What The Cast Of The Santa Clause Looks Like Today
In 1994, Tim Allen made the jump from stand-up and television star to big-screen leading man with The Santa Clause, a hit Christmas comedy that became required holiday viewing for families everywhere almost immediately after its release. Christmas films rarely spawn full-fledged franchises, but just a few years after Home Alone became a seasonal institution, this film also proved it had enough staying power to spawn two sequels and ensure that a whole bunch of '90s kids will forever associate Allen with the big man in the red suit.
It's been decades since The Santa Clause arrived in theaters, and a lot has happened to the cast of the film, ranging from child stars who didn't make a lifelong career out of acting to veteran character actors and major celebrities. Let's take a few minutes and catch up with the stars of The Santa Clause, then and now.
Tim Allen - Scott Calvin
At the time The Santa Clause was released, Tim Allen was already an established star in the realms of stand-up comedy and sitcoms, thanks to his hit series Home Improvement. Playing Scott Calvin quickly made him a film star, something that was cemented just a year later by his voice role as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's debut feature, Toy Story.
The Santa Clause kicked off a string of comedy films for Allen throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including Jungle 2 Jungle, For Richer or Poorer, Galaxy Quest, and Big Trouble, and after Home Improvement ended in 1999 he continued acting in films — including the two Santa Clause sequels in 2002 and 2006 — until his return to sitcom stardom in 2011 with Last Man Standing. Allen continues to play his signature role of the lovably in-over-his-head dad as he nears three decades of acting work, and after six seasons on ABC, Last Man Standing has a new home at FOX as of the fall of 2018. He's also set to reprise his role as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 4, which arrives June 21, 2019.
Eric Lloyd - Charlie Calvin
Charlie Calvin is an eager young man whose only wish is to get right to work helping his father be the best Santa he can be, even going as far as journeying to the North Pole to help the elves design and build a new sleigh. Eric Lloyd, who played Charlie, shared a similar work ethic throughout the 1990s.
Though he's best known for his role in The Santa Clause and its two sequels, Lloyd has plenty of other acting credits to his name dating back to age two, when he began appearing as young Kevin on The Wonder Years. After The Santa Clause came along and made him even more visible, he continued to work steadily for the rest of the decade, appearing alongside Woody Allen in Deconstructing Harry, playing a young Bruce Wayne in Batman & Robin, and landing a recurring role on the Christina Applegate-led sitcom Jesse. These days, Lloyd spends much of his time behind the camera. After graduating from Chapman University with a degree in film production, he co-founded LP Studios, a production and post-production company for the film and music industries. As of 2018, his work includes everything from sound mixing to cinematography.
David Krumholtz - Bernard
David Krumholtz's screen acting career was just beginning when he landed the role of Bernard, the grumpy but ultimately compassionate head elf who guides Scott and Charlie through their North Pole journey and ultimately provides a way for the father and son to stay in contact at the end of the film. Krumholtz's acting career gained considerable steam throughout the 1990s and 2000s, so much so that while he reprised his role for The Santa Clause 2, he was unable to return for The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause because of another commitment.
That commitment was Krumholtz's other best-known role: mathematician Charlie Eppes on the hit CBS drama Numb3rs, a role he played for five years and nearly 120 episodes. To this day Krumholtz continues to work regularly in both film and television, more recently appearing in the TV series Living Biblically and The Deuce, and the films A Futile and Stupid Gesture and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Wendy Crewson - Laura Calvin Miller
An acclaimed talent in the United States as well as her native Canada, Wendy Crewson worked regularly throughout the 1980s in film and television before landing the role of Laura Miller in The Santa Clause. Like her frequent scene partner Judge Reinhold, she got to grow from non-believer to supporter and ally in Scott Calvin's Santa adventures, and the film's popularity allowed her to return for both of its sequels.
Crewson also continued to work regularly after The Santa Clause, and gained higher-profile roles in American film and television because of it. Among her other major credits after the film are Air Force One, What Lies Beneath, On the Basis of Sex, and the Canadian supernatural medical drama Saving Hope, which she co-starred in for five season between 2012 and 2017. In 2016, the Canadian Screen Awards presented her with its Earle Grey Award, recognizing her lifetime of contributions to television in Canada.
Judge Reinhold - Dr. Neil Miller
Judge Reinhold was already an established name as an actor by the time The Santa Clause was made, but unlike Tim Allen — who was on the rise — Reinhold had already faced a decade of ups and downs in the film industry. After hits like Beverly Hills Cop and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he'd also dealt with major flops like Vice Versa, and had retreated back into supporting roles. The Santa Clause introduced him to a new audience, and as Dr. Neil Miller he was beloved and brought back for both of the film's sequels.
Since The Santa Clause Reinhold has also continue to work steadily in film and television, including two films in the Beethoven series, the short-lived WB series The O'Keefes, and many guest star appearances. He's also found time to laugh at himself himself, making appearance as a judge on two different sitcoms in two different courtroom scenarios: On Clerks: The Animated Series in 2000 and on Arrested Development in 2006.
Peter Boyle - Mr. Whittle
Like Allen, Lloyd, Crewson, and Reinhold, Peter Boyle also has the distinction of appearing in all three films in the Santa Clause trilogy, but unlike them, he played different roles. Boyle — whose film acting career was already well-established and nearly three decades old at the time of the original film — played Scott's boss Mr. Whittle in the first film, then was brought back to play Father Time in both The Santa Clause and The Santa Clause 3.
Boyle's career before The Santa Clause was already well-established, and included celebrated roles in everything from Young Frankenstein to Taxi Driver, but it was what happened after the first film was released that made him a household name: Boyle was cast as Frank Barone on the massively successful sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, for which he received seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Boyle died on December 12, 2006, at the age of 71.
Mary Gross - Ms. Daniels
Mary Gross has a small but memorable appearance in The Santa Clause, taking just one scene to lecture her students about not saying the word "elves" as Charlie's teacher, Ms. Daniels. Gross only needs one scene to make an impression thanks to the familiar face and voice that have given her years of frequent work as a character actor, which followed her four-year stint on the much-maligned early '80s era of Saturday Night Live.
After The Santa Clause, Gross continued to appear regularly in films and television series — at least until 2012, when her career seems to have slowed. Among her many other appearances were the films Practical Magic and A Mighty Wind and recurring roles on Boston Legal and General Hospital. Her brother, Michael Gross, was a slightly more financial successful actor thanks to his co-starring role on the hit sitcom Family Ties, and in a 2011 interview with the Chicago Tribune about their dual careers, she remarked that her goal was simply to pay rent, while her brother was able to afford two homes and support a family.
Steve Vinovich - Dr. Novos
Steve Vinovich only appears in one scene in The Santa Clause, as Scott's doctor, but it's a memorable one. After Scott begins to turn into Santa, he heads in for a full check-up, and is told in he's in perfect health apart from the fact that he's suddenly gained a ton of weight and his hair has gone white. It's one of the best comedic moments in the film because of how perplexing it is, and Vinovich absolutely sells it.
Since the film, Vinovich has continued to work steadily in film and television, and has continued to distinguish himself as one of those "Hey, it's that guy!" character actors who are always fun to see in various appearance. He guest-starred on Allen's own sitcom Home Improvement, booked recurring roles on Malcolm in the Middle, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives, and appeared in Nancy Meyers' film The Intern in 2015.
Paige Tamada - Judy
As The Santa Clause evolved as a franchise, the North Pole elves were granted a bigger role in subsequent sequels, but with the exception of Bernard (who was already an adult), the child actors playing the elves had grown up too much by the time the sequel came around to reprise their roles as immortal child-like beings who hadn't changed in hundreds of years. So while Paige Tamada had a very memorable role in the first film as the cocoa-making elf Judy, The Santa Clause was her only appearance in the trilogy.
Tamada's acting career overall was also quite brief. Aside from The Santa Clause, she appeared in small roles on Tim Allen's sitcom Home Improvement and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and her final acting credit came on an episode of Ally McBeal in 1999. According to AOL, she attended UC Berkeley, and as of 2014 she was reportedly working in management for the department store chain Macy's.