The Stars Of The Santa Clause Look Totally Different Today

In November 1994, the world was Tim Allen's oyster. His sitcom, "Home Improvement," was in its fourth season, drawing tens of millions of weekly viewers and moving closer to syndication, and he had already recorded his voice lines for what would arguably become his most iconic role — Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's groundbreaking 1995 animated feature "Toy Story." As if all of that wasn't enough, November '94 also saw the theatrical release of Allen's first major cinematic vehicle — and a veritable holiday classic — in the John Pasquin-directed Christmas comedy "The Santa Clause." A smash success, the movie grossed more than $190 million against a reported $22 million budget (via Box Office Mojo) and spawned multiple sequels, as well as a Disney+ revival series.

"The Santa Clause" follows the exploits of Scott Calvin, a divorced marketing executive who accidentally takes on the role of Santa Claus when the previous Santa falls off his roof and dies on Christmas Eve. And while "The Santa Clause" provided Allen with an ideal platform for flexing his comedy muscles, it also featured a memorable cast of side characters, portrayed by performers, young and old, who excelled in their roles. Three-plus decades and multiple follow-up projects later, it's clear that their performances, as well as the foundation that the first "Santa Clause" film provided, helped contribute to a touchstone moment in the pop culture zeitgeist. Here's our roundup of how the stars of "The Santa Clause" have changed over the ensuing years.

Tim Allen was 41 years old when "The Santa Clause" hit theaters, yet he was just entering his prime as a performer. Although some would say Allen has a shady side that everyone ignores, he had nevertheless established himself as America's dad at the time, mostly thanks to his role as Tim Taylor on ABC's "Home Improvement." On top of that, his career was set to reach new heights with the release of "Toy Story" the following year. Yet while Allen was clearly firing on all cylinders, "The Santa Clause" was a landmark moment in his career. "This whole thing becoming a part of every season, to be Santa Claus, is formidable and gratifying and humbling," he told ABC. "There is no word for it that, all of a sudden, this [has become] one of those movies like 'A Christmas Story' and 'Miracle [on 34th Street].' It's in that group."

These days, Allen looks a lot less like the Scott Calvin of old and more like the Santa he became in the film — sans the iconic beard. Despite his age and grandfatherly appearance, the actor-comedian continues to be one of the busiest guys in show business. Allen currently stars on the ABC sitcom "Shifting Gears," which in 2025 had the best cross-platform viewership for a debut episode on the network since 2018's "The Conners." He last played Calvin/Santa in the 2022-23 Disney+ series "The Santa Clauses," and in 2026, he'll return to the Buzz Lightyear character for what could be the final time in "Toy Story 5."

Eric Lloyd had appeared in films and television series such as "The Wonder Years" and "Heart and Souls" before he played Charlie Calvin in "The Santa Clause" in 1994. However, he's best remembered for his turn as the son of Scott Calvin in the seminal holiday classic. In the film, Charlie accompanies Scott on his first Christmas Night journey as the new Santa Claus before becoming his biggest cheerleader in the role — much to the chagrin of the other adults in his life, who are unaware of the holiday magic that's unfolding before them. Lloyd reprised his role in 2002's "The Santa Clause 2" before being relegated to cameo and guest star status in 2006's "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" and "The Santa Clauses," respectively.

Fast forward to now, and Lloyd is a fully grown adult with years of experience in showbiz — in fact, some might say he's become a straight-up hunk in recent years. Lately, Lloyd has ventured into other areas of the entertainment industry, and he now owns and operates his own film/music production and post-production studio. Lloyd has also worked as a sound designer and mixer on a number of creative projects, including the 2020-23 web series "Sisters." His last on-screen credit, meanwhile, was in an episode of "The Santa Clauses." It's been a few years since new episodes of the show were released, but Lloyd has expressed hope that it could return, telling TV Insider, "Season two was the last one to air. And I don't know there's a three yet, but it could always happen."

Scott Calvin's ex-wife and Charlie's mom, Laura Miller, was played by veteran actress Wendy Crewson in "The Santa Clause." In the film, Laura is something of an antagonist, expressing concern about Charlie's belief that his dad has assumed the role of Santa and even threatening to sue for full custody of the child. However, she only has her child's welfare at heart and, in the end, accepts her ex-husband's identity. After that, the family's entire dynamic becomes much improved as the franchise progresses. Crewson had been a presence on the Hollywood scene since the early 1980s, coming into her own during the '90s with her "Santa Clause" role as well as starring turns in films like 1993's "The Good Son" and 1997's "Air Force One."

These days, Crewson looks more like a stylish grandma than a mom. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the incredible frequency with which she appears in film and television projects. In the last decade, she has filled regular and recurring roles on TV, including Acorn TV's "Irish Blood," Amazon's "We Were Liars," CBS' "Tracker" and "Good Sam," CBC's "Pretty Hard Cases," Hallmark's "When Hope Calls," and many others. Her most recent feature film credit was the 2023 drama "Close to You," in which she starred alongside Elliot Page.

A new, flashy, or downright adversarial step-parent overshadowing the efforts of a biological parent is an oft-explored trope in films and television. In "The Santa Clause," actor Judge Reinhold fit the role like a glove with his portrayal of Dr. Neil Miller, Charlie Calvin's stepfather and the second husband of Laura Miller. As a psychiatrist, Neil believes that Charlie's Santa Claus fixation is unhealthy, and he and Laura eventually move to revoke Scott Calvin's joint custody. In the end, though, Neil realizes that Scott has indeed taken up the Santa mantle, and the two become better friends.

In 1994, Reinhold was already famous for his work in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movie series, in which he had starred alongside Eddie Murphy. Before that, he appeared in the 1981 comedy "Stripes" and 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." For a while, though, it seemed like Hollywood had stopped casting him altogether. A much older, more weathered-looking Reinhold finally made his return to film acting in 2024, when he reprised his role as Detective William "Billy" Rosewood in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." More recently, when his late friend and "Beverly Hills Cop" partner-in-crime John Ashton was omitted from the "In Memoriam" segment at the 2025 Oscars, Reinhold took matters into his own hands, posting his own tribute to the late actor via social media.

As a teenager, David Krumholtz played Bernard, Santa's head elf, in "The Santa Clause." While he lacks some of the cheer displayed by the other elves working and living at the North Pole, Bernard's no-nonsense, borderline grumpy approach to running Santa's workshop plays a large part in ensuring that every present gets to its destination on Mr. Claus' big night. Over the course of the movie, Bernard also befriends Charlie, eventually giving the boy a snow globe that he can use to summon his father whenever he misses him. When he landed his "Santa Clause" role, Krumholtz was still early in his acting career, having made the most waves with his appearance as Wednesday Addams' love interest in 1993's "Addams Family Values."

If you've ever wondered whatever happened to David Krumholtz, you might not be surprised to learn that the actor who once played the most mature of Santa's elves is now looking much more mature himself, with a bearded face and a thinning top. He's playing more serious roles these days, too; he joined the original Broadway cast of Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt" in 2022 and played nuclear physicist Isidor Rabi in Christopher Nolan's 2023 World War II epic "Oppenheimer." More recently, he voiced Kareem Abdul Lavash in the 2024 Amazon animated series "Sausage Party: Foodtopia," in addition to landing the role of Zor-El in the 2026 DC Universe entry "Supergirl." 2025's "Superman" may have left people questioning the motivations of Superman's parents, but Krumholtz told Nerdtropolis that the new film will clarify "what the House of El is all about."

After Bernard, one could argue that the most important of Santa's elves in "The Santa Clause" is Judy, who was portrayed by child actress Paige Tamada. In one of the more memorable scenes in the film, Scott Calvin is still coming to grips with his new reality as the replacement Santa Claus when Judy appears with a cup of hot cocoa, which she made using a recipe that she perfected over a period of 1,200 years. When Calvin remarks that she looks "pretty good" for her age, Judy thanks him, but takes the comment as a come-on and adds that she's already "seeing somebody in wrapping." She proceeds to give him something of a pep talk about his situation and the power of belief.

Tamada only worked on a handful of projects after appearing as Judy in "The Santa Clause," mostly in bit parts on 1990s television shows like "Seinfeld," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and "Ally McBeal." She also appeared in the 1998 horror film "Milo." However, she returned to the "Santa Clause" franchise as a grown woman on an episode of the Disney+ revival series "The Santa Clauses," appearing in a cameo role as a kiosk proprietor. It was her first screen credit since 1999; Tamada reportedly left acting to become an executive in the retail industry.

An alumna of improv comedy group The Second City, Judith Scott was only a handful of years removed from her first on-screen performance when she appeared as Susan — who works in the same marketing department as Scott Calvin — in "The Santa Clause." However, she had already racked up an impressive list of credits by that time, appearing in the 1990 Dana Carvey vehicle "Opportunity Knocks" as well as both the "RoboCop" television adaptation and the early Paul Haggis series "Due South" in 1994. From there, her career would continue to blossom.

In the years since she shared the screen with Tim Allen, Scott has appeared in a veritable bonanza of films — including mid-2000s classics such as "Guess Who," "Flight Plan," and "Fracture." She's also appeared in hit shows including "The X-Files," "Frasier," "Monk," "ER," and many, many others. More recently, she appeared in the 2022 Netflix dramatic miniseries "From Scratch" and the 2018-24 reboot of "Magnum P.I."

Tim Allen's penchant for delivering snappy one-liners was well utilized in "The Santa Clause," but he was far from the sole source of comedy in the film. Having inadvertently taken on the role of Santa Claus after causing the last guy in the red suit to fall off his roof, Scott Calvin soon discovers that his body is morphing into a more rotund, Santa-like figure, complete with the signature facial hair. Still in denial over what's happening to him, Calvin takes a trip to see his physician, Dr. Pete Novos, who's portrayed by actor Steve Vinovich. The two men have a comical exchange in which the good doctor attempts to explain away all of his patient's incredibly bizarre symptoms. At one point, Novos listens to Calvin's heart through a stethoscope, and it beats to the rhythm of "Jingle Bells."

Nowadays, Vinovich bears the look of one of Hollywood's elder statesmen, which is appropriate given the length and sheer variety of his career. From 1969 to 2025, Vinovich logged more than 100 film and television credits, including some high-profile projects. In the 1987 comedy classic "Mannequin," for instance, he played B.J. Wert, an executive at the Illustra store. He also voiced Puffin in the 1994 animated film "The Swan Princess," reprising the role across multiple sequels. As well as this, Vinovich has appeared on TV shows like "Hannah Montana," "Malcolm in the Middle," "ER," and many others over his several decades spent as a character actor. 

When little Charlie Calvin is compelled to tell the world that his dad is the new Santa Claus, the adults around him become worried about his state of mind. One of the people who sounds the alarm bells at Charlie's Santa fixation is the administrator of his elementary school, Principal Compton. During a meeting with Charlie's parents and stepfather, Compton implores Scott Calvin to talk to his son and convince him that he's not really Santa Claus. Principal Compton was played by actress Joyce Guy, who had been acting in movies and on television for a few years before landing her role on "The Santa Clause."

Guy is now older, of course, although she still looks great — the only significant change to her appearance is that she now wears her hair longer. Her career has grown by leaps and bounds, too. She appeared in over 80 episodes of the long-running ABC soap opera "General Hospital" from 2011 to 2023, on which she played nurse Phyllis Caulfield. And in 2014, Guy wrote, directed, and starred in the short film "Dancing Like Home," which saw her travel to West Africa to discover the hidden meanings of traditional Senegalese dance ceremonies.

Like many of the supporting players in "The Santa Clause," veteran actress-comedian Jayne Eastwood fills a role that somehow manages to be memorable despite having limited dialogue and screen time. When Scott Calvin burns the Christmas turkey he attempted to prepare for himself and Charlie, the divorced dad decides to wave the white flag and take the boy to Denny's instead. Eastwood plays the overworked waitress who serves the duo — as well as a handful of other father-son parties, who appear to have had similarly bad luck in making their own Christmas dinners. Before "The Santa Clause," Eastwood had established herself as a character actor in a multitude of film and television projects; she also co-founded the Second City theatre troupe.

Eastwood's screen credits are too numerous to list, as she has racked up nearly 300 of them over the years. However, she notably played Mrs. White in the 2002 cult comedy hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," as well as its 2016 and 2023 sequels. Despite the fact that she's creeping up on her 80s, Eastwood continues to work steadily today, voicing Helga Humdinger in a 2025 episode of the animated series "Paw Patrol." Voice acting has been a major part of her career, in fact, as she's voiced characters in series like "ALF: The Animated Series," which aired on NBC from 1987 to '89, the early 2000s Disney series "JoJo's Circus," and YTV's "Babar and the Adventures of Badou."