Soccer players are extremely popular among fans of the game. After their playing days are over, many go into coaching, advertising, or other careers that keep them in the public eye. Many also go on to the field of acting.

Here’s a look at the top 20 soccer players turned actors.

#20 Bill Romanowski – Bill Romanowski played football for 16 years for the 49ers, Eagles, Broncos, and Raiders. After his career, he has appeared in movies like The Longest Yard and Benchwarmers.

#19 Bill Goldberg – Although his football career wasn’t much to talk about, Bill Goldberg caused quite a stir in the acting world. He first made his name in the world of professional wrestling, but would go on to appear on Universal Soldier: The Return, The Longest Yard, and various television shows.

#18 Brett Favre: Brett Favre is sure to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. While he doesn’t have an extensive film career, it’s impossible to ignore the important role he played in the hit comedy film There’s Something About Mary, starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller. The dance scenes at the end are worth watching over and over again.

#17 Bo Jackson – One of the greatest running back careers was cut short when Bo Jackson suffered a career-ending hip injury. He would go on to appear in various television shows and movies, including Diagnosis Murder, Married with Children, The Chamber, and Moesha.

#16 Mike Ditka – Famous as a great tight end and a great head coach, Mike Ditka would also make quite a few appearances as an actor, including in Third Rock From The Sun, Kicking & Screaming, LA Law, Coach, and Salud.

#15 Ed Marinaro – Ed Marinaro appeared in two Super Bowls for the Minnesota Vikings and also played running back for the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks during his professional career. He would go on to appear on several successful television series, including Laverne & Shirley, Hill Street Blues, and Sisters.

#14 OJ Simpson – OJ Simpson won the Heisman Trophy and later became the first person to rush for more than 2,000 yards in an NFL season. He then guest-starred on various television shows and also appeared in a wide variety of commercials. However, his most famous role was probably that of Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies.

#13 Merlin Olsen – Merlin Olsen was a Hall of Fame defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams, and was one of the players quarterbacks feared the most during the 1970s. After his playing days were over, he appeared on Little House on the Prairie and later on his own show, Father Murphy.

#12 Joe Namath – Broadway Joe Namath was the face of the American Football League in the 1960s and a hero to New York Jets fans everywhere. He appeared in several movies and TV shows, including A-Team, Brady Bunch, CC and Company, and even guest-hosted an episode of the Tonight Show.

#11 Lawrence Taylor – One of the greatest linebackers of all time, Lawrence Taylor is another one of the famous football players who have had a credible acting career. He has appeared numerous times as himself on both television and film. His other roles include The Waterboy, Shaft and Any Given Sunday.

#10 Bubba Smith – Bubba Smith was a great defensive lineman for the Colts, Raiders and Oilers. He achieved further fame after his career by appearing in a number of very popular series of beer commercials for Miller Lite. He is also known for playing Officer Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies.

#9 Alex Karras – Alex Karras was a legendary defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions. After his career, he appeared on Blazing Saddles and fathered Emmanuel Lewis on the television show Webster.
#8 Howie Long – Howie Long played 13 seasons with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders. He has since appeared in television commercials and movies such as Firestorm and Broken Arrow.

#7 Dick Butkus – One of the most feared linebackers in football during his playing days, Dick Butkus would go on to have a decent acting career. He acted in the movies Any Given Sunday and Blue Thunder, as well as the television series My Two Dads.

#6 Terry Bradshaw – Many fans don’t know it, but Terry Bradshaw has not only been honored with a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but also with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His film roles include Cannonball Run, Hooper and Failure to Launch.

#5 Carl Weathers – Carl Weathers played linebacker in both the National Football League and the Canadian Football League. He has one of the most famous roles of any former football player, as he played Apollo Creed in several Rocky movies starring Sylvester Stallone.

#4 Fred Dryer – Fred Dryer played 13 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most respected defensive ends of his era. He had one of the most successful television series of any football player, starring in the title role of Hunter for eight seasons in the 1980s and early 1990s.

#3 Fred Williamson – Fred Williamson played defensive back during the 1960s, and after his retirement, he moved into acting almost immediately. He’s had roles in Starsky & Hutch, Original Gangstas, and From Dusk Till Dawn in recent years, but he’s probably even more famous for the many movies he made in the 1970s that were part of the blaxploitation genre.

#2 Woody Strode – Woody Strode is not a name recognized by most football fans. He played college at UCLA, on the same team as Jackie Robinson, and then went on to play just one season in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946. He was one of the first African-American athletes to appear in the National Football League. American. , and would later also play professional soccer in Canada. He had a long and impressive film career, even earning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Spartacus. Other movies and TV shows he appeared in include Stagecoach, The Ten Commandments, The Buccaneer, Pork Chop Hill, Rawhide, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Daniel Boone, How The West Was Won, The Dukes Of Hazzard, and The Quick And The Dead.

#1 Jim Brown – Jim Brown is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is widely considered the greatest running back of all time. He had a very successful acting career after his retirement from the NFL. He appeared in The Dirty Dozen, The Running Man, Original Gangstas, Mars Attacks, and several 1970s movies that were part of the blaxploitation genre. He has also appeared in quite a few television series including TJ Hooker, Knight Rider, Highway to Heaven, Police Story, The A-Team, ChiPS and I Spy.