This is a list of actors who have played the actual Santa Claus himself. This does not count actors whose characters have dressed as Santa Claus.

• Ferdinard Munier in Babes in Toyland (1934) and Road to Utopia (1946).
• Edmund Gwenn in Miracle on 34th Street (1947 film).
• John Call in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964 film).
• Mickey Rooney (voice) in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), and A Miser Brothers' Christmas (2008).
• Sebastian Cabot in Miracle on 34th Street (1973).
• Art Carney in The Night They Saved Christmas (1984).
• Jan Rubes in One Magic Christmas (1985).
• David Huddleston in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985).
• Douglas Seale in "Santa '85" Amazing Stories (Season 1, 1985) and Ernest Saves Christmas (1988).
• Lloyd Bridges in In The Nick Of Time (1991).
• Edward Ivory (voice) in The Nightmare Before Christmas, (1993).
• Dick O'Neill in "Reality Bites" The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Season 5, 1994).
• Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street (1994).
• Tim Allen in The Santa Clause (1994).
• Edward Asner (voice) in The Story of Santa Claus (1996).
• Douglas Campbell in Once upon a Christmas (2000).
• Leslie Nielsen in Santa Who? (2000).
• Nigel Hawthorne in Call Me Claus (2001).
• Matthew Walker in Twice Upon a Christmas (2001).
• Edward Asner in Elf (2003).
• Tom Hanks in The Polar Express (2004).
• John Wheeler in Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) and the sequel Meet The Santas (2005).
• James Cosmo in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).
• Steve Guttenberg plays Santa's son, Nick, in Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) who then takes over the job from his father on Meet The Santas (2005).
• George Wendt in Santa Baby (2006).
• John Goodman in The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006).
• Paul Giamatti in Fred Claus (2007).
• Richard Griffiths in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)