Mt. Rushmore- Santa Claus Actors
A slightly different Mt. Rushmore than I’ve typically done, this will focus on a specific character and the actors who have played said character instead of an actor’s best roles. Simple enough. To start, we have the character that has been portrayed by more actors than any other, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Santa Claus himself. This article will feature live action Santa actors and the subsequent list will feature animation. Some honorable mentions to honorably mention include; Kurt Russell, Richard Attenborough, & the GOAT Santa here in OKC, Dan Short. Mr. Short was my personal Santa growing up & I think no one embodied the role better than him!
Ed Asner in ‘Elf’- The most popular Christmas movie there is, ‘Elf’ is known for it’s beloved characters like Buddy, Papa Elf, & of course, Santa. Santa is brought to life in a supporting role by the legendary Ed Asner. He brings a side of Santa as a well-respected boss that knows his way around the world, specifically NYC. He advises Buddy at the start of the film, and people’s belief in him serves as the climax of the movie. Asner has also played the role in an array of TV shows & specials, both in live action and voice roles.
Paul Giamatti in ‘Fred Claus’- I’ll admit Giamatti was the 4th edition to this Rushmore, and the reason being over Santa’s like Kurt Russell or Richard Attenborough is due to my own personal love for the film. We get to see a different side of Santa from the point of view of a disdainful relative, namely his older brother, Fred. We also see Nick snap and eventually lose it. We see a stressed out, on the end of his rope, tired Santa, which is definitely a change of pace.
Edmund Gwenn in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’- If you’re a Christmas film fanatic like myself, you understand that Gwenn was the longtime GOAT of Santa actors. He plays a man who must porve that he’s Santa both to the characters and the audience, and plays one of more innocent, gentle portrayals of the jolly red man. I feel like what really solidifies Gwenn’s spot here is that he quite literally won an Oscar for his role as Santa. That’s legend behavior.
Tim Allen in ‘The Santa Clause’ franchise- Across three films and a two season TV show, Allen has become Santa to a generation. I would highly recommend you go read my article in ‘Other Stuff’ in which I polled people about Christmas movies, but one spoiler is that Tim Allen absolutely ran away with who people loved the most as Santa. Like it’s an astronomical difference between him and second place. He provides us with a look into a man who has the mantle thrust upon him and handles it accordingly. He brilliantly toes the line between Santa Claus & Scott Calvin and deserves all the praise.
