“Rudy” is back, but this time, Sean Astin’s beloved character doesn’t want to be a Notre Dame football player — he wants to become the next Colonel Sanders. KFC debuted Colonel Rudy, portrayed by Astin, in a national game-time television commercial just in time for the start of the NFL season. Both the KFC founder and Rudy Ruettiger have similar stories of fulfilling their dreams by doing things the hard way and never giving up, a news release said.