Cissy Houston Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston (née Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, Houston embarked on a solo career, winning two Grammy Awards for her work. Houston is the mother of singer Whitney Houston, grandmother of Bobbi Kristina Brown, aunt of singers Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, and a cousin of opera singer Leontyne Price. Born Emily Drinkard in Newark, New Jersey, to Nitcholas and Delia Mae Drinkard (née McCaskill), she was the eighth and final child; older
Whitney Houston filmography Whitney Houston filmography American entertainer Whitney Houston worked in four feature films, one television film, seven television episodes, and appeared in six commercials. She made her screen acting debut as Rachel Marron in the romantic thriller film "The Bodyguard" (1992). It was the second-highest-grossing film worldwide in 1992, making $411 million worldwide. "The Bodyguard" received mixed to negative reviews from film critics, and received seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations, including Worst Picture. The soundtrack became the best-selling soundtrack of all time, selling more than 45 million copies worldwide. In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon