Catherine O’Hara, Acclaimed Actor Who Bridged Sketch Comedy and Mainstream Film, Dies at 71

O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.

Catherine O'Hara in a scene from "Schitt's Creek." Pop TV via AP

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor whose career stretched from Canadian sketch comedy to some of Hollywood’s most recognizable films and television series, died on Friday at age 71.

O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness, according to a statement released by Creative Artists Agency. No additional medical details were disclosed.

Born March 4, 1954, in Toronto, O’Hara was the second-youngest of seven children. She was related to singer Mary O’Hara, a connection often noted but separate from her own path into performance.

She launched her career working at Toronto’s Second City Theatre, joining the improv company as a performer in the 1970s.

At Second City, O’Hara began a creative partnership with fellow comedian Eugene Levy that would span decades. When the troupe launched its television offshoot, “Second City Television,” in 1976, O’Hara became one of the show’s defining performers.

“SCTV,” which later aired on NBC, was instrumental in shaping modern sketch comedy and helped launch the careers of several Canadian comedians, including Martin Short and Andrea Martin. As part of the show’s writing team, O’Hara received multiple Emmy nominations and won once for writing.

Her film career emerged in the early 1980s, beginning with “Double Negative,” followed by roles in 1985’s “After Hours” and 1986’s “Heartburn.” She reached wider audiences with her portrayal of Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” (1988), a role she reprised decades later in the 2024 sequel.

O’Hara became a household name in 1990 as the frantic mother in “Home Alone,” a role she returned to in the 1992 sequel. She continued to work steadily through the 1990s and 2000s in film, voice acting, and television, including projects such as 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Six Feet Under,” and 2010’s “Temple Grandin,” which earned her an Emmy nomination.

The late actress also received Emmy nominations for her roles in HBO’s “The Last of Us” and as a Hollywood producer in “The Studio,” which was one of her final projects.

In 2015, O’Hara reunited professionally with Levy for the television series “Schitt’s Creek,” created by Levy’s son, Dan Levy. Her performance as Moira Rose earned her the 2020 Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, along with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.

In addition to live-action roles, O’Hara built an extensive voice-acting résumé, lending characters to animated films including “Frankenweenie,” “The Addams Family,” and Pixar’s “Elemental.”

O’Hara married production designer Bo Welch in 1992 after meeting on the set of “Beetlejuice.” She is survived by Welch and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.