Father of the Kardashians

"Keeping Up with the Kardashians", a popular E! television network reality series produced by "America Idol's" Ryan Seacrest, centers around the day-to-day lives of sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian and their brother Robert Jr. Their mother is Kris Jenner and stepfather is former Olympic track and field star Bruce Jenner.

The Kardashians' birth father, Robert Sr, died in 2003 at age 59. This was four years before the series debut. During one episode, Robert Kardashian's children and ex-wife Kris come to grips with the anniversary of his death.

In 1978 Kris Houghton and Robert Kardashian were married. In 1989 the marriage ended in divorce. In 1991 Kris married Bruce Jenner.

Kardashian and O.J. Simpson

Robert Kardashian Sr is best known as a member of O.J. Simpson's so-called legal "dream team" during his 1994 murder trial.

Kardashian had been Simpson's friend for over thirty years. They met on a tennis court in the early 1970s. The men played golf together, went on double dates and even lived together in the same Beverly Hills house during a football off-season. They also became business partners, starting a frozen yogurt business called Juice, Inc after Simpson's nickname.

On the day after the murder of Simpson's wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman, Simpson went to Kardashian's home in the Los Angeles suburb, Encino. Simpson spent the night and was to report to police for booking the next day.

During Simpson's nationally televised slow speed LA freeway car chase, he made cell phone contact with Robert Kardashian. Also during the chase, it was Kardashian who read a quasi-suicide note that had been written by Simpson, another nationally televised incident in the so-call "Trial of the Century."

At the time of Simpson's arrest, Kardashian was a businessman known for Movie Tunes, an entertainment service for movie theaters providing music to play between films.He hadn't practiced law for years, but immediately reactivated his license before O.J. went to trial.

Kardashian and the Dream Team

Simpson's defense lawyers dubbed "the Dream Team" made Robert Kardashian a part of their team. He sat next to O.J. during much of the trial.

For Simpson defenders, Kardashian's presence was a commendable show of friendship and moral support. For Simpson detractors, Kardashian's team membership was a slick legal maneuver that exempted Kardashian from being called on as a material witness on the grounds of attorney-client privilege.

There were allegations from witnesses that Kardashian had been seen carrying a garment bag from Simpson's Brentwood house one day after the murders. It had been speculated that Simpson's bloody clothes and/or the murder weapon may have been in the garment bag. Cross-examination regarding this incident could have made Kardashian a valuable courtroom witness for the prosecution. Judge Lance Ito, however, allowed for Kardashian's attorney-client exemption.

Kardashian Post-trial

When the trial ended with O.J.'s acquittal, Robert Kardashian became a key information source for Lawrence Schiller's bestselling book "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense." Kardashian also gave an exclusive television interview with Barbara Walters on ABC's "20/20."

In both the book and the interview, Kardashian expressed his personal doubts on Simpson's innocence and acknowledged that O.J. had failed a polygraph test before the criminal trial. As for the garment bag, Kardashian insisted that he had tried to give the bag to the police, but they had refused.

Because of the book and Kardashian's post-trial remarks, the friendship with Simpson ended.

In 2003 Robert Kardashian died of esophageal cancer, taking his secrets with him.