Catherine O’Hara, Emmy-winning star of Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, passes away

New York: Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning Canadian-born comic actor celebrated for her work on “SCTV,” her role as the frazzled mother in the “Home Alone” films and her career-defining turn as Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” died Friday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 71.

Her representatives said O’Hara died following a brief illness. No further details were immediately disclosed.

O’Hara was widely regarded as one of the most distinctive comic performers of her generation, known for her sharp improvisational instincts, eccentric characters and emotional depth. Over a career spanning five decades, she moved fluidly between sketch comedy, film, television and mockumentary-style satire, earning admiration from critics, collaborators and audiences alike.

Born and raised in Toronto, O’Hara was the sixth of seven children in a Catholic family of Irish descent. She attended Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute before joining the Second City comedy group in the early 1970s. Her early years in Toronto’s improvisational scene proved formative, bringing her into close creative partnership with Eugene Levy, with whom she would collaborate repeatedly throughout her career.

O’Hara became nationally known as a member of the original cast of “SCTV” (“Second City Television”), the influential sketch comedy series that aired in Canada and the United States beginning in the late 1970s. The show launched a generation of alternative comedy stars, including Martin Short, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Joe Flaherty. O’Hara’s work on “SCTV” earned her an Emmy Award for writing and established her reputation as a fearless and inventive performer.

In film, O’Hara often portrayed offbeat or emotionally heightened characters. She appeared in Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice,” later reprising her role in the 2024 sequel. She reached global audiences as the overwhelmed mother who accidentally leaves her son behind in the “Home Alone” films, which became holiday classics and among the biggest box-office hits of the early 1990s.

While major Hollywood starring roles were limited, O’Hara found a creative home in the mockumentaries directed by Christopher Guest. Beginning with “Waiting for Guffman” in 1996, she appeared in a series of improvisation-driven ensemble films including “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration.” “Best in Show” became the most commercially successful of the group, with O’Hara and Levy portraying a married couple navigating the competitive dog-show circuit.

O’Hara’s career reached new heights decades later with “Schitt’s Creek,” the CBC and Pop TV series created by Eugene Levy and his son, Dan Levy. As Moira Rose, a former soap opera star clinging to glamour after financial ruin, O’Hara delivered a performance marked by heightened diction, theatrical flair and surprising vulnerability. The role earned her an Emmy Award for best actress in a comedy series, along with a Golden Globe and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards. The show’s final season swept the major comedy categories at the Emmys and introduced O’Hara to a new generation of fans.

In her later years, O’Hara continued to take on varied roles, including appearances on HBO’s “The Last of Us” and the comedy series “The Studio.” These performances brought additional Emmy nominations, contributing to a total of 10 nominations over her career.

O’Hara was married to production designer Bo Welch. She is survived by her husband, their sons Matthew and Luke, and her siblings.