Eric Christmas

Eric Cuthbert Christmas (19 March 1916 – 22 July 2000) was an English actor born in London who later emigrated to Canada and built a career spanning stage, film, and television that included more than 40 film appearances and extensive work in American and Canadian television. He appeared on Broadway between 1958 and 1961 in five productions: Once There Was a Russian, Look After Lulu, Little Moon of Alban, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Broken Jug.

Christmas is perhaps most widely recognized for his portrayal of Mr. Carter, the principal of Angel Beach High School, in the 1981 comedy Porky's and its two sequels, Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) and Porky's Revenge! (1985). He also became familiar to television audiences through his recurring role as Reverend Diddymoe on the NBC sitcom Amen. Among his earlier film work, his 1971 appearance in Harold and Maude as a priest delivering a monologue of escalating revulsion at Harold's relationship with an older woman drew particular attention. Additional film credits include Monte Walsh (1970), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Johnny Got His Gun (1971), The Last Tycoon (1976), An Enemy of the People (1978), Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978), The Changeling (1980), Middle Age Crazy (1980), The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), All of Me (1984), Bugsy (1991), Almost Dead (1994), Air Bud (1997), and Mouse Hunt (1997), which was his final feature film.

His television guest appearances were extensive, encompassing Columbo, in which he played a sardonic jeweler in the episode "A Friend in Deed," as well as Night Court, Cheers, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Seinfeld, Home Improvement, Coach, L.A. Law, The X-Files, Matlock, Walker Texas Ranger, Roseanne, Ally McBeal, ER, Due South, Wiseguy, Booker, Major Dad, The Golden Palace, Misfits of Science, Adventures in Rainbow Country, and ALF. From 1995 to 1996 he played Father Francis on Days of Our Lives, a role connected to the storyline involving the possession of Marlena Evans.

Alongside his performing career, Christmas was a drama professor at the University of California, San Diego during the 1970s and 1980s, and made theatrical presentations at local high schools including La Jolla Country Day School. He worked as both an actor and director at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre during its Shakespeare Festivals for a number of years, and helped efforts to revive the La Jolla Playhouse, directing a production of The Man Who Came to Dinner there. In 1983 he performed the role of Jack Point in the San Diego Gilbert and Sullivan Repertory Company's production of The Yeomen of the Guard.

Christmas died on 22 July 2000 from natural causes at the age of 84 and was interred at Santa Barbara Cemetery in Santa Barbara, California.