From Tim Allen to Tom Hanks: 15 of the Most Memorable Cinematic Santas

Mar. 15, 2025

Who rocks the best bowl-full-of-jelly belly inChristmas moviehistory? Father Christmas has shown up in enough movies that he has his own subgenre: the Santa Claus category. These family-friendly fantasy films explore the magic of St. Nick during theholiday season, complete with a white beard, a red suit and, of course, his trusty reindeer.

FromThe Night They Saved ChristmasandThe Santa ClausetoThe Polar ExpressandBad Santa, here are some of the most unforgettable movie portrayals of Santa Claus.

Edmund Gwenn inMiracle on 34th Street(1947)

The gold standard for cinematic Santa Clauses, Edmund Gwenn plays Kris Kringle, a Macy’s department store Santa who insists he’s the real thing. Gwenn’s performance as Kringle was so convincing that it won him theOscarfor Best Supporting Actor — a feat no other cinematic Santa has achieved since. (Hear Gwenn’s touching Oscar speech here.He kicks it off with the joke, “Now I know there’s a Santa Claus.")

John Call inSanta Claus Conquers the Martians(1964)

It’s because of this thatSanta Claus Conquers the Martiansis famously consideredone of the worst moviesever made — but at least aMystery Science Theater 3000episode about the film came out of it, which should be required viewing for anyone needing a break from holiday stress. (The entire original film, sansMST3Kcommentary,can be viewed here.)

Jeff Gillen inA Christmas Story(1983)

Most of the Santas on this list represent the character at his jolliest. This one, however, perfectly captures how many kids perceive Santa: as the scariest part of the holiday.A Christmas Storyoffers one of the most vivid takes on a child’s perspective on Christmas, and this scene is one of the most enduring. Poor Ralphie.

Art Carney inThe Night They Saved Christmas(1984)

Sure, of all theHoneymoonerscast members, it seems Jackie Gleason would have been the most obvious choice to play Santa Claus at some point, but as Santa, Art Carney certainly looks the part. The plot finds the unlikely Claudia (Jaclyn Smith) teaming up with Santa to prevent an oil company from destroying his home at the North Pole — and that alone should tell you this is a must-watch Christmas adventure. (And you’re in luck: The whole of it isviewable online here.)

David Huddleston inSanta Claus: The Movie(1985)

For a lot of ’80s kids,David Huddlestonwas not only a great Santa Claus; he wastheSanta Claus — the guy who starred in a holiday mainstay that actually explained many of the questions we had about how Santa goes about his whole gift-delivering journey. It helps that a few of us would have recognized him fromBlazing Saddles, and most people would be surprised that Huddleston also acted inThe Big Lebowski, in which he played the title character — that is, the actual Lebowski. Who knew?

Douglas Seale inErnest Saves Christmas(1988)

Maybe a minor note in St. Nick cinema, but Douglas Seale delivers all the twinkling jolliness you could ask for in a Santa Claus. (He brought similar energy to the role of the Sultan in 1992’sAladdin.)Ernest Saves Christmasis maybe most notable for introducing the idea that Santa Claus is a job passed down from one person to another. The idea would be expanded upon in the 1994 movieThe Santa Clausea few years later.

Richard Attenborough inMiracle on 34th Street(1994)

Remakes come and go, and remaking the classic 1947 original was no small feat. Given Gwenn’s Oscar-winning performance as Kris Kringle,Richard Attenboroughhad an especially tough job differentiating his take on Santa, but you know what? He did it. He’s everything the character should be: kind, wise, patient and jolly, and more than a few kids who saw this remake think of him as the quintessential cinematic Santa.

Tim Allen inThe Santa Clause(1994)

BeforeTim Allenfound success with theToy Storymovies, he starred in 1994’sThe Santa Clause, which spawned two sequels — and a2022 Disney+ series— and made Allen one of the few big-name actors to repeatedly play Santa. In this franchise, Allen brings a bit of his characteristic gruffness to the role of Scott Calvin, a jaded ad exec who accidentally becomes the new Santa Claus.

Nigel Hawthorne inCall Me Claus(2001)

Ed Asner inElf(2003)

Billy Bob Thornton inBad Santa(2003)

Billy Bob Thorntonoffers the antithesis to all the benevolent, grandfatherly Santas on this list — a cockroach on a Christmas cookie, so to speak — but there’s one catch: He’s just playingaSanta, nottheSanta. Still, he’s a famous enough Santa wannabe that he deserves a shoutout.

Tom Hanks inThe Polar Express(2004)

Allen’sToy Storycostar also got a turn as Saint Nicholas — as a glassy-eyed CGI version of him, sure, but if any A-list actor could muster the right mix of warmth, humor and paternal concern to play Santa Claus, it’sTom Hanks.

James Cosmo inThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe(2005)

Sure, it’s Father Christmas and not explicitly Santa Claus — because Brits and all — but James Cosmo’s turn in the firstChronicles of Narniamovie reminds us that everyone gets excited about Christmas presents, even if they’re weapons used to fight the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Cosmo’s take on the character skews a little more mystical than most, and it’s a trip encountering a Santa Claus figure in a movie where he’s far from the most fantastical character around.

Paul Giamatti inFred Claus(2007)

Alec Baldwin inRise of the Guardians(2012)

Alec Baldwinlends Santa an inexplicable accent, but that’s not any stranger than Santa teaming up with Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy and an Easter Bunny that sounds likeHugh Jackmanto fight the boogeyman. But who says Santa can only appear in a movie that’s explicitly Christmas-themed? Not the people who madeRise of the Guardians, apparently.

source: people.com