O.J. Simpson O.J. Simpson was born in 1947 in San Francisco, California. He became a college football superstar at USC and later enjoyed a record-setting career in the NFL. OJ Simpson gained fame as an American football star and, later, as a actor. He married Nicole Brown five years after retiring from the sport in 1985. Their marriage lasted seven years, during which Simpson was investigated by police for domestic violence several times and pleaded no contest to spousal abuse in 1989. Nicole suffered unspeakable physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at his hands before her murder. Simpson was charged in 1994 for murdering his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron