Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, an elf who discovers he is actually a human. The film also stars Ed ASNER as Santa Claus. ASNER is an American actor and voice actor who has won seven Emmy Awards and is best known for his role as Lou Grant on the 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He also starred in Elf as Santa Claus, the leader of the North Pole and Buddy's biological father.