O. J. Simpson’s most effective screen work was the straight-faced slapstick of Nordberg in The Naked Gun. He had a useful willingness to look foolish, though his dramatic roles offer less evidence of a distinctive actor.
Fi1m perspective
Nordberg keeps getting hurt, and Simpson plays the indignities with a straight face. In The Naked Gun (1988), his athletic public image makes that treatment funnier: physical prowess proves no protection against slapstick. The timing matters as much as his willingness to look foolish; simply being a famous athlete would not make these gags work. We laughed at the repeated injuries because he lets their absurdity register without signalling that he is in on the joke.
He began acting in the early 1970s while still playing professional football, taking supporting parts in ensemble films such as The Towering Inferno (1974) and Capricorn One (1977). Those appearances established a screen career without making a strong case for him as a dramatic actor. In Roots (1977), he plays Kadi Touray, within an ensemble that makes the suffering personal. We recommend the series warmly, despite storytelling that sometimes presses too hard. LeVar Burton carries much of its emotional weight, and our enthusiasm for the programme should not be mistaken for a particular endorsement of Simpson’s performance.
David Zucker found a better use for him in The Naked Gun, alongside Leslie Nielsen’s solemn detective. Nielsen supplies the central comic performance, while Simpson contributes to a film whose brisk succession of visual jokes leaves room for a specialised supporting turn. He does not need to sustain our interest through a complicated dramatic scene; he needs to make physical misfortune funny, and he can. A few crude, elderly jokes let the film down, but its invention more than compensates. Nordberg became his most recognised role across three films from 1988 to 1994.
We would be cautious about following his name through the credits of the dramatic films. His celebrity helped secure work that did not consistently reveal a convincing dramatic performer. The comedy makes better use of his physical timing and gives his willingness to be ridiculous a specific job. Start with The Naked Gun, for the company as much as for Simpson.
Biography
O. J. Simpson was an American actor and former professional American footballer. Born in San Francisco, California, he played in the National Football League for 11 seasons before retiring in 1979 and pursuing careers in acting and broadcasting.
His film roles include Detective Nordberg in the comedy series The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). He also appeared in The Towering Inferno (1974), Roots (1977) as Kadi Touray and Capricorn One (1977).
Simpson's acting work was later overshadowed by his 1995 trial and acquittal on charges of murdering his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
