Bernie Casey, professional football player-turned-actor, has died at the age of 78 after a brief illness, Variety reports.

Although many know Casey’s acting work from the hilarious I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, he also had roles in film and television shows that are more recognizable to sci-fi fans. Casey appeared in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Babylon 5, and In the Mouth of Madness.

He also had a small yet significant role in Revenge of the Nerds as U.N. Jefferson, a fraternity president who sympathizes with our nerdy protagonists. He later appeared in the two TV movie sequels.

In addition to his career as an actor and football player, Casey also wrote and directed the film The Dinner, and was a poet and painter whose works were shown at several galleries worldwide, according to Variety.