Catherine O'Hara, 'Schitt’s Creek' and 'Home Alone' star, passes away at 71
Catherine O’Hara, the comedic actress best known for her starring roles in the Home Alone and Beetlejuice films, as well as her Emmy-winning turn in Schitt’s Creek, has died aged 71.
Catherine O'Hara, 'Schitt’s Creek' and 'Home Alone' star, passes away at 71
Catherine O’Hara, the comedic actress best known for her starring roles in the Home Alone and Beetlejuice films, as well as her Emmy-winning turn in Schitt’s Creek, has died aged 71.
O’Hara passed away on Friday (30 January) at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness, her manager confirmed the death to Variety.
Her career spanned more than five decades, beginning with the influential Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television (SCTV), where she earned her first Emmy Award. She later became a familiar face in Hollywood films, including “After Hours”, “Beetlejuice” and the first two “Home Alone” movies, in which she memorably played the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin.
O’Hara was also a longtime collaborator of filmmaker Christopher Guest, appearing in several of his mockumentaries such as “Best in Show”, “Waiting for Guffman”, “For Your Consideration” and “A Mighty Wind”.
In addition to her live-action work, she lent her voice to popular animated films, including “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Chicken Little”.
She enjoyed a major career resurgence in her 60s with her portrayal of Moira Rose in the CBC sitcom “Schitt’s Creek”, starring alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. The role earned her a second Emmy Award and introduced her to a new generation of viewers.
Following the success of “Schitt’s Creek”, O’Hara took on prominent television roles, including appearances in HBO’s “The Last of Us” and Apple TV’s “The Studio”.
In the latter, she played a veteran Hollywood executive sidelined within her own studio. The second season of the Seth Rogen–led comedy recently began filming.
