Santa Claus: The Movie is the beloved ’80s Christmas classic that brought families together on the couch for decades.
But while the iconic film chronicles the heartwarming story of a lumberjack who saves the legend of Santa Claus, the truth behind what happened to the cast of the 1985 film is a series of devastating deaths and illnesses.
Starring David Huddleston as Santa Claus and Dudley Moore as Patch the Elf, the holiday favorite has everything needed for a festive movie, including music, laughter and a host of A-listers.
Released on November 27, 1985, it also brought joy at the box office as it grossed a whopping £16.9 million.
But nearly four decades after its debut, some of the beloved cast no longer grace TV screens and have either retreated to their Hollywood homes or tragically died.
MailOnline has looked back at the cast and discovered where they are now.
Santa Claus: The Movie is the beloved ’80s Christmas classic that brought families together on the couch for decades
But nearly four decades after its debut, some of the beloved cast no longer grace TV screens and have either retreated to their Hollywood homes or tragically died.
MailOnline has looked back at the cast and discovered where they are now
Dudley Moore: Patch
Dudley Moore CBE starred as Patch – an expert toy elf at the North Pole who becomes disgruntled and flees the workshop for New York City.
But he unknowingly threatens the fate of Christmas by taking a job at a failing toy company run by a devious businessman named BZ – played by John Lithgow.
When Dudley accepted the role in Santa Claus: The Movie, he was a big hit in Hollywood, having become famous for his comedy duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
But after a stellar career in Hollywood, in 2001 he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a brain disorder similar to Parkinson’s.
As he approached his 64th birthday in 1999, he was acutely depressed.
Four years earlier it was clear that something was wrong with him, but his doctors still returned negative test results.
He ultimately died just a year after his diagnosis, at the age of 66, at his home on March 27, 2002 from pneumonia.
Dudley Moore CBE starred as Patch – an expert toy elf at the North Pole who becomes disgruntled and flees the workshop for New York City. He died at the age of 66 from pneumonia
David Huddleston: Santa Claus
David Huddleston was cast in the lead role of Santa Claus after building a glitzy reputation among the stars following his role as Olson Johnson in the legendary 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles.
Before that, David had a successful career as a mechanic in the United States Air Force for almost half a decade.
After taking on the role of Santa, he continued his film career, including a starring role in The Big Lebowski in 1998.
David then switched things up and moved away from big blockbusters and starred in Gilmore Girls as the mayor of Stars Hollow.
David was married twice, first to Carole Ann Swart in 1968, with whom he shared Michael Huddleston, who is also an actor.
After Carole died in 1987, he married Sarah C Koeppe from 1999 to 2016.
The Emmy Award nominee subsequently died in 2016 at the age of 85 from heart and kidney disease in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
David Huddleston was cast in the lead role of Santa Claus after building a glitzy reputation among the stars following his role as Olson Johnson in the legendary 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. He died of heart and kidney disease in Santa Fe, New York, at the age of 85. Mexico
John Lithgow: BZ
John Lithgow starred as the greedy toy businessman BZ who took advantage of the innocent elf Patch and tricked him into giving a gift that would make him favorable among children again.
But despite his brilliant performance as a Christmas villain, John swapped the big screen for small-scale television.
After accepting the role in the holiday classic, he went on to star as Dr. Dick Solomon in the sitcom Third Rock From The Sun, which ended in 2001.
John went on to have a triumphant career as he later played roles in major series including Winston Churchill in The Crown and voicing Lord Farquaad in the comedy classic Shrek.
More recently he played the role of Tremblay in Concave and the prosecutor Peter Leaward in Killers Of The Flowermoon.
John, now 79 years old, has been married twice, first to Jean Taynton from 1966 to 1980, and then to Mary Yeager from 1981.
He and Jean broke up because he had an affair with actress Liv Ullmann.
John Lithgow starred as the greedy toy businessman BZ who took advantage of the innocent elf Patch, and is still a hugely popular actor and has since starred in many classic hits.
Judy Cornwell: Mrs. Claus
Judy Cornwall played the respectable role of Mr. Claus, who, according to the 1985 film, was responsible for Santa’s naughty and nice list.
After winning the nation’s hearts with her sweet attitude and cheerful charm, she kept audiences laughing and starred in a sitcom.
She next took on the role of Hyacinth Bucket’s long-suffering sister Daisy in the ’90s sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
Judy then tried her hand at soaps, appearing in EastEnders as Queenie from 2007 to 2008 and in Birds of a Feather as Annie in 2014.
Judy then switched things up and threw the cameras at the stage and rose to fame playing Miss Marple from 2014 and 2016.
She subsequently expanded her skills and published many novels, including Cow and Cow Parsley in 1985, Fishcakes at the Ritz in 1989, The Seventh Sunrise in 1994 and Fear and Favor in 1996.
Her last known TV appearance was as a celebrity contestant on Pointless.
The now 84-year-old actress leads a quieter life with her husband John Kelsall Parry, to whom she has been married since 1960.
They share one child, Edward Parry, and live in London.
Judy Cornwall played the respectable role of Mr. Claus, who, according to the 1985 film, was responsible for Santa’s naughty and nice list. She is now 84 years old, leading a quieter life and retired in London
Carrie Kei Heim: Cornelia
Carrie Kei Heim portrayed the sweet little red-haired child Cornelia, the niece of the film’s villain, BZ
Along with her orphan friend, Cornelia worked with Santa and Mrs. Claus to save Christmas and Patch from her uncle.
Born in Tokyo, Carrie, 51, went on to become a child actress and ended up in a number of major films, including The Parent Trap 2.
But deciding that acting would not be her future, she left showbiz and became a lawyer and writer.
Now an avid fan of literature and novels, the only connection Carrie has to her acting days is her Instagram bio, where she calls herself “that red-headed girl from those ’80s movies.”
Carrie, who has been married to Peter K. Binas since May 2005, is now also the mother of a daughter and a fat English Bulldog.
Carrie Kei Heim portrayed the sweet little red-haired child Cornelia, the niece of the film’s villain. BZ. Deciding that acting was not her future, she left showbiz and became a lawyer and writer
Christian Fitzpatrick: Joe
Christian Fitzpatrick played down-and-out street urchin Joe in the 1985 film.
His character saw him join forces with Cornelia to help save Christmas before living with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the North Pole.
After his brilliant performance, he went on to star in the comedy film Vice Versa opposite Judge Reinhold in 1988.
Despite seeming destined for fame, Christian has not listed any other film roles for the actor.
But it seems like he is still trying to revive his acting career.
A LinkedIn page under his first name describes him as an actor who is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and is looking for acting and voiceover work.
Christian Fitzpatrick played the down-and-out street urchin Joe in the 1985 film. Despite appearing destined for fame, Christian has not listed any other film roles for the actor
Burgess Meredith: Old Elf
Burgess Meredith took on the role of Ancient Elf.
He tells Santa Claus that he is the Chosen One and that he will bring presents for the children on Christmas Eve.
The Old Elf also gives Santa the gift of flight and time travel, allowing him to complete his mission.
And after his appearance in the film, Burgess had a huge career in showbiz and later became a director.
One of them was Mickey in Rocky V and Grandpa Gustafson in Grumpy Old Men.
Burgess died at the age of 89 from Alzheimer’s disease and melanoma.
Santa Claus is now available to stream on Amazon Prime or Now TV.
Burgess Meredith, who took on the role of Ancient Elf, died of Alzheimer’s disease and melanoma at the age of 89