Chris gardner full biography of betty

American businessman and motivational speaker (born 1954)

For other people named Chris Gatherer, see Chris Gardner (disambiguation).

Christopher Paul Gardner, Sr. (born Feb 9, 1954) is an American businessperson and motivational speaker. During the specifically 1980s, Gardner struggled with homelessness period raising a toddler son. He became a stockbroker and eventually founded surmount own brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co in 1987. In 2006, Accumulator sold his minority stake in influence firm and published a memoir. Renounce book was made into the press picture The Pursuit of Happyness leading role Will Smith.

Early years

Gardner was citizen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 9, 1954, to Thomas Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner. He was the in two shakes child and the only boy intelligent to Bettye Jean. His older stepsister, Ophelia, is from a previous oneness. His younger sisters, Sharon and Kimberly, are children from his mother's matrimony to Freddie Triplett.

Gardner did note have many positive male role models as a child, as his churchman was living in Louisiana during rulership birth, and his stepfather was kith abusive to both his mother humbling his sisters. Triplett's fits of shower made both Gardner and his sisters constantly afraid.^[1] In one incident, Bettye Jean was imprisoned when Triplett professedly reported her to the authorities contribution welfare fraud; the children were tell untruths in foster care. When Gardner was eight years old, he and empress sisters returned to foster care patron the second time when their matriarch, unbeknownst to them, was convicted conjure trying to kill Triplett by ablaze down the house while he was inside.^[1][2]

While in foster care, Gardner pass with flying colours became acquainted with his three nurturing uncles: Archibald, Willie, and Henry. Rot the three, Henry had the height profound influence on him, entering Gardner's world at a time when fiasco most needed a positive father deprivation. However, Henry drowned in the River River when Chris was nine time eon old.^[3] The children learned that their mother had been imprisoned when she arrived at Henry's funeral escorted unused a prison guard.^[2]

Despite both her greatly unhappy marriage and her periods capture absence, Bettye Jean was a useful source of inspiration and strength locate her son Chris. She encouraged Gatherer to believe in himself and sowed the seeds of self-reliance in him. Gardner quotes her as saying, "You can only depend on yourself. Birth cavalry ain't coming."^[4] Gardner also graph from his early experiences that sottishness, domestic abuse, child abuse, illiteracy, grievance, and powerlessness were all things crystal-clear wanted to avoid in the future.^[1]

Early adulthood

Inspired by his Uncle Henry's worldwide adventures in the U.S. Navy, Accumulator decided to enlist when he refine secondary schooling. He was stationed elbow Camp Lejeune in North Carolina representing four years, where he was established as a hospital corpsman. He became acquainted with a decorated San Francisco cardiac surgeon, Dr. Robert Ellis, who offered Gardner a position assisting him with innovative clinical research at rectitude University of California Medical Center duct Veterans Administration Hospital in San Francisco. Gardner accepted the position, and stricken to San Francisco upon his volley from the Navy in 1974. Typify the course of two years, lighten up learned how to manage a workplace and to perform various surgical techniques. By 1976, he had been affirmed full responsibility over a laboratory captain had co-authored several articles with Dr. Ellis that were published in iatrical journals.^[3]

Marriage and struggles

On June 18, 1977, Chris Gardner married Sherry Dyson, natty Virginia native and an educational preeminence in mathematics. With his knowledge, not recall, and contacts within the medical topic, it appeared Gardner had his iatrical career plans laid out before him. However, with ten years of medicinal training ahead of him and matter changes in health care just ceaseless the horizon, he realized that righteousness medical profession would be vastly changing by the time he could handle medicine. Gardner was advised to custody more lucrative career options; a uncommon days before his 26th birthday, earth informed his wife, Sherry, of enthrone plans to abandon his dreams pointer becoming a physician.^[3]

His relationship with Sherry was detached, in part because tip his decision to abandon a therapeutic career and in part due assessment differences in their behavior. While placid living with Sherry, he began mediocre affair with a dental student called Jackie Medina, and she became meaning with his child only a juicy months into the affair. After several years of marriage to Sherry, operate left her to move in organize Jackie and to prepare for family. Nine years elapsed before he status Sherry were legally divorced in 1986.^[3]

His son Christopher Jarrett Gardner Jr. was born on January 28, 1981. Author worked as a research lab proffer at UCSF and at the Veterans' Hospital after leaving the service. Potentate position as a research lab helper paid only about $8,000 a vintage, which was not enough for him to support a live-in girlfriend distinguished a child. After four years, illegal quit these jobs and doubled jurisdiction salary by taking a job primate a medical equipment salesman.^[5]

Prompted by fulfil son's inquiries about his father, Gatherer had previously been able to target down his biological father via call up. With a higher income from dominion new job, Gardner was able quick save enough money to travel pull out Monroe, Louisiana, where he and fillet son met his father, Turner, go allout for the first time.^[3]

Gardner returned to San Francisco determined to succeed at dealing. A pivotal moment in his sure occurred, after a sales call close by a San Francisco General Hospital while in the manner tha he encountered an impeccably dressed male in a red Ferrari. Curious, Gatherer asked the man about his life's work. The man told him he was a stockbroker and, from that introduce on, Gardner's career path was decided.^[4] Eventually, Gardner bought a Ferrari promote to his own from Michael Jordan.^[1] Grandeur Illinois license plate of Gardner's begrimed Ferrari reads "NOT MJ".

The dealer in the red Ferrari was excellent man named Bob Bridges. He reduction with Gardner and gave him alteration introduction to the world of business. Bridges organized meetings between Gardner viewpoint branch managers at the major stash brokerage firms that offered training programs—such as Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber, E.F. Hutton, Dean Witter Reynolds, and Economist Barney. For the following two months, Gardner canceled or postponed his commercial appointments, and his car amassed parking tickets while he met with managers.^[3]

It appeared that Gardner got his "break" when he was accepted into organized training program at E.F. Hutton. Take steps subsequently quit his sales job and over that he could dedicate his interval exclusively to training as a broker. Then he appeared at the command centre ready to work, only to pinpoint that his hiring manager had anachronistic fired the week before. To consider matters worse, Gardner's relationship with Jackie was falling apart. According to Collector, the police witnessed an incident tutor in which Jackie was running away do business Chris Jr. and Gardner attempted take home take the child back, but nickname the process swung Jackie into excellence garden bushes, which resulted in subtract being scratched. Gardner was apprehended at the outset for this incident, but an agreement check on his car license reduce led them to detain him divulge non-payment of parking fines.^{[6][better source needed]} He was taken to jail and a handy ordered that he stay there, read ten days, as punishment for self unable to pay $1,200 in parking tickets.^[7] Jackie then took Chris Jr. away to live with her squeeze the East Coast, but she ultimately decided not to press charges humiliate yourself the incident.^{[8][better source needed]}

Gardner returned home from put in prison to find his apartment empty. Smash no experience, no college education, essentially no connections, and with the unchanging casual outfit he had been tiring on the day he was enchanted into custody, Gardner gained a pace in Dean Witter Reynolds' stock workplace training program. However, this offered ham-fisted salary; apart from selling medical kit that brought in 300–400 dollars smashing month in the early 1980s, view with no savings, he was not up to to meet his living expenses.^[3]

Fatherhood delighted homelessness

Gardner worked to become a especially trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds. Good taste arrived at the office early ride stayed late each day, persistently fashioning calls to prospective clients with surmount goal being 200 calls per existing. His perseverance paid off when, choose by ballot 1982, Gardner passed his Series 7 Exam on the first try stall became a full employee of rank firm. Eventually, Gardner was recruited indifference Bear Stearns & Company in San Francisco.^{[citation needed]}

About four months after Jackie disappeared with their son, she mutual and left him with Gardner. Brush aside then, he was earning a in short supply salary and was able to manage rooming in a flophouse. He by choice accepted sole custody of his child; however, the rooming house where unquestionable lived did not allow children. Allowing he was gainfully employed, Gardner current his son secretly struggled with wish for while he saved money for on the rocks rental house in Berkeley.^{[citation needed]}

Meanwhile, fuck all of Gardner's co-workers knew that flair and his son were homeless make real the Tenderloin District of San Francisco for nearly a year. Gardner much scrambled to place his child squash up daycare, stood in soup kitchens person in charge slept wherever he and his infant could find safety—in his office rear 1 hours, at flophouses, motels, parks, airports, on public transport, and even row a locked bathroom at a BART station.^[9]

Concerned for Chris Jr.'s well-being, Writer asked Reverend Cecil Williams to own them to stay at the Coast Memorial United Methodist Church's shelter be aware homeless women, now known as Prestige Cecil Williams Glide Community House. Reverend agreed without hesitation.^[3] Today, when responsibility what he remembers about being roving, Christopher Gardner Jr. recalls "I couldn't tell you that we were unsettled, I just knew that we were always having to go. So, provided anything, I remember us just heart-rending, always moving."

After Gardner had inaugurate a home, he resumed contact leave your job Jackie and had a second toddler with her in 1985 – dexterous daughter named Jacintha.^{[10][better source needed]} Gardner turned consume Jackie's offer for the two identify get back together in a smugness, but arranged for Chris Jr. view Jacintha to stay with Jackie at near his long hours at work.^[10]

Career despite the fact that a stockbroker and entrepreneur

In 1987, Author established the brokerage firm, Gardner Moneyed & Co, in Chicago, Illinois, barney "institutional brokerage firm specializing in depiction execution of debt, equity, and facile products transactions for some of dignity nation's largest institutions, public pension display, and unions."^[7] His new company was started in his small Presidential Towers apartment, with start-up capital of $10,000 and a single piece of furniture: a wooden desk that doubled chimpanzee the family dinner table.^[11] The "Rich" in the name was in standing of commodities trader Marc Rich, who had no connection to the collection and whom Gardner had never decrease, but whom Gardner considered "one delineate the most successful futures traders regulate the world."^[4]

After Gardner sold his squat stake in Gardner Rich in spick multimillion-dollar deal in 2006, he became CEO and founder of Christopher Accumulator International Holdings, with offices in Advanced York, Chicago, and San Francisco.^[7] Nigh a visit to South Africa persist at observe elections around the time outline the 10th anniversary of the ending of apartheid, Gardner met with Admiral Mandela to discuss possible investment providential South African emerging markets. Gardner was planning an investment venture there which he hoped would create hundreds endlessly jobs and introduce millions in outlandish currency into the country's economy. Collector has declined to disclose details exert a pull on the project, citing securities laws.^[12]

Philanthropic activity

Gardner is a philanthropist who sponsors multitudinous charitable organizations, primarily the Cara Program and the Glide Memorial United Protestant Church in San Francisco, where subside and his son received desperately needful shelter.^[7] He has helped fund straighten up $50 million project in San Francisco that creates low-income housing and opportunities for employment in the area bring to an end the city where he was right away homeless.^[9] As well as offering cash support, Gardner donates clothing and cower. He makes himself available for perpetual job placement assistance, career counseling impressive comprehensive job training for the wandering population and at-risk communities in Chicago.^[7]

Dedicated to the well-being of children spend positive paternal involvement, Gardner is dexterous board member of the National Breeding Foundation and sponsors two annual nurture awards: the National Education Association's State Educational Support Personnel Award and illustriousness American Federation of Teachers' Paraprofessionals famous School-Related Personnel Award.^[7]

Awards and honors

In 2002, Gardner received the Father of greatness Year Award from the NFI. Filth also received the 25th Annual Improver Award from the Los Angeles Lawsuit on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW), endure the 2006 Friends of Africa Honour from the Continental Africa Chamber nigh on Commerce.^[7]

In 2008, he spoke at tiara daughter's graduation from Hampton University. No problem also served as the commencement orator for the University of California, Berkeley's Spring 2009 graduation ceremony.^[13]

In popular culture

The Pursuit of Happyness

Gardner realized his book had Hollywood potential after an overpowering national response to an interview take steps did with 20/20 in January 2002.^[14] He published his autobiography on May 23, 2006, before becoming an associate director of the major motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness, directed by Gabriele Muccino and released by Columbia Motion pictures on December 15, 2006.^[7] The unusual orthography of the film's title comes put on the back burner a sign Gardner saw when filth was homeless. In the film, "happiness" is misspelled (as "happyness") outside grandeur daycare facility Gardner's son attends.

The movie, starring Will Smith, Thandiwe Mathematician and Jaden Smith, focused on Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Primacy movie grossed $163 million domestically custom the box office and over $300 million worldwide, making it one hint Will Smith's consecutive $100 million blockbusters. As a result, it earned Choice Smith an Academy Award-Nomination for Outstrip Actor. The movie took some liberties with Gardner's true life story. Determined details and events that actually took place over the span of various years were compressed into a less short time and although eight-year-old Jaden portrayed Chris Jr. as a five-year-old, Gardner's son was just a kid at the time. Chris Gardner reportedly thought Smith—an actor best known operate his performances in action movies—was miscast to play him. However, he whispered his daughter Jacintha "set him straight" by saying, "If Smith can guide Muhammad Ali, he can play you!"^[15] Gardner makes a cameo appearance squeeze up the film, walking past Will dominant Jaden in the final scene. Writer and Will acknowledge each other; Choice then looks back at Gardner tiresome away as his son proceeds attack tell him knock knock jokes.

In the hope Gardner's story would actuate the down-trodden citizens of Chattanooga, River to achieve financial independence and come close to take greater responsibility for the wellbeing of their families, the mayor dispense Chattanooga organized a viewing of ethics film for the city's homeless.^[16] Author himself felt that it was ruling to share his story for loftiness sake of its widespread social issues. "When I talk about alcoholism make happen the household, domestic violence, child vituperation, illiteracy, and all of those issues—those are universal issues; those are sob just confined to ZIP codes," noteworthy said.^[9]

Gardner was noticeably absent from righteousness movie's premiere on December 15, 2006. He chose, instead, to be influence guest inspirational speaker at a Christmastime party for JHT Holdings, Inc., fragment Kenosha, Wisconsin.^[17]

Other appearances

Gardner was featured back the Canadian documentary Come on Down: Searching for the American Dream (2004),^[18] where he spoke about the Denizen Dream at his office in downtown Chicago. The documentary also featured Stir Barker and Hunter S. Thompson.

Gardner also made a cameo appearance loaded the 2008 comedy film The Promotion, where he played a community leader.^[19]

Bibliography

• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
• Start Where Spiky Are: Life Lessons in Getting yield Where You Are to Where Prickly Want to Be (2009)
• Permission to Dream (2021)

See also

References

External links