See the cast of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” side-by-side with their characters
- - See the cast of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” side-by-side with their characters
Staff Author, Skyler TrepelDecember 23, 2025 at 9:30 PM
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Touchstone Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Sally in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Catherine O'Hara at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on March 24, 2025
‘Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, since The Nightmare Before Christmas first haunted cinemas in 1993.
Inspired by a poem penned by Tim Burton, Henry Selick's stop-motion animated classic introduces the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, who becomes fixated on bringing Christmas to his lifelong home of Halloween Town.
Filling out this adorably macabre world are characters like the psychic Sally (Catherine O’Hara), the frightening Oogie Boogie (Ken Page), and Sandy Claws himself (Ed Ivory). And while Chris Sarandon voiced Jack, it was legendary musician Danny Elfman who handled the skeleton's songs. The score, which Elfman also composed, has proven to be just as enduring as the film itself.
“If I were to list my favorite collaborations with Tim, I would say number one would be The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was the purest, simplest process I had in all the years with Tim,” Elfman told Entertainment Weekly in 2011. “There was less pressure, and the results came from the ability to kind of wander.”
Below, we catch up with the cast of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
01 of 07
Chris Sarandon (Jack Skellington, speaking voice)
Everett; Walter McBride/Getty
Jack Skellington in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Chris Sarandon in 2017
Chris Sarandon provided the speaking voice of Jack Skellington, the Halloween maestro who learns about Christmas and just has to bring it to his hometown — even if it means kidnapping Santa.
“A lot of young people come up to me and say, ‘This was a movie that made me feel like I belonged,’ the actor told PEOPLE in 2023. “It was so strange and at the same time so beautiful, and its message was so positive.”
Sarandon earned an Academy Award nomination for his supporting turn in Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and went on to star in several genre classics, including Fright Night (1985) and Child’s Play (1988). He also played the vile Prince Humperdinck in Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride (1987).
Over the past few decades, Sarandon has bounced between film, TV, theater, and podcasting, the latter of which finds him hosting Cooking By Heart with Chris Sarandon.
Since 1994, he's been married to his third wife, actress and singer Joanna Gleason. The couple met while performing in the Broadway production of Nick & Nora. They went on to collaborate on the films Edie & Pen (1996), American Perfekt (1997), and Let the Devil Wear Black (1999). They have nine grandchildren.
He was previously married to future Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (née Tomalin) and fashion model Lisa Ann Cooper.
02 of 07
Danny Elfman (Jack Skellington, singing voice)
Everett; Allen Berezovsky/WireImage
Jack Skellington in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Danny Elfman in 2018
With Sarandon handling Jack's dialogue, Danny Elfman stepped in to provide pipes for the Pumpkin King.
Elfman, the Oingo Boingo singer who emerged as one of Hollywood's most prolific composers, previously spoke with EW about the process of developing the film's music.
“I said, ‘Just tell me the story like you’re reading a book to a kid.’ So he’d take out some pictures and tell a little bit of the story, and as he was telling the story, I’d start to hear an idea for a song,” he said. “Usually about three days later, I’d play him the song, and then he would tell me more of the story. Ten times we got together, he told me a story and I wrote the songs. It was a new experience writing lyrics for songs that were doing a complete narrative.”
Elfman's numerous scores, songs, and themes have earned him four Oscar nominations, three Emmys, and a Grammy, among other honors. A frequent collaborator of Burton's, he's worked with the filmmaker on projects like Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Big Fish (2003), and Wednesday (2022–present).
Elfman shares two daughters with ex-wife Geri Eisenmenger. He has been married to actress Bridget Fonda since 2003. They have one son together.
03 of 07
Catherine O'Hara (Sally)
Everett; Michael Buckner/Getty
The lovelorn Sally in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Catherine O'Hara in 2025
Catherine O’Hara voiced Sally, the rag-doll psychic who longs for Jack’s affection. The actress did her own singing in the film, including on the beloved “Sally’s Song.”
“I like voicing characters for films and television. It doesn’t compare to acting on camera. It’s just a different art form and/or skill. You’re usually alone in the booth, though it’s more fun working with another actor, and all focus is on your voice,” O’Hara told Live for Films in 2018. “It’s challenging but fun. Recording ‘Sally’s Song’ was intimidating — that song is beautiful and difficult to sing.”
After turning heads on the sketch comedy series SCTV (1976–1984), O'Hara worked with a number of acclaimed filmmakers, including Mike Nichols (Heartburn), Martin Scorsese (After Hours), and Warren Beatty (Dick Tracy). It was her leading roles in Burton's Beetlejuice (1988) and John Hughes' Home Alone (1990) that catapulted her to the A-list.
The Canadian comedienne has been a regular in Christopher Guest comedies, including Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), and A Mighty Wind (2003). Her many voice performances include Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Burton’s Frankenweenie (2012), and The Wild Robot (2024).
The veteran actress’s career enjoyed a second wind when she starred as the once-wealthy matriarch and actress Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek (2015–2020), for which she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
More recently, O’Hara has appeared on a pair of buzzy series: HBO's The Last of Us (2025) and Apple TV's The Studio (2025–present).
Since 1992, she's been married to production designer Bo Welch, whom she met on the set of Beetlejuice. Together, they have two sons.
04 of 07
William Hickey (Dr. Finkelstein)
Everett; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Dr. Finkelstein in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; William Hickey in 1995
William Hickey voiced mad scientist Dr. Finkelstein, who created Sally and acts as her loving (if overprotective) father.
The inimitable actor's film career spanned over four decades and saw him working with the likes of Arthur Penn (Little Big Man), Elaine May (Mikey and Nicky), and John Huston (Wise Blood), among others. He teamed up with Huston again for 1985's Prizzi's Honor, which earned him an Oscar nomination,
You may also recognize Hickey for playing Al Pacino’s father in Sea of Love (1989), a a member of the extended Griswold clan in Christmas Vacation (1989), and a string magnate in Gore Verbinski’s Mouse Hunt (1997), released posthumously.
Hickey died in 1997 at the age of 69.
05 of 07
Glenn Shadix (Mayor of Halloween Town)
Everett; Barry King/WireImage
The Mayor of Halloween Town; Glenn Shadix
Glenn Shadix plays the cone-headed Mayor of Halloween Town, whose head spins on a swivel to convey happiness or sadness on a dime — a clever manifestation of the classic two-faced politician.
Shadix's silky voice should be familiar to Burton fans, as he famously played the amateur occultist (and social climber) Otho Fenlock in Beetlejuice. But you may also know the actor his numerous guest spots on everything from Seinfeld (1991) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) to Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1999) and Carnivàle (2003–2005).
Shadix was also a prolific voice actor, with credits on Dinosaur (1994), Jackie Chan Adventures (2001–2002), Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003), and Teen Titans (2005–2006).
He also reunited with Burton, albeit under orangutan prosthetics, in Planet of the Apes (2001).
The Alabama native’s final onscreen role was in 2010's Finding Gauguin. He died that same year at the age of 58.
06 of 07
Paul Reubens (Lock)
Everett; Jamie McCarthy/Getty
The naughty henchman Lock in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Paul Reubens in 2016
Paul Reubens plays the mischievous Lock, one-third of Oogie Boogie’s trick-or-treat trio and the singer of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws.”
Reubens will forever be remembered for creating and playing the character Pee-wee Herman. First developed on stage, the character — signature voice, signature suit — reached millions thanks to Burton's Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and the CBS variety series Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1990).
Reubens also appeared in the superhero comedy Mystery Men (1999), Ted Demme's drug thriller Blow (2001), and Todd Solondz's daring Life During Wartime (2009). A popular TV guest star, he stole scenes on episodes of 30 Rock (2007) and The Blacklist (2014–2015), and earned an Emmy nod for his performance on Murphy Brown (1995–1997).
His signature role got one last cinematic showcase in Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016). Reubens died in 2023 at the age of 70 after a private struggle with cancer. An Emmy-winning documentary, Pee-wee as Himself, debuted on HBO in 2025.
07 of 07
Ken Page (Oogie Boogie)
Everett; Monica Morgan/WireImage
Oogie Boogie in 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'; Ken Page in 2014
Ken Page starred in The Nightmare Before Christmas as Oogie Boogie. the banished, bug-infested Boogeyman.
When he landed the role, Page was already an established singer — but didn’t expect he’d be asked to do the dialogue as well.
“I said, ‘My take on him would be somewhere between Bert Lahr and the voice of the demon in The Exorcist, Mercedes McCambridge,'” Page said in a 2014 interview. “Danny [Elfman] and Henry [Selick] kind of looked at me and went, ‘Wow — that’s wild.’ So, that was the take I gave them, and said, ‘If I go too far in either direction, you can stop me.’ So, along with the Cab Calloway and Fats Waller stuff for the singing, that’s how we came up with Oogie Boogie.”
Page’s Broadway debut came as The Lion in The Wiz (1975). A few years later, he originated the character of Ken in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978). He also starred as Old Deuteronomy in the original Broadway production of Cats (1981).
On the big screen, you may remember Page for voicing King Gator in All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) or for his supporting role in the Oscar-winning Dreamgirls (2006).
He continued acting in theater, including as the Bishop of Digne in a 2024 Muny-St. Louis production of Les Misérables. He died that year at the age of 70.
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