The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic thriller drama film directed by Mick Jackson,[5] written by Lawrence Kasdan, and starring Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston (in her movie acting debut), Gary Kemp, Bill Cobbs, and Ralph Waite.

The film follows a former United States Secret Service agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect a famous actress and singer from an unknown stalker.

After a bomb explodes in her dressing room, her manager Bill Devaney seeks out professional bodyguard Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent who served on the Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan presidential details, to protect her.

Frank reluctantly accepts Devaney's offer, but he feels Rachel is a spoiled diva who is oblivious to the threats against her life.

Though Frank tries to remain professional, he and Rachel sleep together; he breaks off the affair the next day, realizing it compromises his ability to protect her.

Then, to make him jealous, Rachel flirts with his former Secret Service colleague, Greg Portman, whom she meets at a Miami party.

When her stalker places a threatening phone call to her, Rachel finally recognizes the seriousness of the situation and her need to trust Frank completely.

After he secures the house for the night, a drunken Nicki, upset that her nephew could have died, admits she had hired a hitman to kill Rachel during a fit of jealousy.

A few days after Nicki's funeral is the Academy Awards ceremony, where Frank gives Rachel a panic button in the shape of a cross to immediately alert him to any trouble.

While presenting an award, Rachel freezes and runs offstage, angry at Frank for embarrassing her with overprotective measures.

Later, Rachel is announced as the winner for Best Actress, but as she comes on stage to accept the award, Portman is revealed to be the hitman, masquerading as the bodyguard for the ceremony's host.

Some time later, Rachel performs "I Will Always Love You" on a stage, while elsewhere Frank is at an annual dinner keeping a vigilant eye on his next assignment.

According to the December 20, 1986 edition of Billboard Magazine, "press reports indicate that Houston will make her film debut opposite Clint Eastwood in The Bodyguard.

"[15] After Kasdan made his successful directorial debut with Body Heat, he was asked to direct The Bodyguard, but he was reluctant, preferring to make The Big Chill.

After Costner became a major star with the success of The Untouchables and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, among others, he had the clout to make The Bodyguard.

[1] On January 3, 1992, a fatal accident occurred on set in Downtown Los Angeles, when 33-year-old grip driver William Vitagliano was pinned between two cranes carrying lighting equipment, and died from his injuries at a nearby hospital.

Its critical consensus reads: "The Bodyguard is a cheesy, melodramatic potboiler with occasional moments of electricity from Whitney Houston.

[20] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F.[21] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "To say that Houston and Costner fail to strike sparks would be putting it mildly."

"[22] Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and wrote: "The movie does contain a love story, but it's the kind of guarded passion that grows between two people who spend a lot of time keeping their priorities straight.

[43] In addition, Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" sold over 24 million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling single by a female artist of all time.

David Ian, who produced the musical, received the stage rights from Kevin Costner and Lawrence Kasdan.