Ronald Lyle "Ron" Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American waiter and an aspiring model. He was murdered along with Nicole Brown Simpson allegedly by her former husband O. J. Simpson, an actor and retired American football player. The subsequent criminal investigation and trial against O. J. Simpson was described as the "trial of the century." Although he was later held liable for Goldman's death and that of his ex-wife in a 1997 civil trial, Simpson was acquitted of the murders in the previous criminal trial.
Goldman grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was six and he was then raised by his father, Fred Goldman. His mother was Sharon (nèe Rufo) Goldman. Goldman grew up Jewish.
He attended high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was a student at Illinois State University for one semester and a pledge to Sigma Nu fraternity before he moved with his family to California. While living in Los Angeles, he attended Pierce College. He had been supporting himself by working as a waiter and tennis instructor. According to a book authored by some of his family members, titled His Name is Ron, before working at the restaurant Mezzaluna, Goldman worked with cerebral palsy patients. He was also an avid Karate practitioner, achieving a 3rd degree black belt in the discipline. Goldman was a contestant on the short-lived game show Studs in 1992. Goldman had also doodled plans for a bar and restaurant to be named ANKH, after the Egyptian religious symbol.