The Santa Clause cast: Where are they now?

The Santa Clause cast: Where are they now?

It’s been decades since Tim Allen first got roped into becoming Santa. See what he and his costars from the Disney holiday classic are up to now.

Tim Allen (Scott Calvin)

Going into 1994’s The Santa Clause, Tim Allen was best known as the comedian leading the hit ABC show Home Improvement.

He would go on to star in movies including Toy Story (and its sequels), Galaxy Quest (1999), and Christmas With the Kranks (2004), not to mention two more Santa Clause installments. He also returned to TV in 2011 with the sitcom Last Man Standing, which aired its final season in 2021.

Allen joined his Home Improvement co-star Richard Karn on History Channel’s 2021 building competition show Assembly Required and reprised his beloved role as Scott Calvin in the 2022 Disney+ limited series The Santa Clauses, based on The Santa Clause franchise.

Judge Reinhold (Neal)

By the time The Santa Clause came his way, Judge Reinhold had already appeared in many beloved films, like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and the Beverly Hills Cop movies.

After playing the patronizing psychiatrist stepfather Neal in the Christmas flick, Reinhold continued working mainly in film, and dipped into voice work on animated series including Teen Titans. Reinhold, who is active on Instagram, has slowed down his acting since 2017, but is expected to reunite with Eddie Murphy for Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley.

Wendy Crewson (Laura)

Wendy Crewson played Laura, a woman caught between a husband who doesn’t believe in Santa (Reinhold) and an ex literally turning into the Christmas legend (Allen). The actress was a staple in the Canadian entertainment industry prior to The Santa Clause and its sequels.

She has gone on to star in hit films like 1997’s Air Force One and 2020’s The Kid Detective with Adam Brody, and landed on the shows Workin’ Moms, Departure, and Good Sam.

Eric Lloyd (Charlie)

Audiences watched Lloyd as Charlie grow from a little kid not believing in Santa to Santa’s teenage son.

Lloyd’s previous claim to fame was playing the young version of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) on The Wonder Years, but, after Clause, Lloyd would continue working as an actor on projects like Batman & Robin (1997) and the NBC show Jesse. He now runs a production studio out of Glendale, Calif, and also returned for an episode of The Santa Clauses.

David Krumholtz (Bernard)

Playing Bernard, the original elf in charge of Santa’s workshop, David Krumholtz had previously been one of the breakout stars of the cult favorite Addams Family Values (1993).

The actor has continued to find steady work on projects like the Harold & Kumar movies, the HBO series The Deuce and the 2023 HBO miniseries The White House Plumbers, in addition to guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, and The Santa Clauses.

Paige Tamada (Judy)

Paige Tamada, who played The Santa Clause’s sweet, scene-stealing elf Judy, had previously guest-starred on Home Improvement.

She would continue to make guest appearances on ’90s shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Ally McBeal before giving up acting around the turn of the millennium. She later graduated from U.C. Berkeley and now works as a retail industry executive.

Larry Brandenburg (Detective Nunzio)

Larry Brandenburg has one of the funniest scenes in The Santa Clause, arresting Kris Kringle himself, but it wasn’t even the first big film he starred in that year.

The veteran actor went from roles in films like The Untouchables (1987), Field of Dreams (1989), and The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to later TV guest roles on shows like Monk, Grey’s Anatomy, and NCIS. Brandenburg’s acting career slowed down in 2010, but he is often mentioned in relation to retrospectives for the beloved films he’s appeared in, like 1996’s Fargo.

Peter Boyle (Mr. Whittle)

Legendary character actor Peter Boyle played Scott’s boss, who’s disturbed by the ever-expanding holiday hero’s transformative “bee sting.”

Doyle had been working long before The Santa Clause, in films like Young Frankenstein (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976). He was best known as the cranky patriarch on Everybody Loves Raymond, and died a year after the hit sitcom ended in 2005.

Judith Scott (Susan)

Playing a co-worker of Scott’s, also disturbed by his transformation, TV actress Judith Scott would go on to have bigger roles on hit shows like CSI and Dexter.

Scott continues to act, showing up decades later in 2020’s Bad Hair, 2021’s The Little Things, and season 4 of Dear White People.

Steve Vinovich (Dr. Novos)

Adding to the list of characters in The Santa Clause shocked by Allen’s character’s transformation, Steve Vinovich played the good doctor guiding the Santa Claus-to-be through it.

Vinovich had previously starred on TV shows like Valerie, and would continue to work mostly on the small screen after The Santa Clause, on shows like ER, The Young and the Restless, and Days of Our Lives. Vinovich continues to act, having worked on the Epix show Godfather of Harlem, the 2020 film Worth (starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci), and the 2021 Lifetime film The Holiday Fix Up.