THE BODYGUARD
Director: Mick Jackson
Genre: Thriller
Box Office: $ 410.945.700
Premiere: November 1992 (USA)
Released by Warner Brothers
Whitney's first film role was in "The Bodyguard", released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Whitney plays Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. The film was successful at the box office, grossing more than $ 121 million in the U.S. and $ 410 million worldwide thanks in large to the success of Whitney's soundtrack to the film. It is currently among the Top 100 highest grossing films worldwide and "USA Today" listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years. The movie is also notable for not mentioning or explaining its interracial aspect. Whitney's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind. Still, controversy arose as some felt the film`s ads intentionally hid Whitney's face to hide the film's interracial aspect. In an interview with "Rolling Stone Magazine" in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is - I'm black. You can't hide that fact."
CAST
Kevin Costner
Whitney Houston
Gary Kemp
Bill Cobbs
Ralph Waite
Tomas Arana
Christopher Birt
DeVaughn Walter Nixon
Richard Schiff
Debbie Reynolds
Michele Lamar Richards
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Mick Jackson - Director
Kevin Costner - Producer
Lawrence Kasdan - Producer / Screenwriter
James Wilson - Producer
Jeffrey Wilson - Producer
Jim Wilson - Producer
Walon Green - Screenwriter
Mark Kasdan - Screenwriter
Andrew Dunn - Cinematographer
David Foster - Composer (Music Score)
Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score)
Donn Cambern - Editor
Richard A. Harris - Editor
Jeffrey Beecroft - Production Designer
William Ladd Skinner - Art Director
Lisa Dean - Set Designer
Susan Nininger - Costume Designer
Donald Myers - Special Effects
Elisabeth Leustig - Casting
Medusah - Hair Styles
WAITING TO EXHALE
Director: Forest Whitaker
Genre: Comedy/Romantic Drama
Box Office: $ 81.317.473
Premiere: November 1995 (USA)
Released by 20th Century Fox
In 1995, Whitney starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film "Waiting To Exhale"; a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Whitney plays the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers." The movie and its soundtrack struck a chord with African Americans and is considered a cultural classic. After opening at #1 and grossing $ 67 million in the U.S. at the box office and $ 81 million worldwide, it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and the "Tyler Perry movies" that have become popular in the 2000s. The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as oppose to stereotypes. The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. "The New York Times" said "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in "The Bodyguard" seem so distant." Whitney was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture", but lost to her co-star Bassett.
CAST
Whitney Houston
Angela Bassett
Loretta Devine
Lela Rochon
Gregory Hines
Dennis Haysbert
Ezra Swerdlow
Wesley Snipes
Wendell Pierce
Lamont Johnson
Leon
Mykelti Williamson
Wren T. Brown
Starletta DuPois
Michael Beach
Brandon Hammond
Graham Galloway
Giancarlo Esposito
Donald Faison
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Forest Whitaker - Director
Deborah Schindler - Producer
Ezra Swerdlow - Producer
Ronald Bass - Screenwriter / Executive Producer
Terry McMillan - Screenwriter / Executive Producer
Toyomichi Kurita - Cinematographer
Tim Chau - Musical Direction/Supervision
Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds - Composer (Music Score)
Richard Chew - Editor
David Gropman - Production Designer
Marc Fisichella - Art Director
Caron K - Associate Producer / First Assistant Director
Michael Foxworthy - Set Designer
Judy Ruskin - Costume Designer
Joseph Ray - First Assistant Director
Kirk R. Gardner - Camera Operator
Jaki Brown-Karman - Casting
CLOSEUPS 'Waiting To Exhale' Report
VH1's 'Waiting
To Exhale' Special Part 1
VH1's 'Waiting To Exhale' Special Part 2
THE PREACHER`S WIFE
Director: Penny Marshall
Genre: Musical Fantasy
Box Office: $ 51.793.211
Premiere: December 1996 (USA)
Released by Buena Vista
In 1996, Whitney starred in the holiday comedy "The Preacher's Wife", with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a reverend. Whitney earned $ 10 million for the role, making her one of the highest paid actress in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African American actress in Hollywood. The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning approximately $ 48 million at the U.S. box office. The movie gave Whitney her strongest reviews so far. "The San Francisco Chronicle" said Whitney "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time and that she exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice." Whitney was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for "Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture".
CAST
Denzel Washington
Whitney Houston
Courtney Vance
Gregory Hines
Justin Pierce Edmund
Jenifer Lewis
Lionel Richie
William James Stiggers, Jr.
Paul Bates
Jernard Burks
Loretta Devine
Darvel Davis, Jr.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Penny Marshall - Director
Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. - Producer
Nat Mauldin - Screenwriter
Allan Scott - Screenwriter
Miroslav Ondrícek - Cinematographer
Hans Zimmer - Songwriter
George Bowers - Editor
Stephen A. Rotter - Editor
Bill Groom - Production Designer
Dennis Bradford - Art Director
Timothy M. Bourne - Co-producer
Debra Martin Chase - Co-producer
Amy Lemisch - Co-producer
Elliot Abbott - Executive Producer
Robert Greenhut - Executive Producer
George De Titta, Jr. - Set Decorator
Cynthia Flynt - Costume Designer
Les Lazarowitz - Sound/Sound Designer
Barrie Thomas - First Assistant Director
Paula Herold - Casting
I Believe In You And Me (Movie Version)
Behind The Scenes (Entertainment Tonight)
Interview (Entertainment Tonight)
Interview (BBC's 'The O-Zone')
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN`S CINDERELLA
Director: Robert Iscove
Genre: Children's Fairy Tale
Premiere: November 1997 (US TV)
Produced by Brownhouse Productions / Citadel Entertainment / Storyline Entertainment / Walt Disney Television
In 1997, Whitney's production company changed its name to "BrownHouse Productions" and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television. Their first project was a made-for-television remake of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella". In addition to co-producing, Whitney starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Whitney was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened. The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message. An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years. The movie received seven Emmy nominations including "Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy", while winning "Outstanding Art Direction In A Variety, Musical or Comedy Special".
CAST
Whitney Houston
Brandy
Jason Alexander
Whoopi Goldberg
Bernadette Peters
Veanne Cox
Natalie Desselle
Victor Garber
Paolo Montalban
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Robert Iscove - Director
Mike Moder - Producer
Ralf Bode - Cinematographer
Oscar Hammerstein II - Songwriter
Richard Rodgers - Composer (Music Score)
Debra Martin Chase - Executive Producer
David R. Ginsburg - Executive Producer
Whitney Houston - Executive Producer
Neil Meron - Executive Producer
Craig Zadan - Executive Producer
Bud Alper - Sound/Sound Designer
Rob Marshall - Choreography
Valorie Massalas - Casting
SPARKLE
Director: Salim Akil
Genre: Drama/Musical
Premiere: August 2012 (USA)
Released by TriStar Pictures
Musical prodigy, Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother (Whitney Houston), she tries to balance a new romance with music manager, Stix (Derek Luke) while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters (Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter) strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $ 11,643,342 in 2,244 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #5 at the box office and grossed $ 24,397,469 domestically.
CAST
Whitney Houston
Jordin Sparks
Carmen Ejogo
Mike Epps
Derek Luke
Cee-Lo Green
Omari Hardwick
Tika Sumpter
Michael Beach
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Salim Akil - Director
Mara Brock Akil - Co-Producer
Debra Martin Chase - Producer
T. D. Jakes - Producer
Gaylyn Fraiche - Executive Producer
Whitney Houston - Executive Producer
Avram 'Butch' Kaplan - Executive Producer
Scott Putman - Executive Producer
Howard Rosenman - Executive Producer
Interview (Entertainment Tonight)
GUEST APPEARANCES
Gimme A Break!
Season 3 (1983-1984)
60. Katie's College (03/15/84)
Gimme A Break is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from 1981 until 1987. It starred Nell Carter the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters. The sitcom took place in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Glenlawn, California. Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper (Nell Carter) agrees to be a housekeeper for the Kanisky household as a special favor to her late friend, Margaret Kanisky (Sharon Spelman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet). Nell also served as a confidante to the chief's three daughters, 17-year-old Katie (Kari Michaelsen), 15-year-old Julie (Lauri Hendler), and 13-year-old Samantha (Lara Jill Miller).
SILVER SPOONS
Season 4 (1985-1986)
73. Head Over Heels (09/15/85)
Silver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the first four seasons, until Columbia Pictures Television took production of the series with the move to syndication. The title of the show is based on the expression that rich children are born with a proverbial silver spoon in their mouth, implying that they are given only the very best and work for nothing. It is also a term for family wealth. The series centers on Ricky (Ricky Schroder) and his single father Edward (Joel Higgins). As an overgrown kid who owns a multinational toy company empire, Edward's mansion is stocked with arcade video games and has a scale model freight train that runs throughout the house. Edward exhibits his childishness and playfulness in many behaviors; for example, he performs a little dance before playing Pac-Man when the video game plays its theme song. Stratton's personal assistant, Kate Summers (Erin Gray), was often the voice of reason. Kate's role added tension to the show and provided incentive for Edward to act more mature (at least sometimes). Edward and Kate had a will-they-or-won't-they relationship which led to the two dating and later becoming married in the third season.
BOSTON PUBLIC
Season 3 (2002-2003)
66. Chapter Sixty-Six (05/12/03)
Boston Public is an American television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on FOX from 2000 to 2004. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place. It featured a large ensemble cast and focused on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school and their various personalities. Its slogan, as it was depicted on the show's website at the time, was "Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity."
NORA`S HAIR SALON
2004
Nora's Hair Salon is a independent comedy-drama film, written by Chanel Capra and Jean-Claude La Marre, and directed by Jerry LaMothe. This film stars Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones and Tatyana Ali. Nora Harper (Jenifer Lewis) is an African-American businesswoman who owns a hair salon in Los Angeles, California. She keeps watch over her employees, friends, relatives, and regular customers. Lilleana (Tatyana Ali) is a new employee from the Dominican Republic, and she`s also in an abusive relationship with her friend-who-wants-more Bennie (Bobby Brown). Chloe (Tamala Jones) is a hair stylist who has aspirations of a career in show business. Ming (Lucille Soong) does manicures and has problems with her temper, and loves offering her opinions. And Devin (Jean-Claude LaMarre) is a gay man who is uncertain about his relationship with Delicious (Donn Swaby). Later in the film Nora becomes sick and has a heart-attack. Her friends from the salon hope for her recovery but she passes away shortly before the end of the film. In the end the salon remains open and hairstyling products that were created by Nora are now marketed and sold in the salon.
Scene from 'Nora`s Hair Salon'
