A slew of actors have performed Santa Claus over time, in numerous types.
Regardless of your vacation temper, there’s a Santa to go well with it. There may be the reluctant Santa (Tim Allen in The Santa Clause), the con man Santa (Billy Bob Thornton in Unhealthy Santa), the rockin’ Santa (Kurt Russell in The Christmas Chronicles), the violent Santa (David Harbour in Violent Evening) and the honest, jolly Santa who will get kidnapped (J.Okay. Simmons in Crimson One).
In different phrases, don’t anticipate each portrayal to be impressed by the eye-twinkling, bowl-full-of-jelly-belly Santa from Clement Clarke Moore’s well-known poem “A Go to From St. Nicholas” (generally known as “‘Twas the Evening Earlier than Christmas.”
Learn on to see an inventory of 20 actors who’ve taken on the position.
This story was first printed in December 2016 and has been often up to date to incorporate extra objects.
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Tim Allen in ‘The Santa Clause’
Picture Credit score: Everett Within the 1994 household comedy, Allen performs a divorcee who by chance kills a Santa impersonator on Christmas Eve — and is transported to the North Pole to take over Santa’s duties. At first skeptical that the entire stint is only a wild dream, he begins to consider it after he abruptly positive aspects weight and grows a thick, white beard.
The movie went on to spawn two sequels — 2002’s The Santa Clause 2 and 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Allen additionally reprises his position for the Disney+ collection The Santa Clauses, which debuted in November 2022 and acquired a second-season pickup the next month.
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Ed Asner in ‘Elf’
Picture Credit score: Everett The Will Ferrell starrer facilities on oprhaned child (Buddy) who sneaks into Santa Claus’ sack and spends his childhood (and maturity) within the North Pole believing he’s an elf. Asner performs Santa, who sends Buddy to New York Metropolis on a quest to seek out his beginning father after he learns that he’s a human who was adopted as an toddler.
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Paul Giamatti in ‘Fred Claus’
Picture Credit score: Everett Giamatti performs Saint Nick on this fantasy comedy that focuses on Santa’s relationship together with his resentful older brother, Fred Claus (performed by Vince Vaughn). When Fred results in a bind and tries scheming his brother into loaning him $50,000, Nick calls for he journey to the North Pole and earn his cash by serving to work throughout the Christmas rush.
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Billy Bob Thornton in ‘Unhealthy Santa’
Picture Credit score: Everett The 2003 comedy (and its 2016 sequel Unhealthy Santa 2) sees Thornton within the position of a con man who, alongside together with his dwarf sidekick, gown as Santa Claus and his elf helper at a division retailer every vacation season simply to rob the mall as soon as Christmas Eve hits, and all customers have gone residence.
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Jim Carrey in ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
Picture Credit score: Everett The movie adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ e-book of the identical title stars Carrey because the Grinch, a resident of Whoville who hates Christmas and plots to wreck the vacation for your entire city. Although the Grinch isn’t precisely Santa himself, he dons Santa’s go well with in an try and disguise himself and steal presents from kids whereas they’re sleeping.
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Richard Attenborough in ‘Miracle on thirty fourth Road’
Picture Credit score: Everett One among many remakes of the vacation traditional (initially launched in 1947), 1994’s Miracle on thirty fourth Road facilities on a person named Kris Kringle (Attenborough), whose insistence that he’s the true Santa Claus helps a younger 6-year-old woman consider within the spirit of Christmas.
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Tom Hanks in ‘The Polar Specific’
Picture Credit score: Everett Hanks voices Santa (and a mess of different characters) within the animation a couple of skeptical younger boy who embarks on a journey of self-discovery as he boards a magical prepare en path to the North Pole.
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Mickey Rooney in ‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ to City’
Picture Credit score: Everett Within the stop-motion animated TV particular, a mailman (voiced by Fred Astaire) solutions kids’s letters to Santa Claus by telling the origin story of Kris Kringle and the way he got here to be the legend of Sombertown.
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Ben Affleck in ‘Reindeer Video games’
Picture Credit score: Everett Although Affleck doesn’t essentially play Santa Claus himself, he attire up as Saint Nick when his character, an ex-convict just lately launched from jail, turns into entangled in a plot to rob a on line casino on Christmas Eve.
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John Goodman in ‘The 12 months And not using a Santa Claus’
Picture Credit score: Everett A live-action remake of 1974’s stop-motion particular, NBC’s 2006 TV film follows a discouraged Santa (performed by Goodman) who turns into intent on skipping toy deliveries on Christmas till a younger boy helps him rediscover the vacation spirit.
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Kurt Russell in ‘The Christmas Chronicles’
Picture Credit score: Michael Gibson/Netflix/Everett Assortment On this 2018 Netflix comedy, Russell takes on a Santa Claus who has crashed his sleigh and misplaced all of the Christmas presents. Along with the assistance of two kids, he should accumulate them and ship on a deadline. On the premiere, Russell devoted the movie to his father Bing Russell, “who was, is and all the time would be the best Santa Claus ever.”
Russell went again for a second outing within the sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2. The actor sang in each films.
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Invoice Nighy in ‘Arthur Christmas’
Picture Credit score: Sony Photos Classics/courtesy Everett Assortment Arthur Christmas noticed Nighy voice the position of a former Santa Claus who’s relatively disliking of the fashionable world. He emerges from retirement to assist Arthur (James McAvoy) save Christmas. The 2011 animated movie additionally featured the voices of Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and Jim Broadbent.
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William Shatner in ‘Gotta Catch Santa Claus’
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Teletoon Canada Inc./Everett Assortment This 2008 TV film follows the story of a younger boy who desires to show that Santa Claus (Shatner) exists by capturing him. In the meantime, an outdated enemy of Santa, LeFreeze (Cal Dodd), awakens with the identical thought.
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Lloyd Bridges in ‘Within the Nick of Time’
Picture Credit score: Courtesy NBC/Everett Assortment After 300 years, Santa Claus (Bridges) is up for retirement on this 1991 TV film from director George Miller. He has seven days to discover a alternative, or the vacation custom shall be jeopardized.
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David Harbour in ‘Violent Evening’
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Common Studios Harbour performs “a sledgehammer-wielding Kris Kringle,” as The Hollywood Reporter movie critic Angie Han put it, on this home-invasion comedy-thriller that Han describes as Residence Alone meets Die Arduous. which hit theaters in December 2022. Harbour goes into motion when a gaggle of mercenaries takes a rich household hostage in their very own residence, and the plot takes a really bloody flip.
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Jack Black in ‘Pricey Santa’
Picture Credit score: Paramount Photos Black does double obligation in Pricey Santa as Santa Claus and Devil. When a baby writes a letter meant for Santa in hopes that jolly outdated St. Nick will assist with their issues, they get a shock go to from Devil as an alternative after by chance misspelling Santa’s title. The movie is offered to observe on Paramount+.
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Lil Rel Howery in ‘Dashing By way of the Snow’
Picture Credit score: Steve Dietl /Disney+/ Courtesy Everett Assortment Dashing By way of the Snow sees Howery play a model of Santa Claus named Nicholas Sinter-Claus. The movie is directed by Tim Story and is offered to observe on Disney+. It additionally stars Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Teyonah Parris and Oscar Nuñez.
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Danny Glover in ‘The Naughty 9’
Picture Credit score: Jonathan Wenk /Disney+/ Courtesy Everett Assortment Glover performs Santa Claus on this Disney Channel film, which follows a gaggle of naughty children, who determine to drag off a heist to get the presents they need. The film is offered to stream on Disney+.
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Brian Cox in ‘That Christmas’
Picture Credit score: Courtesy Everett Assortment Cox voices Santa Claus within the 2024 animated film That Christmas. The movie noticed a restricted theatrical launch in choose theaters on Nov. 27 after which was made out there to stream on Netflix on Dec. 4. In line with the logline, “That Christmas follows a collection of entwined tales about household and buddies, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a giant mistake, to not point out an unlimited variety of turkeys!”
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J.Okay. Simmons in ‘Crimson One’
Picture Credit score: Amazon Studios/Courtesy Everett Assortment Simmons star as a kidnapped Santa Claus, who’s ready to be rescued by Callum Drift (performed by Dwayne Johnson) and hacker Jack O’Malley (performed by Chris Evans), in Crimson One. The movie was launched in theaters on Nov. 15 and is now out there to stream on Prime Video.
