Violent Night Cast & Character Guide

Violent Night follows the vengeful path of a hard-boiled Santa Claus who is determined to serve justice to the ones on his naughty list – here are the movie’s cast and characters. After a group of mercenaries holds a wealthy family hostage on Christmas Eve, David Harbour’s Santa takes it upon himself to turn the evening into the titular Violent Night by ruthlessly punishing the criminals and bringing some Christmas joy to the family. Reminiscent of ’80s action flicks, like Bruce Willis’ Die Hard, Violent Night keeps its premise simple, while elevating its gory Christmas drama with a vibrant cast, characters, and spectacular “season’s beatings.“

David Harbour proves to be the perfect casting choice for portraying Violent Night‘s Santa for both his formidable stature and his familiarity with badass roles, as with his characters in Stranger Things and Hellboy. The Christmas movie’s cast also includes other familiar faces such as John Leguizamo, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, Alex Hassell, and Alexis Louder, whose respective characters either join forces with Harbour’s savage old St. Nick or suffer the dire consequences of being on his naughty list. On that note, here is everything else we know about Violent Night‘s cast and characters.

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David Harbour As Santa Claus

David Harbour’s admittedly naughty Santa Claus in Violent Night is a red-suited vigilante who takes his naughty or nice list a little too seriously. When he learns that a bunch of criminals has raided the affluent Lightstone household, he does not hold himself back from unleashing hell on the outlaws. From candy canes to Christmas lights, he uses every Christmas decoration in the book as a weapon to ground and pound the home invaders. Before donning Santa’s red hat and suit, David Habour was seen as Stranger Things‘ Chief of Police Jim Hopper. Harbour is also well-known for playing Hellboy‘s (2019) titular demon, Tajin Crosser in Star Wars: Visions, Gaspar in Extraction, and Alexei in MCU’s Black Widow.

John Leguizamo as Scrooge

John Leguizamo’s character in Violent Night is a contemporary comical take on A Christmas Carol‘s grumpy old Scrooge. With his group of mercenaries, he is out ruining the Christmas spirit by robbing an innocent family. Unfortunately for him, no ghosts of the past, present, and future show up to help him understand the meaning of Christmas. Instead, a merciless Santa arrives to teach him and his team a lesson using ways far less pleasant and a lot more painful than A Christmas Carol‘s time jumps. John Leguizamo was seen in The Menu as Movie Star and heard in Encanto as Bruno. He is also recognizable for his secondary roles in Chef, John Wick 2, and Disney +’s The Mandalorian.

Beverly D’Angelo As Gertrude Lightstone

Gertrude Lightstone is the matriarch whose family is threatened by Scrooge’s mercenaries until Santa comes to their rescue. While Santa does his thing, she encourages her kids to fight the burglars for the family. The head of the Lightstone family corporation is portrayed by veteran actress Beverly D’Angelo in Violent Night, who is known for her roles in the National Lampoon’s Vacation films, American History X, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Alex Hassell As Jason Lightstone

Gertrude’s son, Jason, shows up at her estate with his wife and daughter to spend Christmas. Little does he realize that he and his family are in for an unforgettable Christmas surprise. Alex Hassell, who portrays Jason in Violent Night, has previously appeared as Translucent in The Boys and Vicious in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop.

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Alexis Louder As Linda

Linda is Jason’s estranged wife who only spends Christmas at the Lightstone estate for her daughter’s sake. She wants her daughter to have a pleasant Christmas, though she gets something far better. Best known for playing Ruth Williams in Watchmen, Alexis Louder has made appearances in Teenage Bounty Hunter, The Tomorrow War, The Terminal List, and The Originals.

Supporting Cast & Characters

Edi Patterson As Alva Lighthouse: Alva Lighthouse, another one of Gertrude’s children, is portrayed by Edi Patterson, who has previously appeared in Knives Out, Californication, Between Two Ferns: The Movie, and Two Broke Girls.

Cam Gigandet As Morgan Steel: Cam Gigandet is Alva’s second husband and action star Morgan Steel in Violent Night. He is best known for playing James in Twilight and Hicks in Priest and has also appeared in well-known movie titles like Burlesque, The Magnificent Seven, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, and Easy A.

Leah Brady As Trudy Lightstone: Trudy, Linda and Jason’s daughter, believes in Santa and the Christmas spirit more than anyone else in Violent Night. Leah Brady, from The Umbrella Academy, portrays Trudy, whose innocent belief becomes reality in Violent Night, when Santa rescues her family on Christmas Eve.

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