Robert Kardashian

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Pp-semi-indef Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Robert George Kardashian (February 22, 1944 – September 30, 2003) was an American attorney and businessman. He gained national recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during Simpson's 1995 murder trial.

Early life and education

Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 22, 1944, one of three children born to Arthur Kardashian (1917–2012) and Helen Jean Arakelian Kardashian (1917–2008), both Armenian Americans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had a sister, Barbara Kardashian Freeman, and a brother, Thomas "Tom" Kardashian.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Kardashians were Armenian Spiritual Christians originally from Kars Oblast, and known by the surname Kardaschoff, a Russianized form of the Armenian surname Kardashian, as the area, though now part of modern-day Turkey, was then part of the Russian Empire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Once in the United States, Arthur's father, Tatos, changed his name to Thomas, and began a career in garbage collection, founding his own business, and married Hamas Shakarian, also an immigrant of Armenian heritage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

He grew up in the affluent View Park area of Los Angeles County, where the family lived at 4908 Valley Ridge Avenue.<ref name='LASAD-Kardashian'>Template:Cite web</ref> Kardashian attended Susan Miller Dorsey High School and the University of Southern California, from which he graduated in 1966 with a B.S. degree in business administration.<ref name="bond">Beth Shuster, "Kardashian-Simpson Bond Stands Test of Time, Trouble", Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1994.</ref> He earned a J.D. degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and practiced for about a decade; after that, he went into business. In 1973, Kardashian was one of the co-founders of the trade publication Radio & Records, which he and his partners sold for a large profit in 1979.<ref name="bond"/> Kardashian also pioneered the idea of playing music between movies in theaters. He subsequently parlayed the concept into a business, starting a company called Movie Tunes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He served as president and CEO of the firm and later invested in Juice Inc., a frozen yogurt company, and in a music video business called Concert Cinema.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

O. J. Simpson case

Kardashian and Simpson first met around 1967 while both of them were at USC and became close friends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Simpson was the best man at Kardashian and Kris Houghton's wedding in 1978.

Following the June 12, 1994, murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, Simpson stayed in Kardashian's house to avoid the media. Kardashian was the man seen carrying Simpson's garment bag the day that Simpson flew back from Chicago. Prosecutors speculated that the bag may have contained Simpson's bloody clothes or the murder weapon.<ref name="garmentbag">Template:Cite news</ref> When Simpson failed to turn himself in at 11 a.m. on June 17, 1994, Kardashian read a letter by Simpson to the assembled media. This letter was interpreted by many as a suicide note.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Simpson was charged with the murders and subsequently acquitted of all criminal charges in a controversial criminal trial. Kardashian had let his license to practice law become inactive before the Simpson case but reactivated it to aid in Simpson's defense as a volunteer assistant on his legal team, alongside Simpson's main defense attorneys, Robert Shapiro and Johnnie Cochran. As one of Simpson's lawyers and a member of the defense "Dream Team", Kardashian could not be compelled or subpoenaed to testify against Simpson in the case, which included Simpson's past history and behavior with his ex-wife Nicole, and as to the contents of Simpson's garment bag.<ref name=nyt>Template:Cite news</ref> He sat by Simpson throughout the trial.<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref>

The New York Times reported that Kardashian said in a 1996 ABC interview with Barbara Walters that he had begun to question Simpson's innocence: "I have doubts. The blood evidence is the biggest thorn in my side; that causes me the greatest problems. So I struggle with the blood evidence."<ref name="nyt"/> After Simpson's acquittal, Kardashian and Simpson ultimately stopped speaking to each other.

Illness and death

Kardashian was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July 2003. He died two months later, on September 30, 2003, at his home in Encino, Los Angeles, at age 59,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In popular culture

Kardashian was portrayed by David Schwimmer in the 2016 FX miniseries American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Schwimmer was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance, but lost to Sterling K. Brown, who portrayed Christopher Darden in the same series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, ESPN Films and their 30 for 30 series produced a five-part miniseries called O.J.: Made in America, produced by Ezra Edelman, in which Kardashian was featured heavily through archive footage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, Kardashian was the subject of the pilot episode of the TV comedy series Over My Dead Body on Amazon Prime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Kardashian dated Priscilla Presley from 1975 to 1976.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The pair met through Kardashian's older brother, Tom Kardashian, who was dating Joan Esposito, the former wife of Joe Esposito, road manager for Elvis.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, his daughter Kim stated that the two were briefly engaged.

Kardashian married former flight attendant Kris Kardashian (née Houghton, later Jenner) on July 8, 1978.<ref>Stated on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, November 8, 2011</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They had four children: daughters Kourtney (born 1979), Kim (born 1980), Khloé (born 1984), and son Rob (born 1987). Kardashian filed for divorce in 1990 due to his wife's infidelity.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their divorce was finalized in March 1991, but they remained friends until his death.<ref>"Robert Kardashian, a Lawyer For O. J. Simpson, Dies at 59" Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, October 2, 2003.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Shortly after separating from his first wife in 1991, Kardashian became engaged to Denice Shakarian Halicki, his third cousin and the widow of movie producer H.B. Halicki.<ref>Dominick Dunne, "Three Faces of Evil" Template:Webarchive Vanity Fair, June 1996.</ref><ref>Mike Fleeman, "Stand By Your Man", Los Angeles, October 1996.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple never married.

In 1998, Kardashian married Jan Ashley; however, the marriage ended in annulment in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ashley later claimed frequent upset and turmoil related to Kardashian's ex-wife, Kris, and their children "were instrumental" in the demise of the relationship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After dating for three years and proposing in 2001, Kardashian married his third wife, Ellen Pierson (née Markowitz), six weeks prior to his death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="guardian" />

See also

• Kardashian family
• History of the Armenian Americans in Los Angeles

External links

• Template:Find a Grave