Who was OJ Simpson before his wife’s infamous murder? The football star aspiring to film fame
Before OJ Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend – and sensationally acquitted at the “trial of the century” in 1995 – he was already a household name in the United States.
The former athlete – who died on Wednesday aged 76 after a battle with cancer – had effectively parlayed his NFL superstar status into acting and advertising stardom.
He was known for his self-deprecating on-screen appearances, and was the face of Hertz car rentals with the slogan: “The superstar in a rent-a-car.”
In 1975, People magazine described Simpson as “the first black athlete to become a bona fide lovable media superstar”.
His career plummeted, though his fame
