In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner’s young son is named Christopher.
The 2006 biographical drama follows Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman who becomes a stockbroker. His son Christopher stays with him during periods of homelessness and financial hardship, making their father-son relationship central to the film.
Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, while Smith’s real-life son, Jaden Smith, plays Christopher. The casting gave the film’s family story an unusually direct father-and-son dimension.
The film is based on Gardner’s 2002 memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness. The unusual spelling in the title comes from a sign outside the child-care center shown in the story. The film’s title therefore refers to both the pursuit of economic security and the father’s effort to protect his child.