Catherine O’Hara, Beloved Comedic Icon and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Star, Dies at 71

Los Angeles, Jan 2026 : Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian-born actress whose career spanned decades and whose gift for comedy endeared her to audiences worldwide, passed away Friday at her Los Angeles home after a brief illness, her agency, Creative Artists Agency, confirmed. She was 71. Known for her sharply funny, offbeat roles in film and television, O’Hara’s work left an indelible mark on both Hollywood and Canadian comedy.

O’Hara first emerged in the 1970s as a member of Toronto’s Second City, the famed improvisational comedy troupe, where she met Eugene Levy. Their collaboration would define her career, culminating decades later in their Emmy-winning roles on the hit sitcom Schitt’s Creek. Alongside Levy, O’Hara was a key member of the original cast of SCTV (“Second City Television”), a sketch comedy show that aired in Canada in the 1970s and on NBC in the early 1980s. SCTV introduced audiences to a generation of comedic talent, including Martin Short, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joe Flaherty.

O’Hara’s film career reflected her unique comic sensibility. In the 1980s, she appeared in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, roles that showcased her eccentric charm. She captured the hearts of global audiences as the frantic mother in the first two Home Alone films, acting opposite Macaulay Culkin, delivering performances that balanced comedy and realism. The films became holiday classics, regularly airing on television and delighting new generations of viewers. Culkin paid tribute to O’Hara on Instagram, posting a side-by-side photo from Home Alone and a recent recreation, writing, “Mom, I thought we had more time. I wanted more time. I wanted to sit in the chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you.” Meryl Streep, who worked with O’Hara in Heartburn, described her as someone who “brought love and light into our world, through her quick wit and kindness to the quirky characters she played.”

In the mid-1990s, O’Hara found her stride in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films, beginning with Waiting for Guffman (1996) and continuing with Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). Best in Show, in particular, became a cult favorite, with O’Hara playing Cookie Fleck, navigating the absurdities of dog-show culture alongside Eugene Levy. Guest called her “one of the comic giants of our time,” noting the brilliance she brought to ensemble comedy.

Born and raised in Toronto in 1954, O’Hara was the sixth of seven children in an Irish Catholic family. She graduated from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute and joined Second City as a young woman, initially serving as Gilda Radner’s understudy before Radner moved to Saturday Night Live. Though briefly hired for SNL herself, O’Hara left before appearing on air, preferring projects that allowed her distinctive voice to flourish.

O’Hara’s career reached a new peak with Schitt’s Creek, the series co-created by Levy and his son, Daniel Levy. The show, which chronicled a wealthy family forced to live in a small town, became a cultural phenomenon, sweeping the Emmys in its final season. O’Hara’s portrayal of Moira Rose, a dramatic former soap opera star with a singular Mid-Atlantic accent and uniquely crafted vocabulary, earned her critical acclaim and brought her humor to a new generation. She meticulously “Moira-ized” her lines, drawing on vintage vocabulary books to ensure her dialogue was as distinctive as the character herself.

Even late in her career, O’Hara continued to expand her repertoire. She earned Emmy nominations for dramatic and comedic roles, including a therapist in HBO’s The Last of Us and a mentor in Seth Rogen’s The Studio. Co-star Pedro Pascal praised her talent on Instagram: “Oh, to have you is genius. Forever grateful. My world is brighter.”

O’Hara is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, their sons Matthew and Luke, and her siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolly, Marcus O’Hara, Tom O’Hara, and Patricia Wallis. Her legacy spans decades of laughter, unforgettable characters, and a timeless impact on comedy, leaving fans and colleagues alike mourning the loss of a true icon.