Gavin de Becker

His own childhood was full of the violence and fear that he is now paid to shield others from. Mr. de Becker has written that his mother, a heroin addict, regularly beat him and his sister, and shot his stepfather. She committed suicide when he was 16. He then moved in with the family of a friend from Beverly Hills High School — Miguel Ferrer, the son of the actor José Ferrer and the singer Rosemary Clooney. Ms. Clooney later gave him a job as her road manager. He went on to work as Elizabeth Taylor’s assistant. Another close friend was the actress Carrie Fisher; he gave a eulogy at a memorial service in 2017 for Ms. Fisher and her actress mother, Debbie Reynolds, who died a day apart. He has investigated stalkers for stars like Olivia Newton-John and Cher. He headed security for public figures visiting President Ronald Reagan and his family at the White House. He worked with the family of Ronald L. Goldman when it sued O. J. Simpson over Mr. Goldman’s 1994 killing at the home of Mr. Simpson’s former wife. As the website for Private Suite, the royal blue refuge Mr. de Becker created for wealthy travelers going through the Los Angeles airport, boasts: “It typically takes 2,200 footsteps from car seat to plane seat. For members of the Private Suite, it’s 70 footsteps. And they are all peaceful footsteps.”