Paula Barbieri

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Paula Barbieri
Born (1966-12-31) December 31, 1966
Panama City, Florida
Nationality United States
Occupation Actress (former)
Known for O. J. Simpson murder case
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Spouse(s) Michael Overstreet (April 2000 - present)

Paula Barbieri is a former American model and actress. She was reportedly the last girlfriend of O. J. Simpson before the murder of Nicole Simpson and was with him earlier in the night before the murder.[1]

Acting career

Barbieri first gained public recognition as a fashion model for Vogue and Victoria's Secret. Moreover, Barbieri acted in several low-budget straight-to-video movies in the early to mid 1990s. She appeared in the erotic drama series Red Shoe Diaries with Ely Pouget, Francesco Quinn and Lisa Boyle in 1992 as a pool hustler in the episode Double or Nothing. In 1995 she appeared in The Misery Brothers, The Watcher in the episode The Human Condition and The Dangerous.[2][3] She also appeared in the Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass.[4] Her last role was as Beverly Hills psychiatrist Dr. Angela Cross in the TV movie Night Eyes 4: Fatal Passion.[2][4] She also posed for a nude pictorial in the October, 1994 issue of Playboy.

O.J. Simpson case

Barbieri had dated O. J. Simpson and was reportedly his last girlfriend before the murder of Nicole Simpson and was with him earlier in the night before the murder.[1][5] Simpson had called her on his cell phone rather than the house phone.[6] She was called to testify at his trial. Her sports utility vehicle was stolen on January 24, 1994 by William Benson Wasz, who was also implicated in the case. (Wasz was featured in the documentary O.J. The Untold Story.)[7] Barbieri continued to visit Simpson while he was in jail, something which led to a fall out with her father Vincent Barbieri. Barbieri described his daughter as "brainwashed", remarking that "As far as I'm concerned, Simpson is guilty".[5] He mentioned in 1995 that the case devastated her to the point it completely affected her life and she would no longer find work or pick up scripts for roles which were offered to her.[5] Some job opportunities turned out to be mere paparazzi attempts to persuade Paula to discuss the criminal case and Paula became fearful of others true intentions. Barbieri stuck by Simpson until around November 1995 when it was reported that she had an argument with him and left him after he berated her for her clothes and accused her of sleeping around.[8] In an interview on November 20, 1995, she claimed that she had finished her relationship with Simpson soon after his acquittal as she believed he was using her to make money from photographs.[9] Shortly after the criminal trial, OJ Simpson flew to Panama City Beach, Florida on the guise of visiting Paula for a one on one visit to get private time, yet he flew in, entourage and photographers alike with the intention of using Paula as a photo op. It was later stated that OJ was advised that the visit would be a good opportunity to renew OJ's reputation by appearing as though such a sweet, southern and Christian woman would of "stayed by her man" and the photos would benefit his reputation. Photo's were taken of OJ golfing with Paula at Bay Point Resort in Panama City and Paula was forced to realize how she was most likely used by the man that she loved. She still, however, believed that Simpson was completely innocent of the murder.[9] New York Magazine claimed on November 13, 1995 that Barbieri had dumped Simpson for going off with another woman.[10]

In September 1997, Barbieri released "The Other Woman: My Years With O.J. Simpson", where she wrote about seeking salvation by becoming a born-again Christian. She did indicate in the book OJ's propensity for control and discussed his abuse though.[11]

Personal life

In April 2000 Barbieri married Michael Overstreet, a Florida Circuit judge. They live in the Panama City, Florida area as of January 2012. They have a daughter.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dunne, Dominick (14 May 2002). Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-609-80963-1. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 TV guide. Triangle Publications. 1995. p. 120. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  3. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. McFarland. p. 2199. ISBN 978-0-7864-0952-5. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Craddock, Jim (20 January 2005). Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2005. Thomson/Gale. p. 561. ISBN 978-0-7876-7470-0. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Weekly World News. Weekly World News. 3 January 1995. p. 12. ISSN 0199574X. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  6. ↑ Sussex Publishers, LLC. Spy. Sussex Publishers, LLC. p. 58. ISSN 08901759. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  7. ↑ Schulman, J. Neil (January 1999). The Frame of the Century?. Pulpless.Com. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-58445-060-3. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  8. ↑ Kellner, Douglas (2003). Media spectacle. Psychology Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-415-26828-8. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Johnson Publishing Company (20 November 1995). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 57. ISSN 00215996. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  10. ↑ New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. 13 November 1995. p. 24. ISSN 00287369. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  11. ↑ "The Other Woman: My Years With O.J. Simpson"
  12. ↑ Paula Barbieri
  13. ↑ IMDB Paula Barbieri
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