Introduction

Myrna Colley-Lee is a respected American costume designer, artist, arts advocate, and philanthropist whose career extends far beyond her former marriage to actor Morgan Freeman. Although she became more widely known because of her connection to Hollywood, her professional achievements were established independently through theater, costume design, visual arts, and community work.

Colley-Lee built a substantial career in the arts, working on stage productions and film projects while developing a reputation within the Black Theatre Movement. Her work has included costume design, art direction, set design, and creative projects connected with the Mississippi arts community. The Mississippi Arts Commission has described her as an internationally known costume designer, arts advocate, and patron.

Her personal life also attracted public attention because of her long marriage to Morgan Freeman, which lasted from 1984 until their divorce was finalized in 2010. However, reducing her story to that relationship overlooks the creative and cultural contributions that define much of her career.

Key Takeaways

• Myrna Colley-Lee is an accomplished costume designer, artist, arts advocate, and philanthropist.
• She studied art education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and later earned an MFA in scenic and costume design from Temple University.
• Her professional work has included theater, film, television, art direction, set design, and costume design.
• She has worked on productions including The Piano Lesson, Gee’s Bend, Forest City, and The Ballad of Emmett Till.
• She helped establish the SonEdna Foundation, which promoted literary arts in the Mississippi Delta.
• She was married to Morgan Freeman from 1984 until their divorce was finalized in 2010.

Biography Table

Who Is Myrna Colley-Lee?

Myrna Colley-Lee is an American creative professional whose career has centered on costume and visual design. She is particularly associated with theater, where her work has appeared in productions across the United States.

The Mississippi Arts Commission recognized Colley-Lee in its 2022 Governor’s Arts Awards, giving her the Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron award. The commission described her as an internationally known costume designer and noted her contributions to costume design, art direction, set design, philanthropy, and arts advocacy.

Her professional identity is therefore broader than the description of “Morgan Freeman’s ex-wife.” While that relationship explains much of the public interest in her personal life, her artistic career stands on its own.

Myrna Colley-Lee’s Early Life and Education

Detailed information about Colley-Lee’s early childhood is relatively limited in authoritative public records. What is well documented is her educational path and early development as an artist.

She studied at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in art education. She later studied scene painting and properties at Brooklyn College before completing a Master of Fine Arts degree in scenic and costume design at Temple University.

Her academic background helps explain the breadth of her later career. Costume design requires more than knowledge of clothing. Designers must understand character, period, color, texture, movement, visual composition, and the relationship between performers and their surroundings.

Colley-Lee’s education in art and scenic design gave her a foundation for working across these disciplines.

Myrna Colley-Lee’s Costume Design Career

Colley-Lee began her professional career in the late 1960s and became an important figure in American theater. The Mississippi Legislature has recognized her as one of the foremost costume designers associated with the Black Theatre Movement.

Her theater credits demonstrate the range of her work. Productions associated with her include:

• The Piano Lesson
• Gee’s Bend
• Forest City
• The Wedding Band
• The Ballad of Emmett Till
• Relativity
• Ain’t Misbehavin’
• Becoming Adele

Goodman Theatre documented her costume work for The Ballad of Emmett Till and noted additional design work involving productions such as Gee’s Bend, The Piano Lesson, and Forest City.

Her work was not limited to one theater or region. Her stage designs appeared in productions associated with theaters in cities including Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and other American cultural centers.

Why Costume Design Matters to Her Career

Costume designers help communicate character and story before a performer even speaks.

A successful costume can tell an audience:

• When and where a story takes place
• A character’s social position
• Their personality and occupation
• Changes in their circumstances
• Relationships between characters
• The cultural setting of a production

For historical and socially significant productions, costume design can also help audiences understand a particular period and community.

Colley-Lee’s career is notable partly because her work combines these visual storytelling elements with the traditions of Black theater.

Myrna Colley-Lee and the Black Theatre Movement

One of the most significant aspects of Colley-Lee’s professional legacy is her connection to the Black Theatre Movement.

The Mississippi Arts Commission specifically credited her as one of the foremost costume designers in that movement.

Her work contributed to productions that explored African American history, identity, family, culture, and social experience. Through costume and visual design, she helped create the environments in which those stories could be presented to audiences.

This part of her career is important because it places her work within a broader artistic tradition rather than treating her only as a celebrity spouse.

Her Work Beyond Costume Design

Although costume design is her best-known professional field, Colley-Lee has also worked as an art director and set designer.

Her 2011 oral history interview archived by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro discusses her experience as a costume designer, art director, and set designer for theater, film, and television. The archive also records her involvement with Glad Rags, the SonEdna Foundation, and the Mississippi Arts Commission.

This broader design experience demonstrates that her career has always involved visual storytelling rather than clothing alone.

GladRags and Visual Art

Colley-Lee’s creative interests have also included collecting and visual art.

A Mississippi Museum of Art profile describes her as an arts advocate, avid collector, and artist. It also notes that a permanent collection of her vintage clothing and costumes is held by the Mississippi State University Library.

Her costume renderings were also showcased through the exhibition “GladRags: Sketches, Swatches and Costume Designs by Myrna Colley-Lee.” The exhibition presented the planning and artistic process behind her design work.

Myrna Colley-Lee and the SonEdna Foundation

Another important part of Colley-Lee’s legacy is her work in literary arts.

She was a founder of the SonEdna Foundation, an organization focused on promoting literary arts and writers in the Mississippi Delta. Goodman Theatre described the foundation as supporting literary arts in the region, while archival records at Jackson State University identify Colley-Lee as the foundation’s founder.

The foundation reflected a different side of her creative interests. Rather than focusing solely on theater design, the organization sought to connect writers, artists, and communities.

Historical nonprofit records also list Colley-Lee as president of the SonEdna Foundation.

Her involvement illustrates how her influence extended beyond the stage into cultural development and community-based arts initiatives.

Myrna Colley-Lee’s Role in Mississippi’s Arts Community

Mississippi has played an important role in Colley-Lee’s professional and cultural life.

A 2022 Mississippi legislative resolution described her as a longtime resident of Charleston, Mississippi, and highlighted her contributions to theater, film, costume design, and arts advocacy. It also noted that her work had been exhibited in multiple cities and that a permanent collection of her clothing and costumes was held by Mississippi State University Library.

The Mississippi Museum of Art has also identified her as a board member and arts leader.

Her involvement with Mississippi’s cultural institutions shows why her legacy extends beyond entertainment.

Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman

Myrna Colley-Lee became widely recognizable to the general public because of her marriage to actor Morgan Freeman.

The couple married on June 16, 1984. Morgan Freeman’s biographical records identify Colley-Lee as his second wife and describe her profession as a costume designer.

Their relationship lasted for more than two decades. They separated in December 2007, and their divorce was finalized on September 15, 2010. Contemporary reporting stated that the divorce was settled without a trial and that the settlement terms were not publicly disclosed.

Because the couple’s marriage attracted significant media attention, searches for Colley-Lee often focus heavily on Morgan Freeman. However, her professional achievements existed independently of that relationship.

Did Myrna Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman Have Children?

Public biographies generally describe the couple as having no biological children together. During their marriage, however, Colley-Lee helped raise Morgan Freeman’s family, including his step-granddaughter.

It is important to distinguish between biological parenthood, adoption, and the broader role someone plays within a family. Online celebrity biographies sometimes simplify these relationships, so careful wording is preferable when discussing family history.

Awards and Recognition

Colley-Lee’s work has received recognition from several arts organizations.

Among the honors associated with her career are:

• Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Lifetime Achievement Award
• Outstanding Costume Design Award from the National Black Theatre Festival
• Wynona Lee Fletcher Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Designer
• Honored Artist Award from the Mississippi chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts
• Honorary Doctor of Creative Arts from Mississippi State University
• 2022 Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron

These honors are documented by institutions including Goodman Theatre, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and the Mississippi Museum of Art.

The recognition is significant because it reflects professional appreciation for her work rather than simply public attention associated with her former marriage.

What Is Myrna Colley-Lee Known For?

Myrna Colley-Lee is best known for several interconnected areas:

Costume Design

Her most established professional identity is as a costume designer, particularly in theater and the Black Theatre Movement.

Set and Art Direction

She has also worked in set design and art direction for theater, film, and television.

Arts Advocacy

Her work with cultural institutions and arts organizations has made her an important figure in Mississippi’s creative community.

Literary Arts

Through SonEdna, she helped support literary activity and writers in the Mississippi Delta.

Visual Arts and Collecting

Her interests include art and costume collections, with some of her work preserved in institutional collections.

What Is Myrna Colley-Lee Doing Now?

Reliable public sources provide limited information about Colley-Lee’s day-to-day life today.

What is better documented is her continuing connection to the arts. The International Women’s Forum Mississippi lists her affiliation with GladRags Designs/SonEdna and identifies her as a founder.

Rather than speculating about her private activities, it is more accurate to focus on her documented cultural and artistic contributions.

Myrna Colley-Lee’s Legacy

Colley-Lee’s legacy can be understood through two different lenses.

The first is popular culture. Many people know her because she was married to Morgan Freeman for 26 years.

The second, and arguably more important from an artistic perspective, is her own career. She spent decades developing costumes and visual concepts for theater, film, and television. She also supported literary and cultural initiatives in Mississippi and received significant recognition for her work.

Her story demonstrates how a person associated with a famous celebrity can have an independent professional identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Myrna Colley-Lee?

Myrna Colley-Lee is an American costume designer, artist, arts advocate, and philanthropist. She is also known publicly as the former wife of actor Morgan Freeman.

What is Myrna Colley-Lee famous for?

She is best known professionally for costume design and her contributions to theater, particularly the Black Theatre Movement. She has also worked in art direction and set design and has supported literary and cultural initiatives.

Was Myrna Colley-Lee married to Morgan Freeman?

Yes. Colley-Lee and Morgan Freeman married in June 1984 and divorced in September 2010 after separating in 2007.

What did Myrna Colley-Lee study?

She earned a BFA in Art Education from the University of North Carolina and later completed an MFA in scenic and costume design at Temple University. She also studied scene painting and properties at Brooklyn College.

Did Myrna Colley-Lee work as a costume designer?

Yes. Costume design has been a major part of her professional career. Her theater credits include productions such as The Piano Lesson, Gee’s Bend, Forest City, and The Ballad of Emmett Till.

What is the SonEdna Foundation?

The SonEdna Foundation was a literary arts organization associated with Myrna Colley-Lee that promoted writers and literary activity in the Mississippi Delta. Archival records identify Colley-Lee as its founder.

Has Myrna Colley-Lee won awards?

Yes. Her honors include the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Lifetime Achievement Award, recognition from the National Black Theatre Festival, and the 2022 Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Costume Design & Arts Patron.

Where is Myrna Colley-Lee from?

Institutional sources describe Colley-Lee as a native of North Carolina and a longtime resident of Charleston, Mississippi.

Conclusion

Myrna Colley-Lee is much more than a name associated with Morgan Freeman. Her career reflects decades of creative work in costume design, theater, visual arts, set design, and art direction, along with substantial involvement in cultural and literary initiatives.

Her education in art and design provided the foundation for a career that began in the late 1960s and developed into a respected body of work. She became recognized within the Black Theatre Movement, contributed to major theatrical productions, and received numerous honors for her artistic achievements.

Her work with SonEdna and Mississippi arts organizations also demonstrates a commitment to supporting culture beyond her own professional projects. Meanwhile, her marriage to Morgan Freeman remains an important part of her public biography, but it represents only one chapter of her story.

For anyone researching Myrna Colley-Lee, the clearest picture is that of an accomplished creative professional whose influence reaches from costume design and theater to arts advocacy and literary culture. Her legacy is best understood through the work she created and the communities she helped support.