In 1980, he had a small role as Walter in the drama "Brubaker", which starred Robert Redford as a prison warden. Freeman next appeared in the television film, "Attica" (1980)"," which is about the 1971 Attica Prison riot and its aftermath. A year later, he starred in Peter Yates' "Eyewitness" with co-stars William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver"." From 1982 to 1984, Freeman was a cast member of the soap opera "Another World," playing architect Roy Bingham. After several small roles in dramas, he starred in "Marie" (1985), a film adaptation of "Marie: A True Story" by Peter Maas, in which he portrayed Charles Traughber, and also appeared in the miniseries "The Atlanta Child Murders". Freeman also had a small role in the drama "That Was Then... This Is Now," based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. In the mid-1980s, he began accepting prominent supporting roles in feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.