It’s easy to imagine the phrase, “Who do you think you are? God?” has been thrown around on a film set or two. But in the case of these eight actors, the answer would be, “Well, yeah!” Showcasing a variety of interpretations ranging from Biblically accurate to irreverent spoof, here are eight actors who’ve been on the call sheet as God.
1. Scott Bairstow, “Touched By an Angel” (2003)
The CBS series “Touched By an Angel” follows Monica (Roma Downey), an angel whohelps people on earth. On the show’s series finale, Monica is asked to defend Zach (Bairstow), a man accused of causing an explosion that killed several people. When her defense fails—in part because the prosecutor was the actual, literal devil—she promises Zach that she will give up her career to instead act as his guardian angel. If that wasn’t enough twists and turns for one episode, get ready for one more: Zach was actually God! The whole thing was a test!
Bairstow is brilliantly cast in large part due to the fact that he’s young and soft-spoken—not an obvious choice to play God (and therefore doesn’t telegraph the twist). And Bairstow gives Zach a rough-around-the-edges quality that makes the audience question whether or not he’s telling the truth, a quality he seamlessly trades for an otherworldly tranquility once he’s revealed to be the Big Guy Himself.
2. George Burns, “Oh, God!” (1977), “Oh, God! Book II” (1980), and “Oh, God! You Devil” (1984)
While a one-time vaudeville star might have seemed an odd choice to play God, Burns was such a natural fit for that role that he played it in three separate films. In each film, Burns portrays God as a blue-collar wise-cracking grandpa type with Burns’ signature old-school New York accent. His drawl is as suited to wisecracks and deadpan as it is to honest, sincere pathos, which helped the films ride that delicate line between humor and heart.
3. Timothée Chalamet, “Saturday Night Live” (2025)
“SNL” host Chalamet lent his voice to the titular role in this animated sketch aptly titled “God.” And if you’re saying to yourself, “I don’t really see Timothée Chalamet as God,” well, there’s the entire joke of the sketch. Chalamet gives God a chaotic, over-caffeinated eighth-grader energy as he dreams up increasingly strange (real) things to put on earth, and juxtaposes that with a more stereotypical “angry God” delivery when he shuts down the suggestions of the angels. Add in a meltdown when he isn’t allowed to have a frog named “Goobie” hold the sun in its mouth, and you’ve got yourself a uniquely funny take. It’s irreverent, sure, but very funny.
4. Graham Chapman, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975)
In the now-iconic comedy film loosely based on King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, God is voiced by Chapman. Unlike the calmer, more serene interpretations of God elsewhere on this list, Chapman’s God is, frankly, fed up. He’s demanding, exasperated, and impatient—which is tonally perfect when you contrast his attitude with his goofy paper puppet design and dramatic cloud background. While it’s obvious why a God portrayed in a film written, directed, and starring a bunch of Brits would also be British, it’s worth noting that Chapman’s God is the only entry on this list to have a non-American accent.
5. Morgan Freeman, “Bruce Almighty” (2003) and “Evan Almighty” (2007)
You didn’t think we’d make an actors playing God list without including God Himself, did you? Jokes aside, Freeman’s portrayal is nothing short of heavenly. His rich baritone drawl seems practically made to evoke someone ancient and otherworldly, but he has a light, comedic sensibility that keeps the character from being too intimidating or out of place in the comedy films. Freeman is such a natural fit for God that he’s honestly become synonymous with the part.
In a 2025 interview with the Guardian, he remarked, “It was interesting, though, the outcome of playing God in the movies. Audiences bought it. I mean bought it. I walk into a room and they say: ‘God just walked in.’ I say something, they say: ‘Oh, it’s the voice of God.’ That went on for the longest time.”
6. Whoopi Goldberg, “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” (2002)
Like any good Muppet project, this 2002 film (not-so-loosely based on “It’s a Wonderful Life”), is full of great celebrity cameos. But no cameo is as delightful (or, frankly, unexpected) than Goldberg playing God. There’s a lot to like about the comedian’s take here: She’s relaxed, casual, and right at home in the sort of bohemian garden in the sky the film places her in. And yet, for all her goofy dialogue about coffee shrubs and her record collection, she’s ultimately a very empathetic, understanding, and comforting presence, especially to protagonist Kermit who’s decided everyone would be better off if he’d never been born. And if you’re still not convinced Goldberg is a natural choice to play God, think again: She also played the role in “A Little Bit of Heaven” (2011).
7. Maya Rudolph, “The Good Place” (2018–2020)
Though Rudolph’s character isn’t literally God (she’s called the Judge), she’s the closest thing “The Good Place” universe has to a God: It’s her job to decide if people deserve to be sent to the Good Place or the Bad Place (this universe’s version of heaven and hell—stay with us here). What’s so fun about Rudolph’s performance is the way that it subverts expectations. Sure, the Judge is fair, but she’s also chaotic and goofy in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from an all-powerful being.
8. J. Delos Jewkes: “The Ten Commandments” (1956)
In film giant Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” God comes to Moses (Charlton Heston) at Mount Sinai not as a physical presence, but as a disembodied, booming voice shouting down from the heavens. There’s no doubt that this performance is one of the gold-standard takes on God. It’s commanding, mysterious, and authoritative—exactly what you’d expect from a serious adaptation of a Biblical story. So it might come as a surprise to you that it took a shocking amount of detective work to figure out just who lent their voice to this role.
The actor was not credited, and DeMille was cryptic about their identity in his autobiography. LDS Living recently claimed that Hollywood baritone (and Mormon Tabernacle Choir member) Delos Jewkes was the voice of God, a fact that is seemingly substantiated by his New York Times obituary. It just goes to show that even if you’re playing the most well-known, revered figure of all time, you still might not get your due.