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The Cast Behind Every Grinch Movie — From Jim Carrey to Benedict Cumberbatch
Oh, the Who-manity! Every version of The Grinch is a Christmas classic.
Between wallowing in self-pity at 4 o’clock and solving world hunger at 5, the holiday season is booked. Even so, there’s always time for The Grinch. The classic Christmas movie has been part of holiday traditions for decades and there’s a version for every member of the family.
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Whether you fancy the original animated TV movie from the ‘60s or the very quotable adaptation with Jim Carrey, each version of The Grinch has an incredible cast. Below we revisit all the actors who’ve portrayed the characters in each movie and how to watch them all in 2024.
The cast of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey
Released in November 2000, How the Grinch Stole Christmas had a truly iconic cast. The live-action movie would not have the legacy it does today without Jim Carrey and director Ron Howard at the helm of it all. Perhaps best known for his roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, Carrey brought the grumpy Grinch to life with his signature blend of comedy.
The 2000 Grinch movie also starred Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, SNL alum Molly Shannon as Betty Lou Who, Arrested Development star Jeffrey Tambor as the Mayor of Whoville, among many others.
Below is the full cast of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas:
- Jim Carrey as The Grinch
- Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who
- Jeffrey Tambor as Whoville’s Mayor Augustus May Who
- Christine Baranski as Martha May Whovier
- Molly Shannon as Betty Lou Who
- Bill Irwin as Lou Lou Who
- Anthony Hopkins as the narrator
- Mindy Sterling and Rachel Winfree as the Grinch’s adoptive mothers
- Jeremy Howard as Cindy’s brother Drew Lou Who
- T.J. Thyne as Cindy’s brother Stu Lou Who
- Mary Stein as the Grinch’s teacher Miss Rue Who
- Jim Meskimen as Police Officer Lihan Who
- Deep Roy as a post office clerk
- Verne Troyer as a band member
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Many of Howard’s relatives also had roles in the Christmas movie including his brother Clint as Bris Who, the mayor’s aide, and his father Rance as the elderly timekeeper. His daughter Bryce Dallas Howard appeared as a “Surprised Who” at the end of the film. Howard himself also made a cameo in the movie as a startled Who in the town’s square.
Six different shelter dogs actually played the role of Max, the Grinch’s forever loyal pooch, according to Humane Hollywood. The dogs weren’t identical and had their "hair dyed and trimmed to resemble one another,” per the organization.
How can you watch 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas?
Jim Carrey’s version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs on NBC on Wednesday, December 25 at 8:30/7:30c.
The cast of the 1966 Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! got the silver screen treatment for the first time when it premiered as a television special in 1966. It’s also the first time we heard “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” the iconic Christmas song composed by Albert Hague and performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
First released as a book in 1957, the animated TV movie version of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! starred a small voice cast. Actor Boris Karloff, who also played Frankenstein’s monster in the 1930s horror film series, took on the role of the narrator and voiced the Grinch. Voice actress June Foray portrayed Cindy Lou Who and is also known for voicing Lucifer the cat in Cinderella and Jokey Smurf in The Smurfs.
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How can you watch 1966’s Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas?
The cast of 2018’s The Grinch with Benedict Cumberbatch
Released in November 2018, the newest rendition of the Dr. Seuss Christmas story starred several recognizable voices including Benedict Cumberbatch as the green Christmas curmudgeon.
Below is the cast of 2018’s The Grinch:
- Benedict Cumberbatch as The Grinch
- Cameron Seely as Cindy Lou Who
- Rashida Jones as Cindy’s mother, Donna Who
- Kenan Thompson as a Whoville resident named Bricklebaum
- Angela Lansbury as Whoville’s Mayor McGerkle
- Pharrell Williams as the narrator
Cumberbatch, who’s also well known for his portrayals of British characters like Sherlock Holmes, insisted that he use an American accent in The Grinch. In an interview with UPROXX, the English actor explained that he didn’t think it made sense for the grouchy character to speak differently than the rest of the cast. “There were too many questions about this character,” he said. “Why is he green? Why is everyone else sort-of/kind-of not green? And why has he got fur all over him and why haven’t the others? So I don’t think he should be English as well, but I thought just not thematically a bad guy. You know?”
How can you watch 2018’s The Grinch?
The 2018 version of The Grinch is available to stream at any time on Peacock.
Each movie has their own version of the “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song
“You’re a Mean On, Mr. Grinch” has been covered numerous times over the years. Pentatonix, Daruis Rucker, Rachel Platten, Linsey Stirling, and Sabrina Carpenter have all put their spin on the classic Christmas song. And every Grinch movie also has their own unique version.
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The song was originally written and composed for the 1966 TV special. Thurl Ravenscroft sung the memorable lyrics like “You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch.”
In the 2000 movie, Carrey performed the song. In this version, however, he’s singing about himself, as the Grinch, as he comes up with a plan to steal Christmas from Whoville, using a variety of voices and yelling lyrics like “Your heart's an empty hole!”
The 2018 movie features a reimagined, upbeat version by Tyler, The Creator. The rapper also released an original new song for the movie, titled “I Am the Grinch."
