When it comes to the typical Santa movie, there are so few that really stray from the course of what's been done before – big belly, jolly personality, and everything else you can imagine with some of the best Christmas movies out there. But, every once in a while, you’ll get a Santa Claus that completely subverts expectations and is totally non-traditional but in the best way; that’s what Violent Night is, and it stars David Harbour.
The movie tells the story of Santa Claus, who does what he has to do every year and give toys to boys and girls, but this time, he decides to up the jolly aspect of Christmas and take down some crooks who are trying to take out a rich family so they can get their fortune on Christmas Eve. With this movie comes a stellar cast that I’m sure you’ve seen time and time again, so here is where you’ve seen the Violent Night cast before.
David Harbour (Santa Claus)
Obviously, we have to start off with the man, the myth, the legend, David Harbour, who plays Santa Claus in Violent Night. Harbour has been making a name for himself for many years, but things really took off for him in 2016, when he started playing Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, a show that breaks records consistently, receiving worldwide fame and acclaim, but he's had plenty of other roles you will likely know him from.
In movies, he portrayed Red Guardian in Black Widow, a role he will also be reprising in the Thunderbolts film. Besides that, he starred in the 2019 Hellboy, and had roles in films like Brokeback Mountain, The Green Hornet, Suicide Squad, Extraction, Snitch, End of Watch, Equalizer, and more.
In television, Harbour also had recurring guest roles on shows like The Newsroom, Manhattan, Rake, Banshee, State of Affairs, and others, but Stranger Things has been his bread and butter for six years – and now, I can’t wait to see him bring the role into its fifth season.
John Leguizamo
Another legend we have in this cast for Violent Night is John Leguizamo, who has been in the business for years on end and starred in several films. He was in The Menu cast in 2022, and has starred in several other movies, like 2014’s Chef, Super Mario Bros, Moulin Rouge!, Summer of Sam, Romeo + Juliet, John Wick, and more. He also voiced Sid in the Ice Age franchise, and Bruno as part of the Encanto cast.
Other than that, Leguizamo has also had several television roles as well, including a recurring role on E.R., and a main role on shows like Bloodline, The Kill Point, and more. He also had a role on the miniseries, When They See Us.
Edi Patterson
Moving on, we now take a look at Edi Patterson in Violent Night. Most recently in 2019, she had a role in the large ensemble film, Knives Out, but Patterson has appeared in other films, such as Partners, A Thousand Words, Plan B, The Guilty and The Starling.
Patterson also has a main role on the HBO series, The Righteous Gemstones, and has had recurring and guest roles on shows like Vice Principals, The Last O.G. and the HBO Max original series, Made for Love.
Cam Gigandet
Next up, we take a look at Cam Gigandet, who is a part of the cast of Violent Night. For movies he’s been in, he was a part of the cast of Twilight. Besides that, he’s also had roles in movies like The Unborn, The Experiment, The Roommate, Turbo, The Magnificent Seven, The Last Shoot-Out, Assimilate, Without Remorse and more.
Gigandet has also guest-starred on several shows, as well as had recurring roles. These include, but aren’t limited to, The O.C., The Young and the Restless, and more. He also had main roles on the shows Ice and Reckless.
Alex Hassell
Moving on, we take a look at Alex Hassell in the cast of Violent Night. Hassell has appeared in several movies, including Cold Mountain, The Grind, The Red Sea Diving Resort, and most recently in 2021, the Apple TV+ original movie, The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Hassell has also appeared in a variety of TV shows as well, including Bonkers, Robin Hood, Genius, The Bisexual and other titles. He also had a recurring role as part of the Amazon original TV series, The Boys for a few episodes, and played a major role in the Netflix original series, Cowboy Bebop, which was an adaptation from the manga and anime of the same name – however it was cancelled after one season.
Alexis Louder
Next up on the list, we have Alexis Louder, who is a part of the cast of Violent Night. Louder has done a lot in her time in Hollywood so far and continues to expand her resume of roles. She had a minor part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a character in Black Panther, and has only continued to appear in many other movies, including Harriet, The Tomorrow War, Copshop.
Louder has also appeared on television in shows such as The Quad, The Originals, Chicago P.D., Watchmen, and in 2022’s The Terminal List.
Beverly D’Angelo
Last but not least, we take a look at Beverly D’Angelo, one of the stars of Violent Night, and an actress who has been around for decades and starred in several movies. D’Angelo is arguably most known for her recurring appearances in the National Lampoon Vacation movies, but she’s also been in many other roles in both movies and television.
Some of her biggest parts in the world of film have included her work in Hair, Coal Miner’s Daughter, American History X, High Fidelity, Gamers, Harold & Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay, The Unicorn, and Dreamland. In television, D’Angelo has been active for years, appearing in shows such as Entourage, Mom, Shooter, and Insatiable. She was even nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the made for TV version of A Streetcar Named Desire.
With so many amazing actors and actresses here, Violent Night is sure to be a hit with the older Christmas crowd – and heck, it’ll be a hit for anyone who just wants to have a bloody good holiday.
