(born 1947), US football player and actor; full name Orenthal James Simpson. Following a successful career as a running back for the Buffalo Bills 1969–77 and the San Francisco 49ers 1978–9, he became a television sports commentator. He was arrested in 1994, accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson (1959–94) and Ronald Goldman (1968–94). He was acquitted after a lengthy, high-profile trial, but in a 1997 civil court, he was found liable for both wrongful deaths. In 2008 he was sentenced to at least 9 years in prison on separate charges of assault and kidnapping; he was released on parole in October 2017.