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Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
Plot
In this fact-based cable TV drama, Thora Birch stars as Liz Murray, the daughter of a loving but extremely dysfunctional Bronx family. Weighed down with a coke-addict father and an HIV-infected mother, Liz spends her early years shuttling from squalid apartment to public shelter and back again. At 15, she breaks away from her home life (what there is of it) and takes to the streets. Only after the death of her mother does Liz develop the determination to better her lot in life. Virtually begging her way back into high school, she becomes a superb student, and at 19, with funding from a scholarship and a part-time job with the New York Public Interest Group, "born loser" Liz enters Harvard University. The real Liz Murray co-produced the film and plays a cameo role as a social worker. Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story premiered April 7, 2003, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviCast
- Thora Birch - Liz Murray
Credit
Peter Levin - Director, Tom Patricia - Executive Producer, Barnet Bain - Executive Producer, Stephen Simon - Executive Producer, Jennifer Stewart - Production Designer, Ronni Kern - Teleplay By, Liz Murray - Co-Executive Producer| Homeless for the Holidays (2009 Film), Homeless F.C. (2007 Film) | |
| Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County (2010 Film), Homemade Hillbilly Jam (2005 Film) |
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
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Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
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Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
| Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Peter Levin |
| Produced by | Michael Mahoney |
| Written by | Ronni Kern |
| Starring | Thora Birch Michael Riley Robert Bockstael Makyla Smith Kelly Lynch |
| Music by | Louis Febre |
| Editing by | Anita Brandt-Burgoyne |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel | Lifetime Television |
| Release date | April 7, 2003 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story is an American TV film directed by Peter Levin. It was first released on April 7, 2003 in the United States. This movie is adapted from Liz Murray's autobiography, Breaking Night.
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Contents
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Synopsis
Thora Birch stars as Liz Murray, the homeless daughter of an extremely dysfunctional Bronx family. Liz is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted father & mother, who is also an alcoholic. After her mother dies of HIV, which she got from sharing needles during her drug abuse, she got a 'slap in the face' by her mother's death and begins her work to finish high school, which she amazingly completed in two years, rather than the usual four. She becomes a star student and earns a scholarship to Harvard University through an essay contest sponsored by the New York Times. It has influenced many people to work follow your dream, and most of all, look forward and just do it.
Cast
- Thora Birch - Liz Murray
- Michael Riley - Peter
- Robert Bockstael - David
- Makyla Smith - Chris
- Kelly Lynch - Jean Murray
- Jennifer Pisana - Young Liz Murray
- Aron Tager - Pops
- Ellen Page - Young Lisa
- Marla McLean - Lisa
- Marguerite McNeil - Eva
- Amber Godfrey - Dawn
- Seamus Morrison - Bobby
- John Fulton - Old Irish Cop
- Rejean Cournoyer - Young Irish Cop
- Mauralea Austin - Miss Wanda
- Cecil Wright - Mr. Maki
Reception
Awards and nominations
- 2003 Emmy Awards
- Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie — Thora Birch
- Nominated: Outstanding Made for Television Movie
- Nominated: Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special — Anita Brandt-Burgoyne
- 2003 Casting Society of America (Artios)
- Nominated - Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week — Susan Edelman
- 2004 American Cinema Editors (Eddies)
- Won - Best Edited Miniseries or Movie for Commercial Television — Anita Brandt-Burgoyne
External links
- Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story at the Internet Movie Database
- Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story at Hollywood.com
- Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story at Starpulse.com
- Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story movie review & synopsis at Fandango.com
- Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story at Mylifetime.com
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