Chris Gardner is the real-life character of the famous movie ‘The Pursuit to Happyness’. He’s a business, investor, author, and philanthropist. He is famous with his story of struggling homeless together with his son, Christopher Jr. He shrove hard and now a multimillion-dollar businessman. He is known for his Ferrari, which he bought from Michael Jordan and with a plate “NOT MJ”.
Chris Gardner Personal Life
Christopher Paul Gardner, or Chris Gardner, was born on February 9, 1954, in Wisconsin, according to his biography. He was the only boy born to Bettye Jean. His father is Thomas Turner, whom he only knew when he became a father himself. When his son, Christopher Jr., kept asking about his grandfather. Growing up, he didn’t have many positive male models as a child. His father was living in Louisiana and his stepfather was physically violent to him and to his mother and sisters.
Married and Divorced life of Chris Gardner
Chris was married to Sherry Dyson on June 18, 1977, but in 1986 they were officially divorced because of differences in behavior which started when he advised his decision to discontinue his medical career. While with Sherry, he started an affair with Jackie Medina and she got pregnant after a few months. He left Sherry to live with Jackie and also to welcome his children. While Gardner was trying his luck on the stockbroker career, his relationship with Jackie came falling.
She left with Christopher Jr. but 4 months later went back and left their son to his care. Chris and his son became homeless and none of his co-workers know. They moved from place to place. They usually spent their night in parks, motel and also in public transports. They even slept in his office after work.
Chris Gardner Jail Path
Chris has spent 10 days in jail for being unable to pay $1200 in parking ticket dues. Coming from a destitute background, Chris does a lot of Charity work, especially distributing food and clothes to the homeless. He is one of the sponsorers of the CARA program and the the Glide Memorial United Methodist Church.
Chris Gardner Professional Career Path
Inspired by his Uncle Henry, Chris enrolled in the army and serve as a corpsman. Gardner worked at UCSF and The Veterans Hospital as a research assistant. He quit these jobs after 4 years and became a salesman of medical equipment. One day, he met Bob Bridges and introduced him to finance world. He then knew that he wanted to be a stockbroker. He started as a trainee in Dean Witter Reynolds, a stockbroker firm. He dedicated himself to the training and soon absorbed by the company as a full-time employee. With the skills he gained from the training, he started putting up his own firm. He established Gardner Rich & Co in 1987.
Chris Garnder Net Worth and Awards
Then he sold his small stake in Garner Rich and became a CEO when he founded Christopher Gardner International Holdings. He also makes a lot of money from his authored book, including ‘Pursuit to Happyness’. His current net worth is 60 million US dollars. He was cast on TV at an Oprah show. Gardner’s awards: the ‘Father of the Year Award’ from the NFI; the 25th Annual Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW); and the 2006 Friends of Africa Award from the Continental Africa Chamber of Commerce.
Last Modified: Mar 6, 2020
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