Catherine O’Hara, Comedy Icon and Emmy Winner, Dies at 71

Catherine O'Hara, the endlessly versatile comedy icon whose career spanned more than five decades across television, film, and stage, has died at the age of 71.

The Canadian-born actress, beloved for unforgettable performances in Schitt's Creek, Home Alone, and Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, died Friday, according to confirmation from her manager. No cause of death has been disclosed.

O'Hara built a legacy defined by sharp wit, emotional precision, and an uncanny ability to steal scenes without overpowering them. She famously played Kate McCallister, the frantic but fiercely loving mother in the first two Home Alone films, a role that became a pop culture staple. “It's a perfect movie, isn't it?” she said in 2024. “I need to care about the whole thing… I don't care to do a great role in a bad project.”

In later years, O'Hara reached a new generation of fans as Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek, appearing in all 80 episodes of the Emmy-winning series. Her exaggerated diction, dramatic costumes, and rotating collection of wigs made Moira an instant classic. “I suggested, or actually begged for it,” said O'Hara about the character's wigs. “I'd like to wear a wig depending on my mood.”

The role earned her an Emmy Award in 2020, along with a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

“I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be herself,” she said during her Emmy acceptance speech.

Born in Toronto in 1954, O'Hara was the second youngest of seven children. Her father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and her mother was a real estate agent. She caught the acting bug early, once portraying the Virgin Mary in a Nativity play, before eventually landing a job as a waitress at Toronto's Second City Theatre — a decision that would change her life.

She soon became a cornerstone of Second City Television (SCTV), earning acclaim for both her celebrity impressions and original characters. “My crutch was, in improvs, when in doubt, play insane,” she said in 2019.

After SCTV ended in 1984, O'Hara transitioned into film, appearing in projects ranging from After Hours and Heartburn to Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, where she played Delia Deetz — a role she reprised decades later in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She also voiced Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas and starred in Wyatt Earp.

Her collaborations with director Christopher Guest, including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, showcased her rare ability to blend comedy with emotional authenticity.

In recent years, O'Hara continued to work steadily, earning an Emmy nomination for her role opposite Seth Rogen in The Studio on Apple TV+, and appearing in Argylle, The Last of Us, and voicing characters in animated films such as Elemental.

Catherine O'Hara is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and their children, Matthew and Luke.