Prior to his 1994 trial and controversial acquittal for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, O.J. Simpson was one of America's most popular figures.The Pro Football Hall of Famer emerged as one of , first winning a Heisman Trophy at USC before enjoying an 11-year NFL career that at the time saw him retire as the second-most prolific rusher in NFL history.A California native, Tinseltown always beckoned for Simpson. He found a way to parlay his gridiron exploits into a succe sful film career shortly after retirement, going on to feature in more than 30 movies and TV shows as both an actor and producer.MORE:Simpson had always been a larger-than-life character during his football career. Here's what you need to know about the football-standout-turned-film-star, as well as the movies and shows he appeared in.O.J. Simpson movie career, explainedSimpson first graced the screen in 1968, appearing on NBC programs "Ironside" and "Dragnet" in uncredited roles. He continued to make appearances here and there in the late-1960s and early-1970s, strutting his stuff in the pilot episode of "Medical Center."He made his big screen debut in 1974, starring in exploitation film "The Klansman" opposite Lee Marvin and Richard Burton. The film itself was widely panned, with Burton and Marvin receiving le s-than-glowing reviews for their performances. Simpson was deemed slightly more charmingly, by comparison; " Cairo Santos Jersey Entertainment Weekly's" claimed that Simpson was the only one of the film's stars to "stride out of the film with a measure of dignity."TSN Archives: | Neverthele s, his flit of fame was enough to bring on the cavalry. Production companies flocked to Simpson with increasing regularity. And his catalogue grew immensely over the next two decades. That wasn't limited to just movies, as Simpson was also a , the rental car company.Simpson was cast in a series of blockbusters, from 1976's "The Ca sandra Cro sing" and 1977's "Roots" to 1993's "CIA Code Name: Alexa." He shined most brightly as a part of "The Naked Gun's" cast, appearing in three of the series movies, including its $152.1 million debut.Simpson's career tailed off following his arrest and subsequent trial for the killing of his ex-wife and her friend. However, he featured as himself in a trio of programs released in the 2000s. His final appearance on screen came in 2018, when he appeared as himself on Sacha Baron Cohen's political mockumentary, "Who is America."Over the course of his career, Simpson featured in more than 30 TV shows and films. He earned some production credits in the proce s, mostly when he would star in direct-to-TV flicks like 1979's "Goldie and the Boxer."Shows and documentaries about O.J. Simpson trialDespite a drastic reduction in the number of movies and television shows he appeared in, Simpson never fell out of the public spotlight. In the years after his police chase and trial, Simpson became the subject of countle s movies, documentaries and, most recently, a television show.MORE:Here's a look at some of the pieces of visual media produced that revolved around Simpson's trial:"O.J.: Made in America" (2016)"The People vs. O.J. Simpson: An American Crime Story" (2016)"House of Kardashian" (2016)"Kardashian: The Man Who Saved O.J. Simpson" (2016)"Hollywood Homicide Uncovered: O.J. Simpson" (2016)"The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson" (2019) Chicago Bears Jersey