Antwone Fisher
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| Born: | August 3, 1959 Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
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| Occupation: | Film producer and screenwriter |
| Spouse: | LaNette Fisher |
Antwone Quenton Fisher (born August 3, 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American author, screenwriter, and film producer.
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[edit] Early life
Antwone Fisher was born in a women's prison in Ohio.[1] Because of this, Fisher was placed in foster homes only weeks after he was born and through most of his childhood. After living with a loving foster family for two years, Fisher was taken away from them because the relationship he created with his foster mother could end up causing problems.[2]
[edit] The Picketts
At that point he was placed with the Picketts, who are renamed the Tates in the film Antwone Fisher. The Picketts were Reverend Pickett and Mrs. Pickett, who had 9 children of their own. Fisher said in his autobiography that the time spent with this family was where the nightmare of his childhood began. He spent fourteen years with the Picketts, and through these years he was both physically and emotionally abused and sexually abused. He was beaten with a flaming newspaper, tied up in the basement for hours, and maligned, ridiculed, or ignored by family members. He was also sexually abused by a neighbor and family friend. Fisher said that after so many years with the family, Mr. Pickett didn't even know his name. Mrs. Pickett wouldn't give Fisher any money despite getting an allowance for keeping him and pocketed money he earned. After a dispute with Mrs. Pickett, Antwone was forced to go back to social services because he was no longer welcome in the home.[2]
[edit] Young adult
After life with the Picketts, Fisher's next stop was George Junior Republic School. This was a specialized school for troubled young men. Here he learned to take care of himself, and also met a man who was instrumental in his life, social worker Bill Ward. Fisher graduated from high school and Ward drove him to the local YMCA where Fisher's life of emancipation began right before he turned eighteen. At the YMCA he faced many dilemmas such as crime and sexual predators. Fisher turned to a life of crime and collecting money from prostitutes for Butch, a local criminal. He left this lifestyle and was homeless for a time.[2]
[edit] Adult life
[edit] Navy
Fisher joined the United States Navy to escape homelessness and a life of desperation. Fisher spent eleven years in the Navy, and attributes some of his greatest life lessons to his experiences there. He stated that he learned to walk with his head high. He learned to trust others, and others could rely on him as well. It is here that he also met Commander Williams, a psychiatrist who helped him realize that his life had not begun the way he had always thought. With Williams's help, Antwone accepted that he came from somewhere and would someday find out exactly where he came from.
[edit] Life after the Navy
After the discharge from the Navy, Fisher joined the Federal Bureau Of Prisons as a federal correctional officer, and after three years with the bureau, he began work as a security guard for Sony Pictures. It was here where Fisher decided to find his true family members. He contacted Annette Elkins, who turned out to be his aunt. Within months of this contact, Fisher met all of his kin including his mother Eva Mae. He wanted to be stern with her from the beginning and ask her questions such as "Didn't you ever wonder about me?" or "Why didn't you come get me?" but soon he realized that his mother's life had been just as hard if not harder than his own. She gave birth to four other children who were all taken away as wards of the state and had been repeatedly incarcerated and institutionalized. Fisher said after their meeting: "In the place inside me where the hurt of abandonment had been, now only compassion lived."[2]
[edit] Interest in story
Fisher soon penned his autobiography and titled it Finding Fish. Stories about Antwone Fisher's life soon began taking off all over Sony's lot and many people from Hollywood lined up to snatch up the project. He initially declined all offers and after writing over forty drafts sold the rights to his story to 20th Century Fox.[2] The film Antwone Fisher was set for production with Denzel Washington behind the camera as director and Derek Luke playing the title role. Antwone Fisher was credited in the movie as both writer and co-producer.[3]
[edit] Current life
Antwone is currently married to his wife of ten years, LaNette. They have two children together. Antwone is still working as an author, poet, movie producer and writer. The latest film he worked on as a screenwriter was ATL, starring T.I. and Big Boi.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ IMDb biography page
- ^ a b c d e Biography
- ^ Antwone Fisher IMDb film page
- ^ Antwone Fisher information at IMDb
- Antwone Fisher's Bio at his personal website [1]
[edit] External links
- Fox Searchlight Picture's Official Website for the film Antwone Fisher
- Antwone Fisher at the Internet Movie Database
- Antwone Fisher's Official Website
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fisher, Antwone Quenton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | author, screenwriter, and film producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 3, 1959 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
