The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Pursuit of Happiness
Previous 8 of 12 Next
Chris Gardner and his son
Chris says his greatest accomplishment in life isn't financial—it's breaking the cycle of child abandonment in his family. "I knew that I wanted to break the cycle of men who were not there for their children," Chris says. "I knew how I was treated. That was so important to me."

Chris says the decisions he made at an early age about what kind of father he wanted to be will benefit generations of Gardners to come. "That's the beauty of the whole thing—it ended here," Chris says. "So his children, my grandchildren, great grandchildren, they're going to know all of this life that we have here today is different and better because of our great grandfather. And that's important to me."

Meet the real Chris Jr. »
From the show Homeless to Hollywood: Will Smith and the Real Chris Gardner
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner