George Albert Smith and Edmund Gwenn - ©Theda Bara

With Christmas approaching, in this post I highlight two excellent British actors who played Santa Claus in films. The first, besides acting, was an illusionist, psychologist, professor, astronomer, inventor, and one of the pioneers of British cinema, being the director of the first Christmas short film; I am referring to George Albert Smith, who in the 1898, film entitled “Santa Claus” played “Mr. Claus” himself. Smith was also fascinated by fictional and fantastical themes.

George Albert Smith was born on January 4, 1864, in Cripplegate, London, United Kingdom, and died on May 17, 1959, in Brighton, Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom, at the age of 95.

The filmmaker was married to the British actress and filmmaker Laura Eugenia Bayley (1862–1938) from 1888 to 1938, when she left him a widower. The couple had no children.

The second name is that of a more famous film actor, with more developed characters and dialogues; I’m referring to Edmund Gwenn, considered the first to portray Santa Claus as a prominent character in film, in the 1947 classic, “Miracle on 34th Street”, as the character “Kris Kringle”. Santa’s famous, booming laugh, “Ho, Ho, Ho”, is one of his spontaneous creations that accompanies all other Santa Clauses to this day, whether in fiction or in the commercial world.

Edmund won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 1948.

The actor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 1755 Vine Street, in the film category.

Edmund Gwenn was born on September 26, 1877, in Wandsworth, London, United Kingdom, and died on September 6, 1959, in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, United States, 20 days before his 82nd birthday.

Edmund was married to British actress Minnie Terry (1882-1964) from 1901 to 1914 and, like George Albert Smith and Santa Claus, also had no children.