Jake Harper
Colonel Sanders is the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the company's symbol. Harland Sanders, also known as the Kentucky Colonel, was born in 1890 and died in 1980. After selling the company, he remained its symbol, travelling 200,000 miles a year on its behalf and filming many TV commercials. KFC has also hired celebrities to portray Colonel Sanders in its advertisements, including George Hamilton, Rob Riggle, Billy Zane, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Jason Alexander, and Peter Weller. In 2018, KFC released an ad for its chicken and waffles combo featuring Colonel Sanders, played by Craig Fleming, dancing with a Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle to Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing.
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What You'll Learn
Colonel Sanders is the founder of KFC
Colonel Sanders, born Harland Sanders, is the founder of the fast-food chain KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). After selling the company, he remained its symbol, travelling 200,000 miles a year on the company's behalf and filming many TV commercials. He also retained influence over executives and franchisees, who respected his culinary expertise. As late as 1979, Sanders made surprise visits to KFC restaurants, and he sued Heublein Inc.—KFC's then parent company—over the alleged misuse of his image in promoting products he didn't approve of.
Characters based on Colonel Sanders have appeared in popular fiction, including in DC Comics and video games. KFC has also hired many celebrities to portray Colonel Sanders in their advertisements, including George Hamilton, WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler, Rob Riggle, Billy Zane, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Jason Alexander, and Peter Weller.
In 2021, KFC released an advertisement for its chicken and waffles combo, featuring Colonel Sanders played by Craig Fleming dancing with a life-size, sentient Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle to the tune of Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing.
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Harland Sanders, the original Colonel, died in 1980
Harland Sanders, the founder of the fast-food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), died on December 16, 1980, at the age of 90. Born on September 9, 1890, in Henryville, Indiana, Sanders was known for his distinctive appearance, including a goatee, white suit, and string tie. He was also known for his culinary expertise and colourful language, continuing to make surprise visits to KFC restaurants as late as 1979.
Sanders held a variety of jobs before opening Sanders Cafe in 1929 in Corbin, Kentucky. In 1935, he received an honorary colonel's title from the governor of Kentucky. In 1965, Sanders moved to Mississauga, Ontario, to oversee his Canadian franchises and continued to collect franchise and appearance fees.
Even after selling the company, Sanders remained its symbol, travelling extensively and filming many TV commercials and appearances. He retained significant influence over executives and franchisees, who respected his knowledge of food and feared his outspoken criticism when restaurants or the company deviated from his standards.
Sanders' influence extended beyond the kitchen and into popular culture. Characters based on Colonel Sanders have appeared in various forms of media, including comic books, video games, and television commercials. KFC has also featured celebrities portraying Colonel Sanders in their advertisements, including actors Rob Lowe, George Hamilton, and Billy Zane.
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KFC has hired celebrities to play Colonel Sanders in ads
KFC has used celebrities to play Colonel Sanders in its advertisements as part of its marketing strategy. Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC, created the "Colonel" persona as a low-cost marketing tool. Since his death in 1980, KFC has hired several celebrities to play the role of Colonel Sanders in its ads, including Darrell Hammond, Norm Macdonald, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, George Hamilton, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Riggle, Billy Zane, and Jason Alexander.
In 2016, George Hamilton played Colonel Sanders, leveraging his famous tan to promote KFC's "extra crispy" chicken. During the 2016 SummerSlam, WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler dressed up as Colonel Sanders and beat up a man in a chicken suit in a wrestling ring. In September 2016, comedian Rob Riggle played Colonel Sanders in an ad introducing a football team called "The Kentucky Buckets." In January 2017, actor Billy Zane portrayed the "Solid Gold Colonel" to advertise KFC's "Georgia Gold Honey Mustard BBQ" chicken offerings. In April 2017, actor Rob Lowe played astronaut Colonel Sanders in a commercial, giving a JFK speech spoof about launching the Zinger chicken sandwich into space.
In January 2018, country singer Reba McEntire became the first female Colonel Sanders, promoting the "Smoky Mountain BBQ" chicken. In August 2018, actor Jason Alexander portrayed Colonel Sanders, and he had previously appeared in KFC commercials in the early 2000s. Other celebrities who have played Colonel Sanders in KFC ads include Ray Liotta, Christopher Boyer, and Vincent Kartheiser.
KFC's recent marketing campaigns featuring Colonel Sanders have taken on a more serious tone, aiming for transparency and a focus on the food rather than celebrity casting. The "Obsession" ad campaign recounts the Colonel's meticulous process of creating KFC's signature recipe and chicken-frying technique. This campaign features a stern Colonel Sanders, reflecting the company's commitment to winning back customers and improving its brand image.
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Ads featuring Colonel Sanders have gone viral
In one of the funniest ads, KFC's Colonel Sanders, played by Craig Fleming, dances with a life-size Mrs. Butterworth to the tune of "Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. The ad, which promotes the fast-food chain's Kentucky Fried Chicken and Waffles, ends with Sanders lifting Butterworth over his head. In January 2018, singer Reba McEntire was named the newest Colonel Sanders and made her debut in a commercial promoting the fast-food chain's new "Smoky Mountain BBQ" chicken. In April 2017, actor Rob Lowe was announced as the newest Colonel Sanders. Rob Lowe's Colonel Sanders took an astronaut twist on the classic white suit. His performance was a Sanders-JFK hybrid; he made a rousing speech in support of sending KFC's spicy crispy chicken into space.
In a series of KFC advertisements, Colonel Sanders went cyborg. RoboCop Sanders was determined to feed guests at a fancy dinner table and a family watching television. In 2019, a free video game was commissioned by the restaurant chain KFC. It was called 'I Love You, Colonel Sanders!' and was a parody of conventional dating sims. The primary objective of the player was to develop a romantic relationship with a fictionalized version of KFC's founder Colonel Sanders, portrayed as an attractive classmate at a cooking school.
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Colonel Sanders has appeared in popular fiction
Colonel Sanders has also appeared in DC Comics multiverse in three promotional issues, parodying other DC Comics titles. The Colonel appears as a character who teams up with DC superheroes such as Green Lantern and Flash to battle villains.
In 2017, KFC released a 96-page romance novella, "Tender Wings of Desire", in time for Mother's Day. The novella is set in Victorian England and features Colonel Sanders as the love interest.
Colonel Sanders has also appeared in fictionalised forms in popular culture, such as in the "UnAnything" wiki, where he is portrayed as an "old wrinkly man with grey hair and wrinkles" and as a colonel in the "UnAmerican army". In another instance of popular fiction, Colonel Sanders is portrayed as a member of the Nazi army, who is visited by God with a message: "Suck it, Nazi!".
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Frequently asked questions
Colonel Sanders is the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, also known as KFC.
Many celebrities have portrayed Colonel Sanders in KFC's ad campaigns, including George Hamilton, Rob Riggle, Billy Zane, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Jason Alexander, Peter Weller, Sean Astin, Craig Fleming, Randy Quaid, and Darrell Hammond.
KFC has had several notable ads featuring Colonel Sanders, including the "'Dirty Dancing' ad with Mrs. Butterworth", the "Kentucky Buckets" ad with Rob Riggle, and the "Game of Thrones" ad with Hodor (Kristian Nairn).
KFC brought back Colonel Sanders as part of its "Kentucky Fried comeback" strategy to focus on its origin story and lure back diners who had gravitated towards competitors.
