Myrna Colley-Lee is an American costume designer, visual artist, and arts patron whose marriage to actor Morgan Freeman brought her wider public attention. She was Freeman’s second wife, but her professional work began long before the couple married in 1984. Her designs for theater productions, support for Black artists, and contributions to cultural institutions offer a fuller account of her life than the familiar label “Morgan Freeman’s ex-wife.”
Myrna Colley-Lee is an American costume and scenic designer, art collector, and arts patron best known publicly as Morgan Freeman’s second wife. They married in June 1984, separated in December 2007, and divorced in September 2010. Her independent career spans Black theater, museum exhibitions, and a major costume collection at Mississippi State University.
Family Profile
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Myrna Colley-Lee |
| Birth Year | 1941 |
| Birthplace | Hamlet, North Carolina, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | Val Marie Colley Lee and Alvis Augustus Lee |
| Siblings | One of five daughters |
| Profession | Costume Designer, Scenic Designer, Artist, and Arts Patron |
| Education | University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Brooklyn College, and Temple University |
| Former Husband | Morgan Freeman |
| Marriage | June 16, 1984 – September 15, 2010 |
| Family Connection | Helped raise E’Dena Hines, Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter |
| Notable Recognition | 2022 Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron |
| Notable Contribution | Myrna Colley-Lee Costume Collection at Mississippi State University |
Who Is Myrna Colley-Lee Beyond Her Famous Marriage?
Colley-Lee made her name principally behind the scenes, developing costumes and stage environments for plays performed around the United States. Her career emerged during a period when Black theater companies were creating new opportunities for African American playwrights, actors, and designers. She worked within that movement rather than pursuing a screen acting career herself.
In materials announcing her 2022 Governor’s Arts Award, the Mississippi Arts Commission described her as a leading costume designer of the Black Theatre Movement. It also identified her work in film, theater, art direction, and scenic design. These professional roles explain why she appears in theatrical archives and museum collections as well as entertainment coverage about Freeman.
You Might Also Like: Who Is Kevin Cornelius Emmons? Exclusive Look at 21 Savage’s Father
Early Life, Parents, and Education
Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in Hamlet, North Carolina. In an August 2011 oral-history interview conducted for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she identified her parents as Val Marie Colley Lee and Alvis Augustus Lee. She described growing up as one of five daughters. That firsthand account establishes her birth year and family background more reliably than celebrity sites offering precise birthdays without documentation.
Her education combined fine art with technical theatrical training. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, now part of UNC Greensboro, and studied scene painting at Brooklyn College. She later completed a Master of Fine Arts in scenic and costume design at Temple University. Those qualifications prepared her for a profession requiring research, drawing, knowledge of fabrics, and collaboration with theater directors.
How She Built a Career in Costume Design
Colley-Lee began working in Black theater in the late 1960s. Recalling her early years for a 2022 feature sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission, she described working in New York with theater pioneer Hazel J. Bryant. She initially created posters and publicity materials, then moved into scenery and costumes. Costume design ultimately became the field for which she was best known.
For a stage production, clothing has to do more than look appropriate for its period. It helps establish a character’s social position, circumstances, and personality while accommodating the demands of performance. Her work often involved plays addressing African American life and history, where careful visual choices contribute to the story without distracting from it.
Her theatrical credits include productions of August Wilson’s Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Seven Guitars, and Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind. Arizona Theatre Company states that she has designed costumes for more than 70 productions and two films across 50 theaters and venues. Its records also identify her as costume designer for the 2025 staging of Blues in the Night, directed by Ricardo Khan. This documented credit shows that her professional history extends well beyond the years when her marriage was in the news.
Other documented work includes Wedding Band, the play associated with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, and designs for The Ballad of Emmett Till. At a 2012 McNay Art Museum event, she discussed costumes for those productions in connection with an exhibition on socially significant theater. The examples reveal the range of historical subjects and dramatic settings represented in her portfolio.
The Costume Collection She Shared With Students
A lasting part of Colley-Lee’s contribution is preserved at Mississippi State University. In 2006, she donated costumes, clothing, sketches, and related material collected through decades of work. The university presented an exhibition titled Glad Rags: Sketches, Swatches and Costume Designs, making her preparation and finished creations visible to students and visitors.
The donation became more than a display. By 2018, the university was offering selected clothing from the collection for use by school and community theater programs. Researchers could also examine materials associated with the pieces. Her original work and the vintage garments she assembled thus gained a second purpose: helping future designers learn about construction, period dress, and characterization.
Mississippi State awarded her an honorary Doctor of Creative Arts in 2007. The relationship between the designer and the university reflects a professional legacy that can be studied through actual costumes and working documents, rather than only photographs or published profiles.
Art Collecting and Recognition in Mississippi
Beyond theatrical production, Colley-Lee has supported the visual arts as a collector and advocate. Her collection became the basis for Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection, an exhibition featuring approximately 50 works by artists including Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, and photographer James Van Der Zee. The exhibition explored everyday life, community, and Southern landscapes through paintings, photographs, textiles, and other media.
She has also participated in Mississippi arts organizations and cultural boards. The Mississippi Museum of Art named her among its new trustees in 2021 and described her service with the Mississippi Arts Commission and other organizations. In 2022, she received the Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron, recognizing both her creative practice and her support for cultural life in the state.
Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee: Marriage and Divorce
Colley-Lee married Morgan Freeman on June 16, 1984. They spent more than two decades as a married couple while maintaining ties to Mississippi. During those years, Freeman became internationally known for his screen performances, while she continued to work in costume design and arts organizations. Their public association did not erase her separate professional identity.
The couple separated in December 2007. Their divorce case was filed under seal in July 2008 and finalized by a Tallahatchie County judge on September 15, 2010, according to an Associated Press report based on statements from their attorneys. The published account stated that the settlement terms were sealed. Consequently, claims about exact payments, property divisions, or supposed divorce-related wealth cannot be treated as established facts.
Did They Have Children? The Connection to E’Dena Hines
Freeman was already a father before marrying Colley-Lee. His four publicly documented children are Alfonso, Saifoulaye, Deena, and Morgana. The two also helped raise E’Dena Hines, Deena’s daughter and Freeman’s granddaughter through his first marriage. Hines was not Colley-Lee’s biological daughter, but she was part of the family household they formed.
In comments originally given to People in 1988 and recounted in a later family profile, Colley-Lee explained that she had asked for E’Dena to live with them when Deena was experiencing difficulties. Hines later pursued acting and died in New York in 2015 at age 33. Her death was a family tragedy, not evidence supporting sensational stories about the former couple’s private life.
Her Age, Net Worth, and Life After Divorce
Because Colley-Lee identified 1941 as her birth year, she would be 84 or 85 in October 2026, depending on whether her birthday has passed. The available firsthand record does not establish a specific month or day, so an exact birthday should not be presented as certain. Likewise, online estimates of her net worth are not supported by public financial documentation. The sealed divorce settlement does not provide a basis for calculating it.
Her professional record provides a clearer view of later life. She remained involved with Mississippi cultural organizations, and Arizona Theatre Company credited her work on Blues in the Night in 2025. That recent credit is evidence of continuing public professional activity; it is more informative than unsupported claims about retirement, death, or personal finances.
Conclusion
Myrna Colley-Lee was Morgan Freeman’s wife from 1984 until their 2010 divorce, and they helped raise his granddaughter E’Dena Hines. Yet her strongest public record stands on its own: decades of theater design, an important costume archive, museum exhibitions drawn from her art collection, and recognition for arts patronage. Those achievements define her place in American cultural life beyond her former marriage.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How old is Myrna Colley-Lee?
Myrna Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in Hamlet, North Carolina, according to her 2011 oral-history interview with UNC Greensboro. She would be 84 or 85 in October 2026, depending on her birthday, which is not firmly established by the available record.
2. When did Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman divorce?
Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman married on June 16, 1984, separated in December 2007, and finalized their divorce on September 15, 2010. Their marriage lasted approximately 26 years, and the financial terms of their divorce remained sealed.
3. Does Myrna Colley-Lee have children?
Colley-Lee helped raise E’Dena Hines, Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter through his first marriage. Hines was the daughter of Deena Adair. Reliable public reporting does not establish that Colley-Lee and Freeman had biological children together.
4. What is Myrna Colley-Lee’s net worth?
No dependable, publicly documented net-worth figure has been established for Myrna Colley-Lee. Although she has a lengthy professional career in costume design and arts patronage, available financial records do not support the precise wealth estimates often published on celebrity biography websites.
5. Is Myrna Colley-Lee still alive, and what does she do?
There is no credible report establishing her death. Arizona Theatre Company credited her as the costume designer for its 2025 production of Blues in the Night. Her documented professional activities include theatrical design, art collecting, and arts advocacy.
You Might Also Like: Who Is Barbara Kardashian? Exclusive Look at Robert Kardashian’s Sister
For More Verified Content Visit Us: Info Life