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By now, most people are familiar with “The Pursuit of Happyness,” the Hollywood blockbuster starring Will Smith that brings the bio of millionaire entrepreneur Chris Gardner to the big screen. But, before there was all the glitz and glamour of a movie, the bio of Chris Gardner was a gritty story of struggle and determination in the fight for survival.
Born on February 9, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this story begins as far away from the bright lights of Hollywood as possible. He never knew his father and when his poor albeit loving mother couldn’t afford to look after him and his siblings, he spent his childhood being shuffled between foster homes and other relatives.
Despite achieving academic success in high school, this story would continue to endure difficult detours as the young graduate struggled to find his way. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the hopes of traveling the world, but wound up never leaving the country. After being discharged, he was hired by a friend as a clinical research assistant in San Francisco, where he was making $7,400 a year. He later became a medical supply salesman, which bumped his annual salary up to $16,000.
However, Chris Gardner wanted more and it is precisely that ambition that turned his bio into a major motion picture. In fact, it was after meeting a man who drove a Ferrari and was making $80,000 per month that Chris Gardner’s bio would immediately take on a new direction. This man was a stockbroker; Chris Gardner decided that if he was going to have that kind of life as well, if he was going to one day drive a Ferrari, then he too needed to be a stock broker.
With a sense of determination that was characteristic of his entire life, the entrepreneur set out knocking on the doors of investment firms hoping to find one that would give him a chance. Instead of finding a job, he found himself in jail; a police officer had run his license plates and discovered the $1,200 of fines in unpaid parking tickets that he owed the city.
After ten days in jail, he went directly to a job interview with Dean Witter – dirty jeans and all. It was a bold move that would drastically alter the fate of his bio, turning it from a story of despair and disappointment into one of the greatest success stories in recent American history. The interviewer sympathized and hired him; finally, someone had given him a chance.
At last, he had a job and more importantly, he had hope. However, challenges would continue to arise in the bio of Chris Gardner. His ex-girlfriend had left him to raise their 18-month-old son alone, and now with a child in tow, Chris Gardner was kicked out of his home. While studying for his broker’s exam, the father and son lived in shelters and $10-a-night motels. It was only after he received his license that he began to gain the attention of senior executives at Bear Stearns, who promptly hired the eager young stock broker.
This story was now almost a complete success story. In 1987, he founded Gardner Rich, his own Chicago-based brokerage firm, which has continued to land major clients over the years. Today, Gardner is a millionaire and he is looking nowhere but forward.
When you first hear the Chris Gardner story, you might think you were hearing the storyline of a Hollywood movie. In fact, the Chris Gardner story was so real that it was turned into a movie, the recently released “...
In May 2006, Chris Gardner would release a book that would not only top best-seller lists across the country and get turned into a major motion picture, but would also inspire passion and hope in a new generation of...
He may not have landed the biggest clients or made the most money, but multi-millionaire stock broker Chris Gardner is possibly one of the most successful stock brokers in the world. From living on the street, bathi...
Even before “the pursuit of happiness” became one of the most famous phrases in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, mankind worldwide had been on a quest to chase down this elusive goal. In his 2006 autobiographic...
By now, most people are familiar with “The Pursuit of Happyness,” the Hollywood blockbuster starring Will Smith that brings the bio of millionaire entrepreneur Chris Gardner to the big screen. But, before there was ...
Chris Gardner Video - The astounding yet true rags-to-riches saga of a homeless father, Chris Gardner, who raised and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street
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When you first hear the Chris Gardner story, you might think you were hearing the storyline of a Hollywood movie. In fact, the Chris Gardner story was so real that it was turned into a movie, the recently released “...
