Chris Gardner

Christopher Paul Gardner was born on February 9, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Bettye Jean Gardner. His biological father, Thomas Turner, lived in Louisiana, and Gardner grew up without him.

His stepfather, Freddie Triplett, was physically abusive. Gardner and his sisters Ophelia, Sharon and Kimberly were placed in foster care twice, the second time around age eight after his mother was convicted of trying to burn down the house with Triplett inside.

His uncle Henry, an important male role model, drowned in the Mississippi River when Gardner was nine. His mother’s belief that he could do or be anything, and his own vow that his children would always know their father, became guiding principles for the rest of his life.

On June 18, 1977, Gardner married Sherry Dyson. After about three years he left the marriage to live with dental student Jackie Medina, and the divorce was finalized in 1986.

Gardner and Medina had two children:

• Christopher Jarrett Gardner Jr., born January 28, 1981, who lived through his father’s year of homelessness as a toddler.
• Jacintha Gardner, born in 1985.

When the relationship with Medina broke down, Gardner took sole care of his young son. He has said that keeping his promise to be present for his children was the core of his story.

Gardner does not hold a college degree. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a hospital corpsman at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, until his discharge in 1974.

He then moved to San Francisco to work as a research assistant for cardiac surgeon Dr. Robert Ellis, and by 1976 he was responsible for running the lab. He gave up plans for medical school because the years of training were not financially possible with a family.

He later worked as a medical supply salesman, the job he held when he discovered stockbroking.

In San Francisco, Gardner met stockbroker Bob Bridges, who was parking a red Ferrari, and asked what he did for a living. Learning that the job relied on numbers and people skills rather than a degree, he set out to become a broker.

By his own account he spent ten days in jail over about $1,200 in unpaid parking tickets before joining the unpaid Dean Witter Reynolds training program. During this period he and his son were homeless in San Francisco for nearly a year.

• They stayed at the Glide Memorial church shelter after Rev. Cecil Williams agreed to help.
• They also slept in places such as a BART station restroom and his office after hours.

Gardner has said he made around 200 calls a day. In 1982 he passed the Series 7 exam on his first attempt and became a full employee.

From 1983 to 1987 Gardner worked at Bear Stearns & Co., where he became a top earner.

In 1987 he founded Gardner Rich & Co. in Chicago with $10,000 in start-up capital, working from home at first. The firm became an institutional brokerage.

In 2006 he sold his minority stake in a multimillion-dollar deal and became founder and CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. He also bought a Ferrari from Michael Jordan; its Illinois plate reads “NOT MJ”.

On May 23, 2006, Amistad published The Pursuit of Happyness, written with Quincy Troupe and Mim Eichler Rivas. It became a New York Times bestseller and won the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Biography/Autobiography. The misspelled title came from a sign at his son’s daycare.

The film adaptation, directed by Gabriele Muccino, was released in December 2006 and grossed over $300 million worldwide.

• Will Smith played Gardner and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
• Jaden Smith played Christopher Jr.
• Gardner was an associate producer and made a cameo.
• The film won the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture.

He followed with Start Where You Are (2009) and Permission to Dream (2021), a fable about building a dream life, both written with Mim Eichler Rivas.

Gardner is an in-demand international speaker. His best-known tool is the C-5 Complex, a format for any life plan:

• Clear
• Concise
• Compelling
• Committed
• Consistent

He also teaches that “the cavalry ain’t coming”, meaning people must take ownership of their circumstances. In spring 2009 he gave the commencement address at UC Berkeley, and in fall 2010 AARP named him its Ambassador of Pursuit and Happyness to encourage people over 50 to take on new challenges.

Gardner supports Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, which sheltered him and his son, as well as the Cara Program. He helped fund a $50 million project in San Francisco to create low-income housing and job opportunities.

• Fatherhood: Father of the Year Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative (2002).
• Anti-violence: 25th Annual Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (2006).
• Veterans: Has worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on ending veteran homelessness.
• Education: Board member of the National Education Foundation and founder of the Chris Gardner Foundation’s Back-2-School program.

Gardner was an associate producer of The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

He was also one of the executive producers of Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, his first film as a producer. The documentary premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, aired on PBS American Masters and received a Peabody Award in 2017.

Gardner is founder and CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings and describes himself as the “CEO of HappYness”.

Through the Chris Gardner Foundation and his speaking, he promotes the idea that everyone deserves permission to dream. His signature message is that circumstances do not define destiny.