Actor Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71. It has been reported that the actor died at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
O’Hara is known for her many comedic roles including playing the mum in Home Alone, and many collaborations with director Christopher Guest whose films are built around improvisation. She also had a memorable role in the 1988 film Bettlejuice and it’s 2024 sequel.
She had a career resurgence when she signed up to play Moira Rose in the television comedy Schitt’s Screek. The role landed her two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Most recently O’Hara had appeared in the the series The Studio and The Last of Us.
McCauley Culkin, who appeared in the Home Alone films alongside O’Hara had led the tributes to the actor.
In an Instagram post alongside a a collage of the two actors together Cilkin wrote, “Mama. I thought we had time I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.” Culkin and O’Hara had remained friends through the decades after filming Home Alone in 1989.
Tributes also came from her Schitt’s Creek cast mates. The iconic show ran from 2015 until 2020.
Jennifer Robertson, who starred as Jocelyn Schitt, remembered O’Hara’s “magical gift.”
“I am deeply saddened to hear we have lost Catherine. Being in Catherine O’Hara’s orbit was a beautiful, magical gift,” Robertson wrote in a statement to USA TODAY. “She was absolute star who never understood why people made such a fuss about her. Her passing is a loss for everyone who knew and loved her. My deepest condolences to Bo, her sons, and the O’Hara family.”
O’Hara had been marred to production designer Bo Welch since 1992, they met on the set of Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice. The couple have two sons Matthew and Luke.
O’Hara was raised in Toronto in a large Catholic family where she was the sixth of seven children. Her sister is Canadian singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O’Hara.
Her career began at Second City in Toronto in the mid-1970s. She first appeared on Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV and also voiced many cartoons. She remained with SCTV for many years and won an Emmy Award for her writing on the show. Future Schitt’s Creek co-star Eugene Levy also got his big break on the same show.
By the 1980s O’Hara was working regularly in Hollywood appearing in popular films including Heartburn, Beetlejuice, Dick Tray, and Home Alone. She’d go on to appear in The Paper, Betsy’s Wedding, and Wyatt Earp.
But it was her collaborations with director Christopher Guest where O’Hara really showed her massive talent. She appeared in many of his films including Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration and A Mighty Wind.
O’Hara also made guest appearances in many television series including Married with Children, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, and Modern Family.
Her final roles were in the television series The Studio where she player former studio boss Patty Leigh, and a guest appearance in The Last of Us where she played Gail Lynden in three episodes of the series.
