosed.
Colley-Lee and Freeman tied the knot in a quiet ceremony on June 16, 1984. While Colley-Lee was beginning to climb the ladder of success in the movie costume-designing world, Freeman was already firmly established in the entertainment industry. Since both their jobs kept them in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, this is where they chose to live.
During their 26-year union, Colley-Lee and Freeman did not have any children of their own. It is worth mentioning that they were not entirely deprived of the joys of parenting, as Freeman had adopted Deena, his daughter from a previous marriage to Jeanette.
Furthermore, they welcomed a daughter, Morgana Freeman, into their family. They also had a major influence on the upbringing of two children: Alfonso Rene Freeman (born on September 13, 1959) with Loletha Adkins, and Saifoulaye (born in 1960).
Colley-Lee has a particularly strong bond with her step-granddaughter, E’dena Hines, the daughter of Deena Adair. Out of the four kids, Alfonso Freeman, the oldest, has starred in more than 25 movies, among them the legendary The Shawshank Redemption. The remaining three children have opted to stay out of the spotlight.
When news of Myrna Colley-Lee and Freeman’s split reached the public in 2007, it caused a lot of surprise. They were viewed as the ultimate couple, who had stayed together through everything and had four lovely kids and flourishing jobs.
Despite the popular belief, the other side did not prove to be so much better. Once the news was revealed, the issues were too obvious to ignore, and on September 15, 2010, their divorce was officially declared.
Myrna Colley-Lee
Myrna Colley-Lee has been able to attain a total of $160 million net worth as of November 2023, largely because of her past professions. It is known that after her divorce, she was awarded a $400 million settlement, part of which she used to buy a New York Central Park condo and $7 million worth of residences in the British Virgin Islands.
