O.J. Simpson - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

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Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947, San Francisco, California), publicly known by his initials as O.J., and nicknamed The Juice, is an American former college and professional football player and film actor. Although considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, Simpson is also known for having been charged with the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted in criminal court in 1995 after a lengthy, highly publicized trial (often called the "Trial of the Century").

In 1997, Simpson was found liable for their deaths in civil court, but never paid the judgment.

Football career

High school

At Galileo High School in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school's football team, the Galileo Lions.

College

Simpson played running back for the University of Southern California in 1967 and 1968 after playing at a junior college from 1965 to 1966. Simpson led the nation in rushing with 1,451 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1967. In 1968, he rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns, earning the Heisman Trophy that year. Simpson was also a two-time All-American.

NFL

Simpson was drafted by the National Football League's Buffalo Bills, who got first pick in the 1969 draft after finishing 1-12-1 in 1968. Early in his NFL career, Simpson struggled on poor Buffalo teams, averaging only 622 yards per season for his first three.

He first rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 1972, gaining a total of 1,251. In 1973, Simpson rushed for a then-record 2,003 yards, becoming the first player ever to pass the 2,000-yard mark, and scored 12 touchdowns. Simpson gained more than 1,000 rushing yards for each of his next three seasons.

Simpson's 1977 season in Buffalo was cut short by injury. Before the 1978 season, Simpson signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played two unremarkable seasons.

For his career, Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 14th on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1972, 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls. Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Family life

Simpson was born to Eunice Durden Simpson (October 23, 1921–November 9, 2001) and James "Jimmy" Lee Simpson (January 28, 1920–June 9, 1986). His parents were separated in 1952.

Simpson has one brother: Melvin Leon "Truman" Simpson, and two sisters: Shirley Simpson-Baker and Carmelita Simpson-Durio.

In his childhood, Simpson fought off a great deal of adversity. From ages three to five, he had to wear homemade braces after contracting rickets. In 1960, he joined the Persian Warriors, a San Francisco street gang, and was incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center in 1962.

On June 24, 1967, Simpson married Marguerite L. Whitley. Together they had three children: Arnelle L. Simpson (born December 4, 1968), Jason L. Simpson (born April 21, 1970) and Aaren Lashone Simpson (born September 24, 1977). In 1979, Aaren drowned in the family's swimming pool a month before her second birthday. That same year Simpson and Marguerite were divorced.

On February 2, 1985, Simpson married Nicole Brown. They had two children, Sydney Brooke Simpson (born October 17, 1985) and Justin Ryan Simpson (born August 6, 1988), and were divorced in 1992.

Acting

After his retirement from football, Simpson went on to a successful film career with parts in films such as the television mini-series Roots, and the motion pictures The Cassandra Crossing, Capricorn One, The Klansman, The Towering Inferno, Back to the Beach, and The Naked Gun trilogy. In 1979, he started his own film production company Orenthal Productions, which dealt mostly in made-for-TV fare. Simpson was considered for the lead role in The Terminator, before it was decided audiences might not accept him as a villain because he was perceived as too "nice".

Simpson's amiable persona and natural charisma landed him numerous endorsement deals. He was a spokesman for the Hertz rental car company (Ford vehicles are usually found in Hertz rental fleets, hence the nickname 'Simpsons' for the cars). He would often be shown running through airports, as if to suggest he was back on the football field. Simpson was also a longtime spokesman for Pioneer Chicken and owned two franchises, one of which was destroyed during the LA riots, as well as the pX Corporation, and he appeared in comic book ads for Dingo shoes.

Besides his acting career, Simpson had stints as a commentator for Monday Night Football and The NFL on NBC. He also hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, but he was the only host not invited to attend the program's 25th anniversary celebration special in 1999.

Murder case

Criminal trial

Simpson had pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge and was separated from Nicole. He was paying child support. On June 12, 1994 his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were found dead outside Brown's condominium. Simpson was soon charged with their murders. After failing to turn himself in he became the focus of a low-speed pursuit. The pursuit, arrest and trial were among the most widely publicized in American history. On October 3, 1995, Simpson was found not guilty of the two murders. The verdict was seen live on TV by more than half the U.S. population, making it one of the most watched events in American TV history. There has been significant criticism of the prosecution and the police, and many contend that Simpson would have been found guilty had there not been so many mistakes and irregularities. This was often dubbed "The Trial of the Century". With the damage done to his public reputation, his acting career was ruined.

Civil trial

On February 4, 1997, a civil jury in Santa Monica, California found Simpson liable for the wrongful death of Ronald Goldman, battery against Ronald Goldman, and battery against Nicole Brown. The attorney for plaintiff Fred Goldman (father of Ronald Goldman) was Daniel Petrocelli. Simpson was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in damages. However, California law protects pensions from being used to satisfy judgments, so Simpson was able to continue much of his lifestyle based on his NFL pension. A 2000 Rolling Stone article reported that Simpson also still makes a significant income by signing autographs. He subsequently moved from California to Miami, Florida. In Florida, a person's residence cannot be seized to collect a debt under most circumstances.

Simpson's life after the trials

Even after his two trials, Simpson was often in the news. He appeared in news stories that often had nothing directly to do with him. He was accused of illegally accessing signals from DirecTV. In 1998 at the end of an interview conducted by Ruby Wax for BBC1, Simpson mimed stabbing her with a banana while mimicking the theme music from Psycho.[1]

In 1995, he published a book entitled I Want to Tell You: My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions (ISBN 0316341002).

In 1996, shortly after the trials, Simpson visited Britain. He gave a talk at the Oxford Union, where he was met by protesting women's rights groups. The protests concerned not the murder of Nicole Brown but the well-documented domestic abuse she suffered at Simpson's hands.

In 2001, he was tried for burglary and battery in a Florida road rage case that received some publicity, but he was again found not guilty. This verdict was also covered on live national television.

There were plans for him to have a reality TV show in the style of The Osbournes in 2003. Also, Simpson considered becoming a news commentator for actor Robert Blake's murder trial. [2]

During 2003, Simpson filmed a pay-per-view comedy special titled Juiced. The show, a hidden camera set-up show, included a controversial sketch where Simpson attempts to sell the infamous White Ford Bronco at a used car lot, telling the salesman, "It was good for me. It helped me get away." A DVD is planned with extra and uncensored material. [3]

Prior to the 2004 Orange Bowl football game featuring Simpson's USC Trojans, the former football star showed up unannounced at a USC practice. Head coach Pete Carroll allowed Simpson to come onto the field and mingle with the players and pose for pictures. Carroll responded to critics by proclaiming, "We respect our Heisman Trophy winners."

In June 2004, Simpson had planned a long series of news appearances to mark the tenth anniversary of the killings, but ended up being displaced by another story, the death and funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.

On November 14 2006 Fox announced that it would be airing a two-part interview with Simpson by book publisher Judith Regan, in which he would have discussed the murders and promoted his upcoming book, If I Did It. On November 20 2006, News Corp announced it had canceled the program as well as the book[4], due to recent criticisms. [5][6]

However, on November 22 2006, a copy of the book was listed on eBay. It was removed within three hours after over 50 bids, the highest of which was over $1,600. [7]

Filmography

Medical Center (TV series) episode The Last 10 Yards (1969)
Cade's County (TV series) episode Blackout (1972)
The Dream of Hamish Mose (unreleased) (1973)
Why (unreleased) (1973)
Here's Lucy (TV series) episode The Big Game (1973)
The Klansman (1974)
O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose (made-for-TV) (1974)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
Killer Force aka The Diamond Mercenaries (1976)
A Killing Affair aka Behind the Badge (made-for-TV) (1977)
Roots (TV miniseries) (1977)
Capricorn One (1978)
Firepower (1979)
Goldie and the Boxer (made-for-TV) (1979)
Detour to Terror (made-for-TV) (1980)
Goldie and the Boxer Go to Hollywood (made-for-TV) (1981)
Cocaine and Blue Eyes (made-for-TV) (1983)
Hambone and Hillie (1984)
1st & Ten (TV series) episodes Blood on Blood (1987) Mind Games (1989)
Back to the Beach (1987)
Student Exchange (made-for-TV) (1987)
The Naked Gun aka The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
In the Heat of the Night (TV series) episode Walkout (1989)
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
CIA Code Name: Alexa (1993)
No Place to Hide (1993)
Frogmen (unaired TV pilot) (1994)
The Naked Gun 33⅓:The Final Insult (1994)
Juiced with O.J. Simpson (TV pay-per-view) (2006)

External links

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
College Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
O. J. Passes On Reality Show, But…
Biography on O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson Profile at USC Legends
O.J. Simpson Profile at Rosebowl Legends
Secret Simpson Book Comes Out For Sweeps The Book Standard, November 2006
O.J. Simpson Autobiography at Amazon

Civil and criminal trials

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