5 Actors Who Brought Ebenezer Scrooge To Life In ‘A Christmas Carol’ Adaptations: Alastair Sim, Bill Murray and More!
Find out which actor is considered to have had the best portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge
Over the years since Charles Dickens first published A Christmas Carol in 1843, there have been hundreds of adaptations, from silent to sound and animated films to stage productions. Hundreds of people have stepped up to the plate to bring the cold and unhappy Ebenezer Scrooge to life, including Alastair Sim and Jim Carrey.
A Christmas Carol follows the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises Christmas and everything about the joyful season. But when he is visited and warned by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, as well as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas.
The character of Ebenezer Scrooge has been reinterpreted dozens of times, from more modern portrayals like Bill Murray’s in Scrooged to animated versions. But in the midst of all these adaptations, a few of their Scrooge portrayals have stuck out from the others. Take a look at some of the best actors who have brought the character to life.
Reginald Owen in ‘A Christmas Carol’ (1938)
Born: August 5, 1887, Wheathampstead, United Kingdom
Died: November 5, 1972
Personal life: Previously married to Carolyn Hughes (1951-1955), Patricia Reed (1955-1960), Colleen Dewhurst (1960-1965; 1967-72), Trish Van Devere (1972-1999); father of six children: Victoria, Matthew, Devon, Alexander, Campbell and Michelle
Best known for: The Hustler (1961), Patton (1970), The Changeling (1980) and The Exorcist III (1990)
About the film: When MGM decided that they wanted to produce the first sound movie version of A Christmas Carol, their initial choice for the role of Scrooge was actor Lionel Barrymore, who had begun portraying the character on radio broadcasts annually on Christmas starting in 1934. However, right before production was set to commence, Barrymore injured himself on a different movie set. “At the last minute,” offers TCM host Ben Mankiewicz during his on-air introduction to the film, “Barrymore’s good friend, British actor Reginald Owen, stepped in to play the role and he plays it quite admirably… [That year] Lionel did not perform A Christmas Carol on the radio. Neither he nor the studio wanted to interfere with the success of the movie.”
Alastair Sim in ‘Scrooge’ (1951)
Born: October 9, 1900, in Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: August 19, 1976
Personal life: Married to actress and writer Naomi Sim from 1932 until his death in 1976. He also had one daughter named Merlith.
Best known for: Inspector Hornleigh (1939), Stage Fright (1951), An Inspector Calls (1954), The Doctor’s Dilemma (1958) and A Christmas Carol (1971).
About the film: Alastair Sim has long been considered to have one of the best Scrooge portrayals because of how he made Scrooge a real human, rather than just a villain. His version of the character gave him layers and different emotions aside from the usual “Bah humbug”. He was also praised for closely following the version of Scrooge written by Charles Dickens.
Bill Murray in ‘Scrooged’
Born: September 21, 1950, in Evanston, Illinois
Personal life: Previously married to Margaret Kelly (1981-1996) and Jennifer Butler (1997-2008); father to six sons: Homer, Luke, Caleb, Jackson, Cooper and Lincoln
Best known for: Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), Groundhog Day (1993) and Lost in Translation (2003)
About the film: In this completely different take on the A Christmas Carol tale, Scrooged stars Bill Murray as an even more unbearable, power-hungry TV executive. The film is also known for its more violent and disturbing interactions between Scrooge and the Ghosts, as opposed to those in the classic version.
Thoughts on Scrooged: “We shot a big, long, sloppy movie,” he told Starlog of the film directed by Richard Donner, “so there’s a great deal of material that didn’t even end up in the film. It just didn’t work. You tend to forget what was wrong… I just figured that anyone who’s good could step into this part and have a lot of fun with it. It’s sort of a wicked character. The idea of making a funny Scrooge was an inspired touch. That’s what was appealing to me about it.”
Michael Caine in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (1992)
Born: March 14, 1933, in London
Personal life: Previously married to Patricia Haines (1954-1958) and currently married to Shakira Caine since 1973; father of two daughters: Natasha and Dominique
Best known for: Sleuth (1972), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008) and Youth (2015)
About the film: While A Christmas Carol is a bit of a dark tale, this retelling through the Muppets makes it much more digestible for a younger audience and brings a fantastical element to the story. This version includes multiple musical numbers and the Muppets as classic characters, like Kermit as Bob Cratchit and Miss Piggy as Mrs. Cratchit.
Thoughts on The Muppet Christmas Carol: “My daughter…was then seven, and she had never seen me in a movie,” Caine recalled. “I had never made a movie that a 7-year-old could see. And so a man mentioned the Muppets and I said, ‘That’s it! I’ll do that!’ And it’s A Christmas Carol, it’s a fabulous tale! You’ll be old Scrooge, it’ll be marvelous! And it was absolutely perfect at that time for what I wanted. I could make it, and my daughter could see it.”
Jim Carrey in ‘A Christmas Carol’ (2009)
Born: January 17, 1962, in Newmarket, Canada
Personal life: Previously married to Melissa Womer (1987-1995) and Lauren Holly (1996-1997); father of one daughter, Jane.
Best known for: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), The Truman Show (1998), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
About the film: This version of A Christmas Carol used motion capture technology, which was not very popular at the time. Not only that but Carrey also portrayed multiple characters, including Scrooge at different ages, as well as the ghosts of the present, past and future.
Thoughts on Jim Carrey’s A Christmas Carol: “To be honest, it was wonderful to work with all this new technology,” Carrey said of using motion capture technology for the film. “It was incredibly exciting to work with motion capture because I couldn’t wait to see what the performances would turn into. It was certainly a little odd to be dancing around in the suit in front of loads of cameras, but it was also fun.”
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