Antwone Fisher
Encyclopedia
Antwone Quenton Fisher (born August 3, 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio
) is an American director, screenwriter, author and film
producer. His 2001 autobiographical book Finding Fish
is a New York Times Best Seller. The 2002 motion picture Antwone Fisher
was written by Fisher and directed by Denzel Washington
.
weeks after he was born and through most of his childhood. After living with a foster mother for two years, Fisher was taken away from her. He was then placed into another foster home with a family named the Picketts. He spent 14 years of his childhood with the Picketts and was abused physically, verbally and sexually. He was then removed from the Pickett home after having a fight with his foster mother. Antwone was sent to a male institution called George Junior Republic School from which he graduated prior to joining the United States Navy
.
who helped him work through his emotional traumas
. After the discharge from the Navy, Fisher joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a federal correctional officer.
Fisher soon penned his screenplay. Stories about Antwone Fisher's life soon began spreading around the Sony lot, and many people from Hollywood lined up to develop the project. He initially declined all offers and after writing over 40 drafts sold the rights to his story to 20th Century Fox
. The film Antwone Fisher
was directed by Denzel Washington
, and starred Derek Luke
in the title role. Antwone Fisher was credited in the movie as both writer and co-producer.
Fisher is still working as a director, author, poet, lecturer, college professor, movie producer and screenwriter. His latest book, A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie: And Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life, was published by Simon & Schuster
in April 2010.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
) is an American director, screenwriter, author and film
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
producer. His 2001 autobiographical book Finding Fish
Finding Fish
Finding Fish is a 2001 autobiographical book by Antwone Fisher.Fisher was born in prison to an incarcerated mother and a father who had been shot by a girlfriend. After being placed in foster care, Fisher was treated brutally and blamed for his own misfortunes. He was also sexually abused by a...
is a New York Times Best Seller. The 2002 motion picture Antwone Fisher
Antwone Fisher (film)
Antwone Fisher is a 2002 American drama film directed by Denzel Washington, marking his directorial debut. He also stars in the film as the psychiatrist Jerome Davenport, alongside Hollywood newcomer Derek Luke, who plays the title role , and ex-model Joy Bryant, as Fisher's girlfriend.The film is...
was written by Fisher and directed by Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
.
Early life
Antwone Fisher was placed in a foster homeFoster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
weeks after he was born and through most of his childhood. After living with a foster mother for two years, Fisher was taken away from her. He was then placed into another foster home with a family named the Picketts. He spent 14 years of his childhood with the Picketts and was abused physically, verbally and sexually. He was then removed from the Pickett home after having a fight with his foster mother. Antwone was sent to a male institution called George Junior Republic School from which he graduated prior to joining the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Government work
Fisher joined the U.S. Navy to escape homelessness. Fisher spent 11 years in the Navy. Here, he met Commander Williams, a psychiatristPsychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
who helped him work through his emotional traumas
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
. After the discharge from the Navy, Fisher joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a federal correctional officer.
Writer and filmmaker
After three years with the Bureau of Prisons, he began work as a security guard for Sony Pictures. It was there 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 family, including his mother Eva Mae. He learned that she had given birth to four other children who were all taken away as wards of the state. Fisher said after their meeting: "In the place inside me where the hurt of abandonment had been, now only compassion lived."Fisher soon penned his screenplay. Stories about Antwone Fisher's life soon began spreading around the Sony lot, and many people from Hollywood lined up to develop the project. He initially declined all offers and after writing over 40 drafts sold the rights to his story to 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. The film Antwone Fisher
Antwone Fisher (film)
Antwone Fisher is a 2002 American drama film directed by Denzel Washington, marking his directorial debut. He also stars in the film as the psychiatrist Jerome Davenport, alongside Hollywood newcomer Derek Luke, who plays the title role , and ex-model Joy Bryant, as Fisher's girlfriend.The film is...
was directed by Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
, and starred Derek Luke
Derek Luke
Derek Luke is an American actor. He won the Independent Spirit Award for his big-screen debut performance in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, directed and produced by Denzel Washington.-Early life:...
in the title role. Antwone Fisher was credited in the movie as both writer and co-producer.
Fisher is still working as a director, author, poet, lecturer, college professor, movie producer and screenwriter. His latest book, A Boy Should Know How to Tie a Tie: And Other Lessons for Succeeding in Life, was published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
in April 2010.
Personal life
Fisher and his wife, LaNette Canister, married December 1, 1996. They have two children together, Indigo and Azure.External links
- Antwone Fisher (film) at Fox Searchlight PicturesFox Searchlight PicturesFox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
- Antwone Fisher's Official Website