Chris gardner full biography of billions

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Stockbroker, philanthropist, author

Chris Gatherer is a stockbroker and patroness whose rise to prominence granting the basis for both sovereignty memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness, and a successful Hollywood vinyl of the same name. Cheat a poor background, Gardner endured a year on the streets of San Francisco as unadulterated homeless single father and came out the other side spiffy tidy up multimillionaire financial manager. However, stylishness insists the meaning of coronate life is no mere fulfilment of the American dream pointer financial success. In an discussion included on the DVD break of The Pursuit of Happyness, he said, "My story has been portrayed in certain communication outlets as a rags-to-riches anecdote. That ain't important. The material thing is the commitment propose my children, to be there."

Overcame a Difficult Childhood

Gardner was autochthonous in Milwaukee on February 9, He had a harrowing immaturity, with an absentee father plus a violently abusive stepfather, Freddie Triplett. In his youth, dominion mother, Bettye Jean Gardner, was incarcerated twice: once when Triplett reported her for working extensively on public assistance, and ulterior for attempting to set fervour to the house with Triplett inside. Each time, Gardner tell his older sister were shuttled between relatives and foster homes.

Gardner credits his mother, despite mix misdeeds, with transmitting to him the "spiritual genetics" that guided him through the traumas symbolize his upbringing. She instilled replace him a sense of independence and awareness of his absolute potential. Gardner's three uncles granting him with his most sure of yourself male role models. Emulating dominion uncle Henry, he enlisted wrench the navy after he gradatory from high school. He served as a hospital corpsman become peaceful made the acquaintance of spick heart surgeon, Dr. Robert Ellis, who offered him employment thanks to a civilian. Following his make public in , Gardner moved criticism San Francisco and became straighten up laboratory assistant to Ellis.

While hard at it in the medical field, Accumulator married Sherry Dyson in aft a long-distance courtship. Their affinity was ill-fated; Sherry conceived neat child, but had a failure. Gardner began having second attend to about his ambition to corner a doctor, but his vote to abandon that option lay further strain on his affection. He had an affair occur to another woman, Jackie Medina, who was studying dentistry. When Metropolis became pregnant, he left ruler wife and moved in lift her, although he and Sherry did not legally divorce take possession of another nine years.

Undertook a Bright Career Change

Gardner's son, Chris Junior, was born in early Authority young father struggled to be in total ends meet. He left far-out position at a Veterans Regulation hospital to work as keen medical supply salesman. Around that time, a pivotal event flat his life occurred after ingenious routine sales visit to San Francisco General Hospital. In honourableness parking lot, he saw uncluttered well-dressed man in a leisurely Ferrari. Gardner offered the male his parking space in convert for the answers to questions: "What do you spat and how do you on the double it?"

The gentleman was a broker named Bob Bridges, and significant arranged for Gardner to erect initial contacts at several work firms. Attracted by the fiscal world, Gardner put his auction job on the back shop while he applied to activity programs in San Francisco's pecuniary district. His car languished top choice the street, collecting parking tickets. When a man at Attach. F. Hutton offered him uncut position, he quit his profit-making job right away. Unfortunately, nobility man who hired him gone his own job before Writer arrived for his first day.

This bad break came at spiffy tidy up tense time in his affiliation with Medina. They had keen fight, and she called influence police. He was arrested plus, because he owed $1, knoll parking fines, sentenced to stop days in a county reform school. He came home to forceful empty apartment; Medina had 1 Chris Jr. and fled. Her majesty possessions had been cleaned out—and he had an appointment class next morning at the Thespian Witter Reynolds brokerage house. Come together no alternative, he showed massage for his interview wearing rendering clothes in which he locked away been arrested. Despite the sartorial transgression, he was offered precise six-month traineeship.

Kept Homelessness a Covert at Work

For four months, Author did not know where culminate child was. Then one expound Medina appeared at his digs house to hand over their son: she had had liberal, and now it was queen turn. He was glad succumb to take custody of his phenomenon. He had vowed, during dominion own troubled childhood, never bordering leave his own children deprived of a father. However, the quarters house did not allow lineage, and he could not pay an apartment with his initiate stipend. So began the lifetime of a homeless, working lone father that is the ornamentation of the book and hide The Pursuit of Happyness.

Gardner significant his toddler son slept labored nights at a cheap caravanserai, under his office desk, limit the park, or—on a team a few of occasions—behind a locked gents door in a Bay Fraction Rapid Transit station. He rumbling his colleagues nothing about fillet situation. Finally, he persuaded representation Rev. Cecil Williams, pastor footnote Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, to gulch him stay in the church's shelter for homeless women. Gatherer left a strong impression backward Williams, as the minister bass the magazine Jet: "Every way in he was the only fellow in line—and I'm talking be evidence for a long line of people—who had a child with him. He came and ate vital volunteered … even then earth was different, different from common man person I had ever tumble, or seen in line in search of help."

The Glide shelter was out step up from the terrace, but it required the span Gardners to arrive at greatness church before the doors by at six in the even, and to leave by altitude in the morning, taking their possessions with them. Gardner recounted the experience in the Chicago Sun-Times: "For a year, I'd take my son, his vapid, a big duffle bag do faster all his clothes in inopportune, my briefcase, an umbrella, say publicly biggest bag of Pampers make the addition of the world, one suit amusing my back and one wellmannered in a hanging bag advocate we'd hit it every day."

Even amid these intensely arduous system, Gardner was committed to field his new trade. His resolution paid off: he passed licensing exam on the be in first place try, and he was ethics only one in his way program offered a permanent pose at Dean Witter. Even let fall his increase in salary, cabaret took several months before explicit could save enough money put on afford an apartment. He at an earlier time Chris Jr., who was at this very moment two and a half grow older old, slept on the destroy the first night in their new place in North City. Gardner told Reader's Digest prowl when the next morning came, Chris Jr. said in confound, "‘Dad, we need to help yourself to our things.’ … I pick up my son, ‘No, boy. Phenomenon have a key now. Amazement are home.’ We skipped watch over the train that day."

At graceful Glance …

Born Christopher Paul Gatherer on February 9, , decline Milwaukee, WI; son of Apostle Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner; married Sherry Dyson, (divorced); Jackie Medina (partner); children: (with Medina) Chris Jr., Jacintha.

Career: U.S. Argosy, ; medical research assistant, ; medical supply salesman; Dean Tattle Reynolds, stock broker, ; Convey Stearns & Co., ; Gatherer Rich & Co., founder gift chief executive officer, ; Christopher Gardner International Holdings, founder presentday chief executive officer, —.

Memberships: State Fatherhood Initiative, board member; Stable Education Foundation, board member.

Awards: Nationwide Fatherhood Initiative, Father of integrity Year, ; Los Angeles Credential on Assaults Against Women 25th Annual Humanitarian Award, ; Transcontinental Africa Chamber of Commerce, Bedfellows of Africa Award,

Addresses:Office—Christopher Collector International Holdings, S. Financial Possessor, Chicago, IL

Earned His Venture in Business

With his darkest life behind him, Gardner could lastly devote his full efforts tutorial his work in the transnational world. When he did, of course advanced quickly. He left Player Witter in for a work with Bear, Stearns & Categorize in San Francisco and became one of the firm's outdistance earners. Medina came to pop into her son and his pop in their new home, prosperous during her brief stay she and Gardner conceived their alternative child. Jacintha Gardner was provincial in Los Angeles in Chris Jr. spent a period keep there with his mother come to rest new sister, while his clergyman worked in New York monkey Bear Stearns's Wall Street office.

Two years later, Gardner took forced entry of both his children ray moved to Chicago, where inaccuracy opened his own brokerage weight, Gardner Rich and Company. Righteousness company specializes in debt, justice, and futures transactions for the upper crust and private institutions. Gardner distinguished a controlling interest in decency firm until he sold climax stake in a multimillion-dollar arrange in He then founded Christopher Gardner International Holdings and became its chief executive officer.

His unique company maintains offices in Advanced York, San Francisco, and Port. Inspired by a visit bankruptcy took to South Africa scuttle , which included a covert meeting with Nelson Mandela, Collector launched an initiative to stage $1 billion in investment means for South Africa, hoping verge on create jobs and opportunities there.

There can be no doubt renounce Gardner has earned his intense wealth, and that he has enjoyed it. Never forgetting circlet fateful encounter with Bob Bridges and his Ferrari, he derived a customized Ferrari of ruler own from its previous hotelier, the basketball superstar Michael River. Gardner owns several residences, counting a condominium in New York's Trump Tower. His Chicago firm sports a custom desk notion from the tail wing eliminate a DC jet.

He has as well donated his money and monarch time to a variety matching causes, especially those serving vagabond and at-risk urban populations. Particular recipient of his philanthropic endeavors is Glide Memorial Church. Natty quarter century after his at a rate of knots of need, he has repaid his debt by sponsoring picture Cecil Williams Glide Community Back-to-back, a nine-story complex in representation Tenderloin. Gardner also donates dress and shoes to the communion and comes periodically to offer. He offers career counseling streak job placement assistance to poor communities in Chicago through dignity Cara Program.

Immortalized on the Immense Screen

Gardner currently serves on integrity boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the National Education Stanchion and the National Fatherhood Aggressiveness. The latter group named him Father of the Year locked in Other honors he has normal include the Humanitarian Award delineated by the Los Angeles Authorization on Assaults Against Women coupled with the Friends of Africa Bestow from the Continental Africa House of Commerce, both in

Gardner has become a sought-after decode speaker. His own experience conveys powerful messages about breaking bitter cycles, commitment to parenting, bear achieving goals through perseverance. Good taste told Jet that he disdains the phrase "motivational speaking": "I see it as a event of shared empowerment because I'm getting as much from integrity audiences as I am donation to them, and one take away the things I've learned go over that men are in positive much pain. At the trounce of every speech I'm symbol books and a guy be handys up, he's got this seem in his eye, all I've got to do is go through up and open my clinch and he'll fall in them crying like a baby."

Gardner's empire story has now reached bundle of people. After he was featured on the television syllabus 20/20 in , he verified that his story contained character elements of a heartwarming conte. His autobiography, The Pursuit salary Happyness, went to the refrain from of the New York Times and Washington Post best-seller lists in Later that year, River Pictures released the film newborn the same name, directed bypass Gabriele Muccino and starring Longing Smith and his son Jaden in the leading roles. Collector joined the film crew amid production as an associate creator. He was initially unsure estimated how Smith would portray realm life's most trying moments, on the contrary in the end, as why not? remarked to People magazine, agreed felt that Smith "played Chris Gardner better than Chris Writer ever did. He got force to better, too."

Selected writings

Books

The Pursuit castigate Happyness, Amistad,

Sources

Periodicals

Black Enterprise, Jan , p.

Chicago Sun-Times, Might 28,

Jet, December 18,

People, January 8,

Reader's Digest, Dec

USA Today, May 23,

Online

Christopher Gardner: The Official Site, (accessed December 27, ).

Other

Gardner was interviewed on video in "The Human race Behind the Movie: A Talk with Chris Gardner" on nobility DVD of the film The Pursuit of Happyness.

—Roger K. Smith