3. David Huddleston - Santa Claus: The Movie
Aside from the Coca Cola Santa Claus, Huddleston was THE Santa Claus of my childhood - Santa Claus: The Movie played a massive part of my early Christmas movie watching life, and the kindly, soft face of Huddleston would then prefigure how I imagined Santa Claus from then on for a long time.
2. Richard Attenborough - Miracle on 34th Street
A narrow miss on the top spot for Richard Attenborough, who replaced Edmund Gwenn in the remake of the beautiful Miracle on 34th Street. Attenborough brings a grand, wise old man touch to Kris Kringle, and he has that universal appeal that makes him feel like everyone's grandfather. He also very much looks the part, with that ageless twinkle in his eyes and an overall jovial demeanour that adds pathos to the more melancholy elements of the story.