Robert Kardashian was an Armenian American attorney and businessman whose family's roots in Armenia shaped one of the most culturally significant families in American history — and whose last name became one of the most recognized in the world.
Robert George Kardashian was born on February 22, 1944, in Los Angeles, California, to an Armenian American family. His grandparents had emigrated from Armenia to the United States in the early twentieth century, part of the great wave of Armenian immigration that followed the 1915 Genocide. Robert grew up in Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a business degree. He went on to earn his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Kardashian built a career as both an attorney and businessman. He was a close friend of O.J. Simpson long before their names became publicly intertwined, and he was involved in various business ventures throughout his adult life including the music industry. He is the father of four children — Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian — whose cultural prominence has made the Kardashian name one of the most recognized in the world.
Robert Kardashian's grandparents emigrated from Armenia to the United States in the early 1900s, part of the Armenian diaspora created by the 1915 Genocide. The Kardashian name itself — ending in -ian — is a distinctly Armenian surname, meaning "son of Kardashar." Robert was deeply aware of his Armenian roots, and that heritage has been carried forward by his children, particularly through Kim Kardashian's high-profile advocacy for Armenian Genocide recognition and her 2015 visit to Armenia.
Robert Kardashian rose to national prominence in 1994 and 1995 as a member of O.J. Simpson's defense team — the so-called "Dream Team" — during one of the most watched and debated criminal trials in American history. Kardashian and Simpson had been close friends since the 1970s, and Kardashian was present throughout the trial as both a legal advisor and a visible supporter of the defendant.
A notable moment came before the trial began: Kardashian read a letter from Simpson aloud at a press conference in June 1994, the day of Simpson's famous Bronco chase — a moment that was broadcast live to tens of millions of viewers. Kardashian later expressed his own doubts about Simpson's innocence in a 2003 interview shortly before his death, telling a journalist that he wasn't sure Simpson was innocent. The trial, and Kardashian's role in it, became a defining chapter of 1990s American legal and cultural history.
"I have doubts. I have to be honest. I have questions... I think about it all the time."
— Robert Kardashian, on O.J. Simpson's guilt, in a 2003 interview shortly before his deathRobert Kardashian was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the summer of 2003 and died on September 30, 2003, in Los Angeles, at age 59. He had remarried after his divorce from Kris Jenner, and at the time of his death he was married to Jan Ashley. His death came just weeks after his diagnosis was made public.
His legacy is complex and profound. As an attorney and businessman, he was accomplished. As a father, he raised four children who have shaped American popular culture for two decades. And as an Armenian American, his name — ending in that distinctly Armenian -ian suffix — carries forward the story of a people who survived genocide and built something new in America. That story, carried forward most visibly by his daughter Kim, has reached audiences worldwide.
The Kardashian name is one of the most recognized Armenian names in the world. Discover more of the Armenian community.
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