The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, and directed by Mick Jackson. Houston, in her acting debut, portrays a character mirroring her own, a successful music star who has received an Oscar nomination for a movie role. Costner portrays a highly sought-after bodyguard who is a former Secret Service Agent, hired to protect Houston's character from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s, originally as a vehicle for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross.