Film|Actors

Actors Who Played Santa Claus, Ranked By How Much The Big Guy Would Approve

Anthony Barstow
Updated January 2, 2025 22 items
Ranked By
1.1K votes
134 voters
Voting Rules

Vote up the performances that would earn a place on the nice list; vote down the ones that are earning coal.

There are a few roles every actor dreams of playing. Hamlet is probably on that list. The devil is in there somewhere. Robin Hood would be pretty cool. But, when it comes right down to it, who doesn't want to be Santa Claus?

Not just any actor can play jolly ol' Saint Nick, though. Sure, there's having the build for it, the heft, if you will. You need a certain presence, too. Still, there's something else, something less tangible. There's an inner spirit that just screams Christmas joy.

The actors below: They have it. How much of it they have is up to you to decide. Since we can't ask the big guy directly – he stopped answering our letters a few years back – we're asking you to put on the hat, strap on the boots, and imagine which of these performers Santa would approve of most. Who's splitting cookies and milk at the North Pole, and who's working the photo booth at Gimbels?

Most divisive: Paul Giamatti - 'Fred Claus'
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Actors Who Played Santa Claus, Ranked By How Much The Big Guy Would Approve
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