Help us find and improve next week's Connection Finder profiles: Santa Claus [closed]

+19 votes
1.1k views

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so we're featuring Santa Claus in the Connection Finder next week, beginning with Ed Asner, who played Santa in the Christmas movie "Elf" and passed away earlier this year.

We're looking for others who have played Father Christmas in movies, television, and theater to feature with him.

Here's who we're getting started on:

  • Kurt Russell, "The Christmas Chronicles" (needs a picture)
  • Edmund Gwenn, "Miracle on 34th Street"
  • Tim Allen, "The Santa Clause" (Needs connects, a picture, and a bio)

Can you help with these profiles, or expand their families? Adding relatives in any direction helps with connections. Every missing relative you add will make our connections to them closer.

Who else should we feature? Do they need a profile?

All profiles we feature need a good biography and a connection to the big tree. We also want each one to have an image, and the image needs to have proper source attribution explaining why it's in the public domain or why we have the right to display it.

We can't feature everyone mentioned (we only have room for eleven per week), but if we don't feature a profile you work on, we may use it sometime in the future. And, of course, all contributions help improve our shared tree.

We'll make a final decision on which ones to feature early next week.

Please reply here with what you're working on so that we don't duplicate our efforts. Thank you!

To help us plan future themes, see the 2022 Example Profile Plans post here.

WikiTree profile: Ed Asner
closed with the note: Feature: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1345371/which-santa-claus-are-you-most-closely-connected-to
in The Tree House by Abby Glann G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
closed by Abby Glann

Think this is Grandfather of Tim Allen  Lewis Albert Dick (1889 - 1954) so he can be easily connected.  

I believe this is Tim Allen's Father https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Dick-2406

Wikimedia Commons has many photos of Tim Allen that are indicated to be free to use. Two that look very suitable for illustrating his profile are File:Tim_Allen_2012.jpg and File:Tim Allen at 1993 Emmy Rehearsals cropped.jpg. I would upload an image to his profile, but the privacy setting on the profile prevents me from doing so.

Thanks! I got him connected and grabbed a pic from Wikipedia.

22 Answers

+19 votes

Not exactly Santa Claus, but very much Christmas for Swedes since the 1960s when Swedish television started running From All of Us to All of You at three o'clock on Christmas Eve. Since the afternoon or early evening of Christmas Eve is the time when Swedes exchange Christmas presents, the show was perfect for distracting impatient kids. It soon became very popular.

Bengt Feldreich was the Swedish speaker voice from the start and continued contributing voice snippets every year until his death at age 94. He made a memorable falsetto voiceover in Swedish of the first bars of Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon a Star."

Feldreich is connected, has a portrait and a bio.

by Eva Ekeblad G2G6 Pilot (584k points)
Your post got me looking. I am 9th cousins once removed of Bengt Feldreich!
That's nice. I liked making his profile and it was nice finding and being able to connect to the Rhen branch on his mother's side.

I had the connection prepared well in advance, from reading the thread about the planned themes - so I didn't even notice that he may not fit into the theme as it is formulated  in this thread :-)

Well, good work is never  in vain ;-)
+17 votes

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Attenborough-43 Miracle on 34th Street. Has picture and connected

Brian Blessed https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blessed-4 was voice of  Father Christmas ' in three children's programs https://theamazingworldofgumball.fandom.com/wiki/Brian_Blessed  and dressed as Santa in a video with Stormzy..Has picture and connected though didn't spot mention of Father Christmas in profile. 

I'd love to include Mel Smith who did the voice for the 1991 original (and unsanitised version) of the Raymond Briggs Father Christmas books but I can't find a profile (and he's a Smith!).

There must be others. Mrs Claus https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lansbury-17

by Helen Ford G2G6 Pilot (481k points)
edited by Helen Ford

I think I took too long typing.  cheeky

Thanks, Helen.
+14 votes

Richard Samuel Attenborough CBE.  -- English - has image, has bio, is Connected.

Brian Blessed OBE -- English (Living) - has picture, has bio, is Connected.

Hume Blake Cronyn -  Canadian-born American - has picture, has basic bio, is Connected.

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson - American (Living) - has picture, has bio, is Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
Richard Attenborough would be the alternative if we fail to connect Mara Wilson in time.
Thanks, Melanie.
+13 votes

Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot - English - has picture, bio needs work, not Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
Thanks, Melanie.
+22 votes

The dutch don't have Santa Claus but Sinterklaas as the man who brings presents in december. Every year he arrives on national television on a steamboat from Spain. The actor who played the role of this man died in 2020 of COVID: Bram van der Vlugt. He has a profile, is connected and has an image.

by Eef van Hout G2G6 Pilot (193k points)

The Dutch Sinterklaas is believed to have been the direct ancestor of "Santa Claus." Dutch settlers in New Netherland brought their traditions with them, and the tradition of Sinterklaas took root in New York and spread (with variations). There was no similar tradition among the English.

 I believe that the WikiTree profile of Wouter van den Uythof, a baker, notes that there is a record of his selling sinterklaas treats to Maria van Rensselaer (in the 1600s), being the first evidence of this tradition being observed in America. (Wouter van den Uythof was married to two of my ancestors.)

ADDED: Here are a couple of websites that provide some lore (this is popular history -- don't ask for footnotes!) on the connection of Sinterklaas to Santa Claus:

Thanks, Eef.
Sinterklaas is still Santa Claus in my book, same concept and general purpose behind the man, the myth, the legend - so I'd support this one for certain.
+15 votes

Douglas Campbell CM - Scottish-born Canadian - has picture, no has bio, not is Connected.

edited to note updates to profile

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
edited by Melanie Paul
I've been told Douglas should show as Connected after the system updates.
Yep, he is now connected.

Thanks, Linda!  yes

Thanks, Melanie.
+13 votes

Richard Thomas Griffiths OBE - English - no picture, no bio, not Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
Thanks, Melanie
+12 votes

Steve Guttenberg - American (Living) - has picture, no bio, not Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
So I don't spam you :-) Thank you for the great list of ideas!
+13 votes

Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE - English - no picture, no bio, is Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
+14 votes

Cecil Kellaway - South African-born - no profile found (Wikipedia link.)

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
+15 votes

José Elías Moreno - Mexican - no picture, no bio, is Connected.

by Melanie Paul G2G6 Pilot (426k points)
+17 votes

Two of the most iconic Christmas movies (at least in the U.S.) include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

Rudolph's Santa was played by actor Stan Francis. Frosty's was played by legendary voice actor Paul Frees. I don't find a profile for Francis. Frees has a connected bio but needs a little work. 

Mickey Rooney played Santa in the animated film Santa Clause is Coming to Town. He has a complete and connected WikiTree profile.

Often considered among the worst Christmas movies ever was Santa Clause Conquers the Martians. Santa was played by John Call. Don't find a profile for him either, but would be happy to create one.   

    

by David Randall G2G6 Pilot (373k points)
edited by David Randall
Frees is green locked and not project managed, so we'll need to get him either opened or project managed.
Rooney also played Santa in "A Year Without a Santa Claus".

Frees also played Santa in "Rudolph's Shiny New Year".
Thanks!
+14 votes

There is a very funny episode of "The Closer" in which Fred Willard, recently deceased, plays "Santa Jack."

Willard-3610 has a profile and image, but does not appear to be connected to the main tree.

by Living Kelts G2G6 Pilot (556k points)
Thanks Julie.
+13 votes

Not a Santa Claus, but she became famous internationally via the Christmas movie "Miracle on 34th Street". Mara Wilson needs to be connected though

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
Thanks, Jelena.
+12 votes

Clement Clark Moore (1779-1863) - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moore-19507 - author of A Visit from St. Nicholas, a/k/a Twas The Night Before Christmas

by Roger Stong G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Clement never played Santa / Father Christmas "in movies, television, and theater" -- and has been an EPOW (don't know when, though).  His story has become beloved by generations, though.
Thanks, Roger. We featured him specifically about two years ago.
+14 votes

Well this is a cheeky one but Billy Bob Thornton was the star of Bad Santa (2003).  Not a family movie!  Seriously NOT a family movie!!

He is connected through his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, has a photo.  No bio.

by E. Compton G2G6 Pilot (196k points)
Thanks, E.
+12 votes

Charles W. Howard, of Albion, New York, USA, played Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1948-1965. He also started the world's first (and oldest operating) Santa Claus school! Mr. Howard does not yet have a profile; his father does, but it is not connected to the tree. His mother was Martha Haight, who also does not yet have a profile. Could be a bit of a challenge, but a very worthy inclusion!

by Matthew Wilson G2G6 Mach 1 (18.3k points)
Thanks, Matthew
+12 votes
Cabot-147.  Sebastian Cabot played Santa in a remake of Miracle on 34th Street.  Born in England.  Died in Canada.
by Susanna Yeakel G2G6 Mach 3 (36.9k points)

As I noted yesterday, his bio needs work, and — more importantly — he needs to be Connected.  

Thanks, Susanna.
+11 votes

Art Carney, who played one of my favorite Santa's in the Twilight Zone episode "Night of the Meek".

by Dave McNally G2G6 (6.2k points)
Thanks, Dave. Does he have a profile on WikiTree?

You probably saw it in my comment below, but just in case:

 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Carney-1651 

+8 votes
David Huddleston ( https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Huddleston-2000 ) played Santa in "Santa Claus: The Movie".
by Scott Fulkerson G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)

Jeffrey "Jeff" Gillen played Santa Claus in A Christmas Story (edited...) Home Alone, but I don't think he has a profile at the moment. He also seems to be a bit of a "bit" player, and does not have a current Wikipedia page either.

Jan Rubes played Santa in Disney's "One Magic Christmas". He was born in Czechoslovakia, so he might be challenging to connect. No current profile that I could find.
Art Carney ( https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Carney-1651 ) played Santa in "The Night They Saved Christmas".
Oh - and apparently on a Twilight Zone episode too! - Just saw that!
The oldest one I could find was an appearance of Santa Claus played by Ferdinand Munier in the 1934 March of the Wooden Soldiers with Laurel and Hardy.

No profile and no Wikipedia page either. I looked for his wife Charlotte Treadway, and same situation - no profile and no Wikipedia page.

The oldest one I could find was an appearance of Santa Claus played by Ferdinand Munier in the 1934 March of the Wooden Soldiers with Laurel and Hardy.

.

Earlier than 1934 was Leedham Bantock (born Ernest Leedham Sutherland Bantock) who not only played Santa, but wrote the 1912 film "Santa Claus", along with Harold Simpson and Alfred de Manby.

I did check for a profile the other day, but did not find one (and I had already nominated a number of other profiles that needed work).

Thanks all!

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