Biography
Antwone Quenton Fisher was born in prison to a teenaged mother. He became a ward of the state of Ohio and was placed in foster care immediately. He spent two years in a loving foster home, but when it was apparent that the foster mother had become too attached to Antwone, deeming a reunion with his birth mother too difficult for the child, he was placed in a foster home where he would suffer twelve years of abuse at the hands of the foster family. He survived the cruelties of foster care and the brutalities of homelessness and set on a course of healing after joining the United States Navy where he served his country for eleven years.
Antwone has work in Hollywood for sixteen years as a producer and screenwriter; with an impressive fourteen writing projects with the major studios to his resumé. New York Times Best Seller Finding Fish a Memoir, is the inspiring story of his incredible life's journey. The film, Antwone Fisher, based on Fisher's life and written by Fisher himself reflects on Fisher's life as a sailor in the United States Navy and as a child growing up as a ward of the State of Ohio, living in Cleveland. Through his collection of poetry titled, Who Will Cry For The Little Boy? a National Best Seller and now one of the best selling books of poetry of all time, Fisher reveals the inner truths that took him from a tumultuous childhood to the man he is today.
Among Fisher's many achievements and accolades include the Christopher Award for the film Antwone Fisher, the Humanitas Prize, for writer and for co-producer of Antwone Fisher, an NAACP Image Award for the film Antwone Fisher, Screenwriter of the year Award from the National Association of Theater Owners, Nominated for Best Original Screenplay from the Writers Guild of American west for the film Antwone Fisher, The National Angel in Adoption Award for for 2002.
In 1993, Antwone was announced to be one of Fifty People in Hollywood To Watch, by Variety trade magazine. In 2005, Antwone was included as One of the Top 100 people in Hollywood You Need to Know, by Fade In Magazine "The First Word in Film". In May, 2003, in recognition of his professional achievements as an author, producer, poet and screenwriter, his loyalty to his community, his personal triumphs and his indomitable spirt it was conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Cleveland State University.
A professor teaching at U.C.L.A. Extension, Antwone's current film writing project is Training Day 2, for Warner Brothers Studios. He also has a book deal with Simon & Schuster for a book entitled, "A BOY SHOULD KNOW HOW TO TIE A TIE." Antwone's work of poetry is featured in Nikki Giovanni's upcoming book for children, "Hip Hop Speaks to Children".
"I think back upon a childhood full of longing for belonging, and see my life now as what I have created out of my dreams. An image comes to mind of Mrs. Brown at the orphanage in Cleveland, me sitting at her side, telling her, "you'll read about me someday."
I was definitely dreaming then.
With no evidence of that ever being possible, I clung to that preposterous vision and with the force of those dreams willed it and made it happen.
Not because I needed to be famous, but because I needed a world that made me feel uninvited to be wrong. So I imagined myself free,
I imagined myself loved, I imagined myself... as somebody."
Antwone Fisher
