LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Edmund Gwenn: Kris Kringle
built 162 days ago
From All Movie Guide: The son of a traveling British civil servant, Edmund Gwenn was ordered to leave his home at age 17 when he announced his intention to become an actor. Working throughout the British empire in a variety of theatrical troupes, Gwenn finally settled in London in 1902 when he was personally selected by playwright George Bernard Shaw for a role in Shaw's Man and Superman. Thanks to Shaw's sponsorship, Gwenn rapidly established himself as one of London's foremost character stars, his career interrupted only by military service during World War I. Gwenn's film career, officially launched in 1916, took a back seat to his theatrical work for most of his life; still, he was a favorite of both American and British audiences for his portrayals of blustery old men, both comic and villainous. At age 71, Gwenn was cast as Kris Kringle, a lovable old eccentric who imagined that he was Santa Claus, in the comedy classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947); his brilliant portrayal was honored with an Academy Award and transformed the veteran actor into an "overnight" movie star. Edmund Gwenn died shortly after making his final film, an oddball Mexican comedy titled The Rocket From Calabuch (1958); one of his surviving family members his cousin Cecil Kellaway, was a respected character actor in his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Source:
The original 1947 version of this Valentine Davies story follows the misadventures of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as he gets a job playing Santa Claus at Macy's department store in New York City. Natalie Wood is the little girl who tells him she doesn't believe in Santa, and Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are the couple who help Kris through a trial in which he must prove he's the jolly fellow from the North Pole. A sweet movie and perennial Christmas favorite, this is one of those movies that gets under your skin and must be revisited every so often. --Tom Keogh
Source:
The other Oscar winner was Edmund Gwenn. He was a veteran of over 80 films, including such winners as Lassie Come Home, Foreign Correspondent, Green Dolphin Street and Them. Gwenn played the role of Kris Kringle with a twinkle in his eye and the milk of human kindness pouring from his very being. To get an idea of how wonderfully understated his acting was and how perfectly he was cast, watch two of the other versions of Miracle on 34th Street and see Sebastian Cabot or Richard Attenborough struggle with the role to little success.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Kris Kringle