Chris Gardner: Net Worth, Son and Details About His Ex-Wife

Chris Gardner has a net worth is $70 million in 2025. His ex-wife is Sherry Dyson and he has a son whose name is Christopher Gardner Jr. He and Dyson never had any children together, and Christopher Jr was born by his ex-partner, Jackie Medina.

Beyond being recognized as an American entrepreneur, investor, and stockbroker, Chris Gardner is famous as a motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist. The man is admired for his inspiring rags-to-riches story.

In his popular book – Pursuit of Happyness, Chris depicted his struggles as a homeless father. The book received abundant positive reviews and was eventually made into a movie of the same title.

How Much is Chris Gardner’s Net Worth?

Chris Gardner is worth $70 million in 2025 which is an astonishing achievement given his background and struggles. He acquired his wealth through various means. Here is a breakdown of his major income sources and what they have contributed to his fortune currently estimated at $70 million.

Wall Street Career and His Brokerage Firm Set Him on the Path to Financial Freedom

Chris Gardener got his first professional training for Wall Street with Dean Witter Reynold’s stock brokerage training program. His financial services industry journey began after he met a stockbroker in a red Ferrari named Bob Bridges. Bod introduced Chris, who was working as a medical equipment salesman to the world of finance and he decided to abandon his job to pursue a career on Wall Street. This would become one of the best decisions he ever made.

With the help of Bob, Chris approached several stock brokerage firms that offered training programs. After a series of disappointments, he was able to land a place with Dean Witter Reynold’s stock brokerage training program, and it marked the beginning of his journey to financial freedom.

As a dedicated and hardworking intern in Dean Witter Reynolds, Chris passed the test to become a stockbroker in 1982, and all his hard work paid off. With mastery of the business and his wealth of experience, Chris later founded his own stock brokerage company called Gardner Rich & Co with a start-up capital of $10,000.

Sometime in 2006, he sold his stake in the brokerage firm in a multimillion-dollar deal which he used to found another company known as Christopher Gardner International Holdings. It has international footprints and offices spread across the United States of America.

Chris Gardner Has Made Millions from His Books

Gardener has told his life story in a few books, which have in turn, become a big source of income for him. Looking back on the journey so far, Chris Gardner says the decision to be the very best version of himself was one of the things that made him succeed.

He became known to many after his book about his struggles was made into a movie, Pursuit of Happyness, wherein Will Smith portrayed Chris. The movie became a worldwide hit, and Chris became an instant celebrity. The pursuit of Happyness, his first book became a New York Times and Washington Post #1 Bestseller. It has been translated into over 40 languages, and further translations are being done in Chinese and Arabic languages.

The movie version was a box office success. It grossed $162,586,036 domestically in the US and Canada. During its opening weekend, it recorded an earning of $27 million.

Apart from Pursuit of Happyness, he has published other books like Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (2009) and Permission to Dream (2021); all of which have contributed to his net worth in no small manner. 

List of Chris Gardner’s Books

Chris Gardner is a Highly Sought-after Inspirational Speaker

Given his life story and how he was able to free himself from poverty and generally change his life for good, it is not difficult to see how Chris Gardner became one of the most sought inspirational speakers in the United States and indeed the world at large.

Reports have it that his speaking fees range from $30,000 to $50,000 for each appearance. This shows that being a motivational speaker is one of the major avenues through which he acquired his massive fortune.

Here Are Some Notable Quotes of the Motivational Speaker

Having conquered all of his fears, flaws, and challenges, Chris finds duty in uplifting others. Gardner determined from his early experiences that alcoholism, domestic abuse, child abuse, illiteracy, fear, and powerlessness were the things he wanted to avoid in the future. His motivational talks often revolve around these factors.

Here are some of Chris Gardner’s popular quotes:

1. Others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you, no one can take from you or tarnish.

2. Without that sense of self, no amount of paper, no pedigree, and no credentials can make you legit. No matter what, you have to feel legit inside first.

3. Always, always pursue happiness.

4. The secret to success: find something you love to do so much, you can’t wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again.

5. Don’t ever let someone tell you, you can’t do something.

Chris Gardner’s House

Chris Gardner’s house is an impressive edifice located in Chicago. He also owns other homes in cities such as New York. In fact, a 2006 report has it that he owns three homes, one of which was a condo In Trump Tower New York. Of course, it is possible that he has sold off some of these properties. He may have also bought some other ones and added to the holdings.

One certain thing is that Chris Gardner has come a long way from his early days of homelessness and struggling to find shelter for himself and his young son in the 80s. He now lives in a palatial and tasteful home. He is not ostentatious, though. He is quite aware of his background and, rather than wasteful spending, dedicates money to programs that provide shelter and low-cost housing to fellows who are down on their luck.

He Spends a Great Deal of His Wealth on Charity 

Gardener spends a huge chunk of his income on charity. The inspirational man who never gave in to life’s hardships has been enjoying his net worth of $70 million and has not failed to give back.

Chris is a philanthropist. He has funded a $50 million San Francisco project that creates low-income housing and employment opportunities in the area of the city where he was once homeless.

Apart from providing financial support, he has been mentoring people on how to set and actualize life goals through his Back-2-School program sponsored by The Chris Gardner Foundation.

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Some of Chris Gardner’s Awards

For the things he has been able to accomplish in his career and for his humanitarian efforts, Chris Gardner has been honored with some prestigious awards over the years. Below is a list of the major ones:

• NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Biography / Autobiography
• Father of the Year Award from National Fatherhood Initiative – 2002
• Friends of Africa Award from the Continental Africa Chamber of Commerce – 2006
• 25th Annual Humanitarian Award from the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women

Chris Gardner’s Early Life

Born on February 9, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as Christopher Paul Gardner to Thomas Turner and Bettye Jean Gardner, Chris was raised by his mother. He is 71 years old in 2025. He had an older half-sister, Ophelia, and two other young sisters, Sharon and Kimberly, from two different unions.

He was the second child and the only boy born to his mother. Chris recalls not getting along with his stepfather, Freddie Triplett, whom he described as abusive. The violent drama between his parents took a turn for the worse when Bettye was convicted of the attempted murder of Freddie.

Chris and his younger sisters were sent to foster homes. However, he was a broken and confused child with no father figure to look up to. He was already a father before he met his biological father for the first time. Due to child abuse and abandonment, Chris had a rough experience with alcoholism. Regardless, he insisted on being a better man, a good father, and a world-class personality.

After graduating from high school, Chris enlisted in the U.S Navy and worked in labs for years as a corpsman. Later, he was given full responsibility for the laboratory, and he also co-authored several medical journals with another doctor.

FAQs

Who is Chris Gardner?

Chris Gardner is an American stock broker, businessman, and motivational speaker whose rags-to-riches story inspired the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness, which starred Will Smith as Gardner.

What is Chris Gardner’s Net Worth?

Chris Gardner’s net worth is $70 million in 2025, and he made this from his investments on the stock exchange, royalties from his book, as well as speaking fees. There is also revenue from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness as he is one of the associate producers.

Where is Chris Gardner Now?

Chris Gardner presently lives in Chicago. From there, he conducts his business. He also visits various parts of the world to deliver motivational speeches to many people.