Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street

When Cecil Kellaway turned down the role of Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street, he said, “Americans don’t like whimsy.” His cousin, Edward Gwenn, didn’t hesitate. He took the role, gained thirty pounds, convinced an eight-year-old girl she was meeting the real Santa, and won an Academy Award for what remains one of the most beloved Christmas performances in film history.
Twentieth Century-Fox was planning a film about a department store Santa claiming to be the real Kris Kringle. They needed an actor who could make audiences truly believe. Their first choice, Cecil Kellaway, declined. Gwenn, 71 at the time, saw the potential immediately and “pounced on it,” according to studio accounts. What followed was Hollywood magic: a performance so perfectly cast that it earned Gwenn immortality as the definitive screen Santa.
Gwenn didn’t just wear the costume—he became Santa. Though already somewhat rotund, he deliberately gained thirty pounds to match the jolly image from The Night Before Christmas, rejecting padding as “too artificial.” For a man of short stature and advanced age, this was a significant transformation, one that he could never fully reverse. Yet Gwenn embraced it with humor, turning his permanent weight gain into a running joke in later roles.
On set, Gwenn radiated warmth, kindness, and genuine sincerity, qualities that made everyone—from cast to crew—believe he was truly Santa. Natalie Wood, who played the skeptical little girl Susan Walker, was completely convinced he was real. Her transformation from doubt to wonder was authentic because, for her, it was real. Only at the wrap party did she realize, to her astonishment, that Santa was, in fact, an actor.
Miracle on 34th Street premiered in May 1947, not even during Christmas, yet audiences loved it. Critics praised it, and Gwenn’s portrayal earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In his acceptance speech, he quipped, “Now I know there is a Santa Claus,” a line that perfectly captured both the film’s spirit and his own gentle personality. Over the decades, the movie became a holiday classic, cementing Gwenn’s status as the screen’s definitive Kris Kringle.
Gwenn continued acting through the 1950s, bringing the same warmth and professionalism to every role. He passed away in 1959 at age 81, but every Christmas, he returns on screen. For millions, Edward Gwenn is—and will always be—Santa Claus. His performance wasn’t whimsy. It was sincerity, conviction, and warmth so complete that it became real for anyone watching.
Cecil Kellaway enjoyed a successful career, too, but he could only watch as his cousin gained thirty pounds, made a child believe in magic, won an Oscar, and became immortal. Edward Gwenn didn’t play Santa Claus—he was Santa Claus. And every Christmas, for new generations, he proves it again.