38 Facts About Chris Gardner

In 2006, Chris Gardner sold his minority stake in the firm and published a memoir.

Chris Gardner was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 9,1954, to Bettye Jean Chris Gardner and Thomas Turner.

Chris Gardner was the second child and the only boy born to Bettye Jean.

Chris Gardner did not have many positive male role models as a child, as his father was living in Louisiana during his birth, and his stepfather was physically abusive to both his mother and his sisters.

When Chris Gardner was eight years old, he and his sisters returned to foster care for the second time when their mother, unbeknownst to them, was convicted of trying to kill Triplett by burning down the house while he was inside.

However, Henry drowned in the Mississippi River when Chris Gardner was nine years old.

Chris Gardner encouraged Gardner to believe in himself and sowed the seeds of self-reliance in him.

Chris Gardner was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for four years, where he was assigned as a hospital corpsman.

Chris Gardner became acquainted with a decorated San Francisco cardiac surgeon, Dr Robert Ellis, who offered Gardner a position assisting him with innovative clinical research at the University of California Medical Center and Veterans Administration Hospital in San Francisco.

Chris Gardner accepted the position, and moved to San Francisco upon his discharge from the Navy in 1974.

On June 18,1977, Chris Gardner married Sherry Dyson, a Virginia native and an educational expert in mathematics.

Chris Gardner was advised to consider more lucrative career options; a few days before his 26th birthday, he informed his wife, Sherry, of his plans to abandon his dreams of becoming a physician.

Chris Gardner worked as a research lab assistant at UCSF and at the Veterans' Hospital after leaving the service.

Chris Gardner returned to San Francisco determined to succeed at business.

Chris Gardner met with Gardner and gave him an introduction to the world of finance.

Chris Gardner subsequently quit his sales job so that he could dedicate his time exclusively to training as a stockbroker.

Chris Gardner was apprehended initially for this incident, but an identity check on his car license plate led them to detain him for non-payment of parking fines.

Chris Gardner was taken to jail and a judge ordered that he stay there, for ten days, as punishment for being unable to pay $1,200.00 in parking tickets.

Chris Gardner returned home from jail to find his apartment empty.

Chris Gardner worked to become a top trainee at Dean Witter Reynolds.

Chris Gardner arrived at the office early and stayed late each day, persistently making calls to prospective clients with his goal being 200 calls per day.

Chris Gardner's perseverance paid off when, in 1982, Gardner passed his Series 7 Exam on the first try and became a full employee of the firm.

Chris Gardner willingly accepted sole custody of his child; however, the rooming house where he lived did not allow children.

Meanwhile, none of Chris Gardner's co-workers knew that he and his son were homeless in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco for nearly a year.

Chris Gardner was planning an investment venture there which he hoped would create hundreds of jobs and introduce millions in foreign currency into the country's economy.

Chris Gardner has declined to disclose details of the project, citing securities laws.

Chris Gardner is a philanthropist who sponsors many charitable organizations, primarily the Cara Program and the Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, where he and his son received desperately needed shelter.

Chris Gardner has helped fund a $50 million project in San Francisco that creates low-income housing and opportunities for employment in the area of the city where he was once homeless.

Chris Gardner makes himself available for permanent job placement assistance, career counseling and comprehensive job training for the homeless population and at-risk communities in Chicago.

In 2002, Chris Gardner received the Father of the Year Award from the NFI.

Chris Gardner received the 25th Annual Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, and the 2006 Friends of Africa Award from the Continental Africa Chamber of Commerce.

Chris Gardner served as the commencement speaker for the University of California, Berkeley's Spring 2009 graduation ceremony.

The unusual spelling of the film's title comes from a sign Chris Gardner saw when he was homeless.

Chris Gardner himself felt that it was imperative to share his story for the sake of its widespread social issues.

Chris Gardner was noticeably absent from the movie's premiere on December 15,2006.

Chris Gardner chose, instead, to be the guest inspirational speaker at a Christmas party for JHT Holdings, Inc.

Chris Gardner was featured in the Canadian documentary Come on Down: Searching for the American Dream, where he spoke about the American Dream at his office in downtown Chicago.

Chris Gardner made a cameo appearance in the 2008 comedy film The Promotion, where he played a community leader.