As long as there have been movies about Christmas, there have been actors tasked with playing the legendary father of Christmas on the big screen. Whether they are playing a traditional, lovable Santa Claus or some strange twist on the jolly man in the red suit, there have been more memorable performances of Santa than of nearly any other character in history.
While many of the best versions of Santa are simply those most familiar to audiences or those that are the most delightfully wholesome, some fans prefer the versions of Santa that put a unique or modern spin on the character.
6 Miracle On 34th Street (1994)
Fresh off his success as the lovable older gentleman in Jurassic Park, Richard Attenborough immediately provided another of his most legendary performances in the 1994 remake of Miracle On 34th Street. Multiple versions of this story had already been filmed since the original was released in 1947, so it was a particular challenge for Attenborough trying to put a unique spin on such a well-regarded character.
Playing a man who takes over the Santa Claus role at a large toy store after saving them from disaster at a Thanksgiving Day Parade, Attenborough befriends Mara Wilson’s young Susan Walker and helps her find new meaning and belief in Christmas. Apart from being one of the most delightfully wholesome modern versions of Santa, Attenborough’s character also managed to prove in court that Santa does in fact exist.
5 Arthur Christmas
An entire delightful animated film about the true meaning of Santa Claus, and what it means to take on that role, Arthur Christmas dealt with Santa’s family and his sons Steve and Arthur. When a single child is forgotten about and left without a present on Christmas Eve, Arthur jumps into action while the rest of the North Pole and his family choose to let the child be missed.
This film delightfully manages to have a Santa Claus who isn’t actually Santa Claus, at least until the end of the film when the rest of his family realize who the real Santa in the family is. The idea of being able to earn that title, and the ways that the film played with the mythology of Santa, made it an instant classic and one of the best films to tackle the mythology of the character.
4 Elf
While he isn’t the focus of the piece, Ed Asner playing a slightly fed-up version of Santa in a world that is losing its Christmas spirit was one of the better parts of Elf. While the film has divided fans over how deserving it is as a true modern Christmas classic, there can be no doubt that Asner nailed the role of Santa.
As Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf was the most important part of the film, Asner was free to have a traditional version of Santa in his role with a little added comedy and fun about it. He was also shown as being especially kind, not having the heart to send baby Buddy back to his orphanage after he escaped by crawling into Santa’s sack.
3 The Santa Clause
Tim Allen is considered to be one of the best names in the history of the Santa Claus character, his version began as a toy company executive named Scott Calvin who is just trying to have a nice Christmas with his estranged son Charlie.
However, Scott is forced into the role after accidentally killing Santa Claus. This film managed to have a classic Christmas redemption story for the man who, by the end of the film, would undoubtedly become a true Santa Claus. Along with making his son proud of him and saving Christmas, Scott found in himself a new joy, both for Christmas and for life, in an admirably delightful story.
2 The Christmas Chronicles
Kurt Russell is just the sort of actor fans would never have expected to play Santa. The magnanimous and hearty wholesomeness with which Santa is usually portrayed is a long shot from the action movie star that played characters like Snake Plissken and Jack Burton earlier in his career. However, Russell brought his own unique style and flair to the role of Santa while maintaining a character that could give The Christmas Chronicles a healthy, heartfelt message.
Making the film a perfect blend of something for kids and adults, Russell’s Santa went from emotional conversations with the Pierce children to rocking out while in a prison cell as the film showed what a modern-day Santa Claus can and maybe should look like. No longer completely meek and joyous, Santa brings happiness and childhood wonder in this film while having a little more bite to him as well.
1 Rise Of The Guardians
As if Kurt Russell didn’t bring enough of a modern edge to the role of Santa Claus. Rise of the Guardians took it a step further and had Alec Baldwin star as an animated, Russian, tattooed, and hardy version of the character who was willing to go to great lengths, and into any kind of dangerous battle, to protect Christmas.
The North Pole and Santa himself were a blend of the traditional Santa elements that audiences know and love, and basically, a superhero who helped the other guardians turn away evil forces to protect the world. Baldwin played the two sides of this character to perfection to create a unique, and fantastic version of Saint Nick.