From the bizarre to the — dare we say it? — sexy, nineteen different actors have played Colonel Sanders, the KFC spokesperson character over the years. The fried chicken fast food restaurant has utilized the talents of all sorts of thespians over time, and they've all played "The Colonel" in some way. But who are all the Colonel Sanders actors who have acted as the mascot for Kentucky Fried Chicken, exactly?
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All of the Colonel Sanders Actors
To start, Colonel Harland Sanders was technically the first person to "act" as the character. He may have founded the company, but he also starred in commercials for it, making him an actor.
Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live aka SNL fame also played Col. Sanders, and so did Norm Macdonald who was also a cast member on the show. Comedian Jim Gaffigan took a turn as a version of the colonel, and so did actor George Hamilton, who specifically portrayed the "extra crispy Colonel."
WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler, actor Rob Riggle, and Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser have all played the character, with Kartheiser acting as "the Nashville Colonel," according to Entertainment Weekly.
Billy Zane was in a Super Bowl commercial playing the Colonel, and Rob Lowe, Ray Liotta, and Christopher Boyer have all starred as various versions of the white suit-wearing figure. Reba McEntire was the first woman to play Colonel Sanders, and Jason Alexander, Sean Astin, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson have each had a chance to portray the fast-food icon, too.
Weirdly, cyborg police officer RoboCop, voiced by actor Peter Weller, "played" the Colonel in some advertisements, and film producer Craig Fleming once took on the role as well.
Finally, the most recent version of Sanders was played by Mario Lopez. The Saved by the Bell star played a "sexy" Colonel Sanders in a Lifetime mini-movie called A Recipe for Seduction. Yes, it's a real thing you can go watch right now if you have any desire to do so.
Do you have a favorite Colonel Sanders actor?
