O. J. Simpson was an American football player and actor who also worked as a sports commentator across a career that spanned several decades.

Born on July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, Simpson attended Galileo Academy of Science and Technology before going on to City College of San Francisco. He later studied at the University of Southern California, where his football career took shape before he moved into the professional game.

As a football player, Simpson received the Associated Press Athlete of the Year award and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, two of the more significant honors of his athletic life. Alongside his football career, he worked as a sports commentator and took on roles as a film actor, appearing in a number of productions that extended his public profile well beyond the playing field. The facts also note him as an athletics competitor and an association football player, pointing to a broader involvement in sport than his American football career alone might suggest.

Simpson died on April 10, 2024, in Las Vegas, at the age of 76. His life touched on professional sport, broadcast commentary, and acting — three distinct fields that together defined much of his public identity over the course of his adult years.