Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story is an American biographical drama television film directed by Peter Levin. The film premiered on Lifetime on April 7, 2003, and received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Thora Birch.

Plot
Liz Murray is one of two daughters of an extremely dysfunctional Bronx family. Her father watches Jeopardy! and knows all the questions. Their bathtub does not drain so she has to shower while standing on an overturned bucket, to stay out of the fetid water.

As a young girl, Murray lives with her sister Lisa, their drug-addicted, schizophrenic mother Jean, who has AIDS and is practically blind, and their father Peter, also a drug addict who is intelligent, but also has AIDS, lacks social skills, and is not conscientious. She is removed from the home and placed into the care system as her father cannot take care of her.

At 15, she moves in with her mother, sister, and grandfather who sexually abused her mother and her aunt. After a fight with her grandfather who hits Liz, she runs away with a girl from school named Chris who is being abused at home.

After Jean dies of AIDS, which she contracted from sharing needles during her drug-abusing years, Liz gets 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.

Cast

 * Thora Birch as Elizabeth "Liz" Murray
 * Jennifer Pisana as young Liz Murray
 * Michael Riley as Peter Finnerty
 * Robert Bockstael as David
 * Makyla Smith as Chris
 * Kelly Lynch as Jean Murray
 * Aron Tager as Pops
 * Marla McLean as Lisa
 * Elliot Page as young Lisa
 * Marguerite McNeil as Eva
 * Amber Godfrey as Dawn
 * Seamus Morrison as Bobby
 * John Fulton as old Irish cop
 * Rejean Cournoyer as young Irish cop
 * Mauralea Austin as Miss Wanda
 * Cecil Wright as Mr. Maki

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