On Dec. 18, 1966, a grinning green grump made his inaugural televised pilgrimage down the side of a mountain into Whoville, swiping every present in the town in a plot to cancel Christmas. Of course, it didn’t work: Silly Grinch, don’t you know friends and family are at the heart of the holidays? But the long-fingered menace captured the hearts of a nation, leading to six decades of animated and live-action movies, a musical and more.
Ahead of the 60th anniversary of the animated CBS special, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” we ranked eight memorable Grinches on a scale of merely mean — or even merry — to downright demonic.
2025
Walton Goggins
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Walton Goggins donned the green fur for Walmart’s holiday ad campaign last year but left his menacing face behind. After Cindy Lou Who asks for his help sharing Black Friday deals with the people of WhoKnewVille (“You could be the hero,” she tells him), he springs into action. Though he remains prickly throughout, the time it takes Goggins’s Grinch to go from light name-calling to full-on do-gooder is a paltry 10 seconds.
Watch it on YouTube.
2020
Pete Davidson
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A horny Grinch is a whole different kind of terror, thanks to “Saturday Night Live.” When Pete Davidson, dressed in a bathrobe and tighty-whities over green fur, comes downstairs the morning after a threesome with Cindy Lou Who’s parents (played by Mikey Day and Kristen Wiig), we’re treated to a rehash of the previous evening’s climactic cries. An innocent Cindy Lou (Chloe Fineman) tells her mom that she woke her up: “You kept screaming, ‘You’re a mean one! You’re a mean one!’” The vibe of Davidson’s Grinch, though, is more cuddle dud than mischief-maker.
Watch it on YouTube.
2018
Benedict Cumberbatch
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Benedict Cumberbatch had promise as the Grinch — he does, after all, play Dr. Strange, who’s pretty cranky too. But the flat American accent he insisted on adopting for “The Grinch,” combined with a sympathetic orphan backstory, left his take more misunderstood than monstrous.
Rent or buy it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango, Google Play or YouTube.
2020
Matthew Morrison
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We’re honestly not sure where to put this pandemic-era musical misfire. Matthew Morrison, known for playing Will Schuester on “Glee,” opted for a Joker-inspired take in “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical Live!,” a 2020 NBC television special, but amped up the camp — and hip thrusts — so much that he proved unsettlingly bizarre.
Not available online. Watch an excerpt on YouTube.
2006
Patrick Page
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For “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,” a Broadway show that’s since become a regional theater holiday staple, Patrick Page played the green meanie with gargoyle-ish glee, Kabuki makeup and a booming, rich bass. The veteran Shakespearean struck the right balance between woe and whimsy, grounding the character in grouchy charm. And his saucy star turn, the showstopper “One of a Kind”? Chef’s kiss.
Not currently available. Watch an excerpt on YouTube.
2000
Jim Carrey
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Jim Carrey’s title character in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a prankster who specializes in madcap mischief — think stand-up comic with a touch of Scrooge. There’s now a backstory about the character having been bullied relentlessly growing up, but Carrey’s creepy makeup, smart-aleck remarks and constant needling of sweet little Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) ensure you never feel too sorry for him.
Rent or buy it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandago, Google Play or YouTube.
1966
Boris Karloff
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The O.G. Grinch portrayed by Boris Karloff in the 1966 television special remains among the most dastardly, even if that’s admittedly not a high bar. The poisoned-honey voice, the expressive eyebrows, the leering laugh — well, he inspired 60 years of spinoffs for a reason! It took critics a minute to warm to him, though: The New York Times’s Jack Gould called the 26-minute cartoon, which was adapted from Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book of the same name, a “creation that should be left undisturbed on the printed page.” Critics have had a rethink in the subsequent decades, though; the special now has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stream it on Peacock; rent or buy it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Fandago.
2022
David Howard Thornton
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Compared with the rest of these green guys, the “Terrifier” star David Howard Thornton’s slasher villain in “The Mean One” isn’t even in the same hemisphere. The character — for copyright reasons, the film cannot say the word Grinch, a running gag — targets anyone who celebrates Christmas. After a killing spree in a mountain town called Newville 20 years earlier, the menace-turned-mass-murderer is back for Round 2. Unfortunately for him, Cindy You-Know-Who, the daughter of one of his victims, is now all grown up — and packing heat. A bloody showdown ensues.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Pluto TV or Starz; rent or buy it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandago, Google Play or YouTube.
The post They’ve All Played the Grinch, but Only One Was the Meanest appeared first on New York Times.
