Gavin de Becker (born October 26, 1954)[1] is an American author and security specialist who has worked for governments, large corporations, and public figures.[2] Reportedly a billionaire, he runs
Gavin de Becker and Associates, which he founded in 1978.[3][4][5] The firm protects and advises many of the world's most prominent public figures. He is the author of several books on violence, most notably The Gift of Fear, and his books have been published in twenty-five languages.[2]
Early life
Gavin de Becker is the son of
Hal de Becker (1931–2021), an American dancer and prolific writer about dance.[6]
De Becker describes his childhood as mired in violence. His parents divorced when he was three. His mother was a heroin addict who physically abused him and his sister, and once shot his stepfather while de Becker was present in the home. She committed suicide when he was sixteen, and de Becker subsequently moved in with a friend from school,
Miguel Ferrer, the son of actors
José Ferrer and
Rosemary Clooney.[7] He lived with the family for two years and would go on to work with Clooney as her road manager. He then worked as
Elizabeth Taylor's assistant.[8]
Career
At the age of 21, de Becker wrote an article about public figure protection in the private sector for a law enforcement journal. This was picked up by the
Department of Justice's National Criminal Justice Center and made available to every police department in the United States.[9]
He was twice appointed to the President's Advisory Board at the
United States Department of Justice, in 1982 and 1989,[15][16] and he served two terms on the Governor's Advisory Board at the California Department of Mental Health.[17]
He has also served as an advisor for the anti-bullying resource
Bystander Revolution,[18] senior advisor to the Rand Corporation, and senior fellow at UCLA's School of Public Policy.[19]
In 1997, his firm was hired by
Bill Cosby to investigate the murder of his son,
Ennis, and the threatening letters his family received after the slaying.[24]
In 1999–2000, he assisted the
United States Secret Service in the development of its guide for Protective Intelligence and
Threat Assessment Investigations.[25]
His 2008 book, Just 2 Seconds, has been described as a guide for protectors of at-risk people focusing on five key lessons for those responsible to protect others. It also includes summaries of incidents from the last several decades for training and analysis. Co-authors of the book are Tom Taylor and Jeff Marquart.[26]
In March 2019, de Becker, who has worked for
Jeff Bezos, accused the Saudi Arabian government of
hacking Bezos' phone after the National Enquirer published a story about Bezos's extramarital affair. According to the BBC, de Becker, as Bezos' top security staffer, "linked the hack to The Washington Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi writer
Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul."[27]The Daily Beast ran an op-ed, in which de Becker explained the matter of the Saudi hack in detail.[28] Journalist
Brad Stone explored whether the Saudi hack was linked in any way to a National Enquirer article about Bezos having an affair.[29] United Nations Special Rapporteur
Agnes Callamard conducted an investigation of the Saudi hack. In a public statement, she referred to information that suggested a WhatsApp account belonging to Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman was used to deploy digital spyware on Bezos' phone, "in an effort to influence, if not silence" The Washington Post's reporting on the kingdom. A United Nations report noted that "the iPhone infiltration occurred from May to June in 2018, when the phones of Jamal Khashoggi's associates, Yahya Assiri and Omar Abdulaziz, were also hacked, allegedly using malware called
Pegasus." The UN experts stated: "During the same period, Mr. Bezos was widely targeted in Saudi social media as an alleged adversary of the Kingdom. This was part of a massive, clandestine online campaign against Mr. Bezos and Amazon, apparently targeting him principally as the owner of The Washington Post."[30][31][32]
Political donations
De Becker has donated to both
Democrats and
Republicans in the past.[33] In 2019, he supplied New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign with $5,000.[34] In 2022, he contributed $5,000 to Wisconsin Republican Senator
Ron Johnson's re-election campaign.[35] Also in 2022, he gave
Duke Aiona a total of $6,000 for his bid to become Governor of Hawaii.[34]
In 2024, de Becker donated $10 million to the
Super-PAC that supports
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign, then had $9.65 million returned to him. De Becker and the American Values Political Action Committee both confirm that this was "bridge funding", meaning it could be returned if it was not needed or used.[37]
Expert witness testimony
Gavin de Becker has provided expert witness testimony in many cases, including the successful prosecution of Arthur Richard Jackson, the assailant of actress
Theresa Saldana. He later led a national campaign to keep Jackson incarcerated.[38] He also testified in the civil case against the employer of murderer Rodney Garmanian.[39]
De Becker testified in the successful 1994 civil case arising when the tabloid Globe accused an uninvolved man of being the actual assassin of Senator Robert Kennedy (Khawar vs Globe International, Inc). Globe tried to get de Becker's testimony thrown out by a higher court; however, it was ultimately upheld by the California Court of Appeals.[40]
De Becker advised the
Los Angeles County District Attorney in the prosecution of Robert Bardo, the murderer of actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and was a consultant on the
prosecution of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman,[41][42][43] and the successful civil action against Simpson.[44] His role in the O.J. Simpson cases is described in several books on the case, including those written by Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden,
Jeffrey Toobin, and Daniel Petrocelli.[45][46][47][48]
Cultural references
Actor
Miguel Ferrer, who played FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in the 1990s television show Twin Peaks, reported that his character was based on Gavin de Becker. Ferrer reportedly knew de Becker since high school.[49]
Actor
Robert De Niro met extensively with de Becker in preparation for his role in The Fan (1996).[50]
In
Patricia Cornwell's 2004 novel Trace, character Lucy Fairinelli describes using "the Gavin de Becker style of simulated combat" for training security staff.[51]
In season 2, episode 10 of Entourage (2005), character
Vincent Chase states, "I should have Gavin de Becker come sweep the house for bugs".[52]
In 2006, after Hollywood agent
Ari Emanuel called on the entertainment industry to blacklist actor
Mel Gibson for things he said when arrested for drunk driving, de Becker responded through an essay published in a full-page ad in the Hollywood Reporter. He defended Gibson, saying that "alcoholism cannot be used to prove anti-Semitism". In the essay, de Becker asked Emanuel: "A drunken spouse spits out the words 'I never loved you anyway!' Is that truth? A drunken idiot boasts that he can 'take on the whole goddamn bunch of you, you bastards, come on, 'I'll kick your asses'. Is that truth?"[53]
Actress
Meryl Streep, who describes de Becker as a friend, said The Gift of Fear informed her portrayal of a nun in the 2008 movie
Doubt.[54]
In season 2, episode 12 of Breaking Bad (2009),
Walter White's book on his nightstand is The Gift of Fear.
De Becker gave the eulogy for
Garry Shandling; making reference to a long-term feud with studio head
Brad Grey, de Becker said, "Over the years, many people asked me, 'Why doesn't Garry have a family?' My answer was, 'Of course he had a family.' He created the Sanders family, which was as much a family as anything, and he had this family [motioning to the crowd]. And even Brad Grey had a role in his family, because every family has an uncle or a cousin who is a sociopath."[55]
De Becker gave a eulogy at
Carrie Fisher's memorial service. Fisher and de Becker reportedly attended high school together, and they are described as friends. "The first time I had sex was at Carrie's house", de Becker stated in the eulogy, and added, "It wasn't with Carrie, but she arranged it".[56]
De Becker and novelist
Bruce Wagner officiated at the wedding of Carrie Fisher's daughter, actress
Billie Lourd. Lourd said, "It was the most hysterically brilliant and touching officiating in the history of officiating".[57]
Writer and director
Zach Cregger says his 2022 film, Barbarian, was inspired by The Gift of Fear.[58]
Philanthropy
De Becker founded and funded Patient Pets, providing pet therapy for violently inclined patients at
Atascadero State Hospital in California.[59][60]
De Becker is the creator and primary funder of the Naqaqa Giving Foundation, which supports disadvantaged people in Fiji and in southern Africa.[61]
De Becker and his wife have been married since 2007 and have two sons. He has also raised eight adopted children, now adults.[63][64]
De Becker was friends with former Beatle
George Harrison, who reportedly died at de Becker's home.[65] De Becker is also friends with
Brooke Shields. Interviewed in the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, he told of her confiding in him after she was raped by an acquaintance.[66]
—— (2008). Just 2 Seconds: Using Time and Space to Defeat Assassins. Gavin de Becker Center for the Study and Reduction of Violence.
ISBN978-0-615-21447-4.
OCLC0615214479.