Myrna Colley-Lee is an American costume designer, art director, and arts advocate known for her long career in theatre. Many people also know her as the former wife of legendary actor Morgan Freeman. However, Myrna built her own respected name through decades of work in costume and scenic design, especially within Black theatre. She has also supported African American art, cultural projects, and arts organizations. Her marriage to Freeman lasted more than two decades before their separation and divorce. In this article, we explore Myrna Colley-Lee’s early life, education, professional career, marriage, divorce, family relationships, art collection, philanthropy, and net worth.
Quick Bio
| Full name | Myrna Colley-Lee |
| Birth year | 1941 |
| Birthplace | Hamlet, North Carolina, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Costume designer, art director, set designer |
| Education | Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, Temple University |
| Known for | Costume and scenic design, Black theatre, marriage to Morgan Freeman |
| Former husband | Morgan Freeman |
| Marriage date | 16 June 1984 |
| Separation | December 2007 |
| Divorce finalized | September 2010 |
| Biological children | None |
| Notable interests | Theatre, African American art, arts philanthropy |
| Estimated net worth | Around $160 million |
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Early Life
Myrna Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in Hamlet, North Carolina, United States. Her early years helped develop an interest in creativity, culture, and education that eventually shaped her professional life. Before establishing herself in theatre, she worked in different fields, including education and social work. She served as an art supervisor for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. Myrna also spent time in Liberia, West Africa, where she experienced a very different cultural environment and reportedly contracted malaria. These varied experiences came before her decades-long career in American theatre and arts.
Her Education and Design Training
Education played an important part in Myrna Colley-Lee’s development as a professional designer. She studied at the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She later continued her education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, completing advanced studies in scenic and costume design. Her academic training gave her the technical and artistic foundation needed for theatre production. Instead of focusing on acting or performing, Myrna built her career behind the scenes, using clothing, visual details, sets, and design concepts to help communicate characters and stories.
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Career as a Costume Designer
Myrna began designing professionally in the late 1960s and went on to build a career spanning several decades. She is particularly associated with costume design and scenic work for American theatre. Over the years, she has designed costumes for more than 70 productions presented at over 50 theatres and venues across the United States. Her work helped establish her as an important costume designer within the Black Theatre Movement. Her career demonstrates that her public identity extends far beyond being Morgan Freeman’s former wife, as she had already developed substantial professional experience through theatre and design.
Her Most Notable Theatre Work
Myrna Colley-Lee’s theatre credits include work connected with productions such as The Piano Lesson, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, The Ballad of Emmett Till, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Gee’s Bend, Two Trains Running, Radio Golf, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Bus Stop, and Forest City. Her work has appeared at respected American theatres, including the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Cleveland Play House, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Through these productions, she helped visually develop characters, historical settings, cultural identities, and the worlds in which theatrical stories take place.
Her Work Beyond Theatre
Although theatre became the main foundation of Myrna’s professional reputation, her creative work has extended beyond stage productions. Her screen-related credits include costume and wardrobe work associated with Frederick Douglass: An American Life in 1985. She has also appeared on television, including 60 Minutes. Her broader professional experience includes costume design, scenic design, art direction, education, and arts administration. This combination allowed her to participate in different parts of America’s creative community while maintaining a particularly strong connection to theatre and African American cultural expression throughout her career.
Her Role in the Black Theatre Movement
One of the most important parts of Myrna Colley-Lee’s professional legacy is her contribution to Black theatre. Her designs helped support productions that explored African American history, family life, identity, race, relationships, and social experiences. Costume design is an important storytelling tool because clothing can establish a character’s period, background, personality, and social position before that character even speaks. Through decades of design work, Myrna became closely associated with theatrical storytelling centered on Black American experiences and is regarded as an important creative figure within this area of American theatre.
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Teaching and Arts Work
Myrna’s career has also included educational and organizational roles. She has held positions connected with Smith College, the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival, and the Design and Management Institute of the National Arts Consortium in New York. These roles allowed her professional experience to extend into education and the development of other artists. She has also participated in organizations dedicated to theatre, visual arts, and cultural preservation. Her career therefore combines practical design work with education, community involvement, arts leadership, and efforts to support the continued development of American theatre and visual culture.
Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman’s Relationship
Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman first crossed paths during the 1970s, with their meeting connected to the theatre world. Their relationship developed over the following years as Freeman continued building his acting career. They eventually decided to marry and held their wedding on 16 June 1984. Their ceremony took place at Freeman’s parents’ home near Charleston. Rather than living entirely within Hollywood’s celebrity environment, the couple maintained strong ties to Mississippi. Their relationship lasted for more than two decades, covering a major period in which Freeman transformed from a working actor into an internationally recognized film star.
Life During Their Marriage
Myrna was married to Morgan Freeman during some of the most important years of his acting career. As Freeman’s profile grew, their relationship naturally attracted greater public attention, although Myrna continued pursuing her own creative interests. The couple spent much of their private life away from Hollywood and had connections to northern Mississippi. Their marriage became one of Freeman’s longest relationships, lasting from 1984 until their separation in 2007. While Freeman became internationally famous through film, Myrna remained closely connected to theatre, design, education, visual art, and cultural organizations rather than pursuing celebrity status herself.
Why Did Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman Divorce?
Myrna and Morgan Freeman separated in December 2007 after more than two decades of marriage. Divorce proceedings followed, with a petition filed in 2008. Their legal case was handled privately, and the proceedings were sealed. Their separation attracted significant media attention, and Freeman’s relationships with other women became part of the wider discussion surrounding the end of the marriage. However, the detailed personal circumstances behind their decision remained largely private. After a lengthy legal process, Myrna and Freeman officially ended their marriage in September 2010, bringing their approximately 26-year marriage to a formal close.
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Children and Family
Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman did not have biological children together. Freeman, however, had children from previous relationships, and Myrna became part of the wider Freeman family during their long marriage. She developed a particularly close relationship with E’dena Hines, Freeman’s step-granddaughter. Although Myrna never became a biological mother herself, family remained an important part of her life during her marriage. Her relationship with Freeman’s family demonstrates that their decades together involved much more than their public appearances, encompassing a larger family structure developed throughout their long-term relationship.
Her African American Art Collection
Art collecting became another significant part of Myrna Colley-Lee’s cultural work. Her personal collection has been presented through an exhibition titled Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection. The collection includes around 50 works and explores African American lives, traditions, communities, and environments. Paintings, photography, textiles, and other artistic forms are represented. Artists associated with the collection include Romare Bearden, James Van Der Zee, Elizabeth Catlett, Eudora Welty, and Betye Saar. The collection reflects Myrna’s wider commitment to preserving and celebrating African American artistic and cultural experiences beyond theatre.
A Theatre of Color Exhibition
Myrna’s professional experience in costume design also became the foundation for an exhibition called A Theatre of Color: Costume Design for the Black Theatre by Myrna Colley-Lee. The project brings attention to costume design as an important element of Black theatrical history. Rather than treating costumes simply as clothing worn by actors, the exhibition highlights their role in communicating culture, time periods, identity, and storytelling. The project connects several important parts of Myrna’s life—design, theatre, African American history, and visual art—and demonstrates how her creative work contributes to preserving theatrical heritage.
Her Philanthropy and Civic Work
Myrna Colley-Lee has remained involved with arts organizations outside her individual design projects. Her civic and cultural work has included service connected with the Mississippi Arts Commission and organizations supporting arts development. She has also been associated with Charleston Arts Revitalization Effort and the Rock River Foundation. Her professional memberships and cultural connections have included the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Black Theatre Network. Through these activities, she has supported arts education, cultural preservation, theatre, and community development while using her professional experience to contribute beyond individual stage productions.
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Net Worth
Myrna Colley-Lee’s net worth is commonly estimated at around $160 million. Her financial position is associated with her long professional career and her divorce from Morgan Freeman. Various reports have suggested that the divorce involved a very large settlement, with figures ranging from approximately $100 million to considerably higher amounts. The exact financial terms remained private because the divorce proceedings and settlement details were sealed. Beyond her marriage, Myrna spent decades working professionally as a costume designer, scenic designer, art director, educator, and arts professional, creating an independent career that began long before her divorce.
Where Is Myrna Colley-Lee Now?
Myrna has maintained a much quieter public profile than her former husband. Instead of seeking regular celebrity attention, her later public life has remained centered largely on theatre, visual art, cultural preservation, and arts philanthropy. Her art collection and exhibitions have helped introduce audiences to important works representing African American history and everyday experiences. She has also maintained connections with Mississippi’s arts community. This private lifestyle is consistent with much of her career, as Myrna has generally received recognition through her creative work and cultural contributions rather than through frequent appearances in entertainment media.
Myrna Colley-Lee’s Legacy
Myrna Colley-Lee’s legacy combines theatre design, visual art, education, and cultural preservation. Although many people discover her name because of Morgan Freeman, her professional history began independently and developed across decades. Her costumes have contributed to numerous theatrical productions, while her exhibitions and personal art collection have helped preserve and celebrate African American culture. She also contributed through teaching, arts organizations, and civic involvement. Together, these accomplishments present a much broader picture of Myrna: not simply a celebrity’s former spouse, but a designer and arts advocate with her own substantial body of work.
Final Thoughts
Myrna Colley-Lee built an impressive life around creativity, theatre, and African American culture. Her marriage to Morgan Freeman made her familiar to a much wider audience, but it represents only one chapter of her story. From studying fine arts and scenic design to creating costumes for dozens of productions, collecting significant artwork, supporting cultural organizations, and participating in arts education, Myrna developed an identity of her own. Her long career shows how important behind-the-scenes artists can be to theatre and cultural storytelling. Today, she is remembered both for her connection to Freeman and for her independent artistic achievements.
(FAQs)
Who is Myrna Colley-Lee?
Myrna Colley-Lee is an American costume designer, scenic designer, art director, and arts advocate. She is known for decades of work in theatre, particularly Black theatre, and is also widely recognized as Morgan Freeman’s former wife.
How old is Myrna Colley-Lee?
Myrna Colley-Lee was born in 1941 in Hamlet, North Carolina. That places her in her mid-eighties in 2026. She has maintained a relatively private lifestyle despite her long association with theatre and Hollywood.
When did Myrna Colley-Lee marry Morgan Freeman?
Myrna Colley-Lee married Morgan Freeman on 16 June 1984. Their relationship lasted for more than two decades. They separated in December 2007, and their divorce was officially finalized in September 2010.
Why did Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee divorce?
Myrna and Morgan separated after a long marriage, and their divorce proceedings remained largely private. Reports surrounding the breakup discussed Freeman’s relationships with other women, while detailed legal and personal circumstances were kept away from the public.
Does Myrna Colley-Lee have children?
Myrna Colley-Lee does not have biological children. During her marriage to Morgan Freeman, however, she became part of his wider family and developed relationships with his children and relatives, including a close bond with E’dena Hines.
What is Myrna Colley-Lee’s net worth?
Myrna Colley-Lee’s net worth is commonly estimated at approximately $160 million. Her wealth has been linked to her professional career and divorce settlement, although the exact financial terms of her divorce from Morgan Freeman remained private.
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