Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer and former professional football (soccer) player. During (and after) his career in sports he gave acting a shot, firstly in French cinema, with a role as a rugby player in Le bonheur est dans le pré, shot during his lengthy 1995 suspension from football. In the late 1990s, he accepted a role as a French ambassador in the English film Elizabeth (1998). In 2002, he directed a short film, Apporte-moi ton amour.