Catherine O’Hara. Photo: file
Catherine O’Hara, the acclaimed Canadian actress known for her work in Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and Best in Show, has died at the age of 71.
TMZ confirmed her death on Friday, with sources close to the actress reporting that the cause of death is currently unclear.
O’Hara’s career spanned decades and included some of Hollywood’s most beloved comedy roles. She famously portrayed Macaulay Culkin’s mother in the first two Home Alone films and starred as the iconic Moira Rose in 80 episodes of the Emmy-winning television series Schitt’s Creek. Her film credits also include the cult classic Beetlejuice, as well as the mockumentaries Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003).
In addition to her acting accomplishments, O’Hara earned recognition for her writing contributions. She won her first Emmy Award in 1982 for writing on the sketch comedy series SCTV Network 90 and later won an Emmy in 2020 for her work on Schitt’s Creek. Her most recent performance was alongside Seth Rogen in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, which earned her another Emmy nomination.
Born in Toronto as the sixth of seven children, O’Hara met production designer Bo Welch on the set of 1988’s Beetlejuice. The couple married in 1992 and had two sons, Matthew and Luke.
O’Hara remained a beloved figure in both television and film, celebrated for her comedic timing and ability to bring nuanced characters to life. She was last photographed in February 2024 at LAX, reflecting on which of her roles she most wanted to be remembered for.
Catherine O’Hara was 71. Her death marks the loss of a legendary actress whose work continues to influence comedy and television.
O’Hara started her comedy career in 1974 as a cast member of The Second City in her hometown, Toronto. She was an understudy for Gilda Radner until Radner left for Saturday Night Live. Two years later, this theatre troupe created the sketch comedy show SCTV, for which O’Hara became a regular performer.
In the late 1970s, she provided voice-overs for a number of cartoons, work which would continue throughout her career. During a short time in the early 1980s when SCTV was in between network deals, she was hired to replace Ann Risley when Saturday Night Live was being retooled in 1981. However, she quit the show without appearing on air, choosing to go back to SCTV when the show signed on with NBC. She was long rumored to have left SNL due to conflicts with volatile writer Michael O’Donoghue, but O’Hara denied these claims and said she left the show due to her dislike for living in New York City.
