'The Blind Side' Was Based On A Real Story, And It's Much More Troubling
We've all seen the Sandra Bullock blockbuster The Blind Side, but few of us know of the real people behind the movie. Michael Oher's story is an incredible one, and the film adaptation captured some of his real-life accomplishments while adding in some scenes that were complete fiction. Here is the nitty-gritty truth behind the NFL star's inspiring climb, without being retouched by any Hollywood screenwriters.
Tennessee Baby
Michael Jerome Williams, Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 28, 1986. He would have a bright future, but his start was anything but. He was one of 12 children, but his original family was far from capable of caring for so many little ones. In fact, it would be many years until he met the Tuohy family.
Drug-Addled Mother
Substance abuse ran rampant in his household. His mother Denise was not only addicted to alcohol, especially hard liquor, but she also couldn't get enough of crack cocaine. To make matters worse, she sometimes did it in front of Michael.
Distant Dad
On top of that, Michael's father, Michael Jerome Williams, was away from the family, serving a prison sentence for several crimes. In a strange twist, Oher's father was a former cellmate of Denise Oher's brother. Sadly, Michael didn't grow up with a male father figure in his life, and things only got worse from there.
Bad Grades
One of the few ways to get out of poverty is education, but Michael was, unfortunately, a poor student. In fact, he had to repeat his first and second grade years and switched schools 11 times in just his first nine years as a student!