Early in the morning on Friday, Jan. 30, beloved actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She sadly passed away later that day, the cause of death still unknown. O’Hara was 71 years old when she died, leaving behind a six-decade- long legacy as a Hollywood icon. Most of our generation will recognize her as gaudy Moira Rose from Shitt’s Creek (2015) or Kevin McCallister's loving but forgetful mother in Home Alone (1990), but those projects — while critically-acclaimed — only scratch the surface of her illustrious and impactful career. This article cannot do her genius justice, but I feel honored to be paying tribute to a woman who has made me laugh so much.
Born and raised in Toronto, O’Hara was an understudy for Gilda Radner in The Second City comedy troupe until officially joining the cast in 1974 when Radner got hired for Saturday Night Live. On Second City Television (SCTV), O’Hara charmed audiences with her impressions and iconic characters and quickly rose to recognition in the comedy world. She even got hired as an SNL cast member in 1981, but quit before ever appearing on air and instead chose to return to SCTV when it signed with NBC and began airing in the U.S. As word of her talent spread, she made appearances on several TV shows throughout the ’90s, most notably Outer Limits and The Larry Saunders Show. Her most recognizable film credits include Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1986) and Kate McCallister in the Home Alone films (1990, 1992). She also lent her voice to many beloved animated movies: You can hear her in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Little (2005), Over The Hedge (2006) and Frankenweenie (2012).
I can’t memorialize Catherine O’Hara’s career without referencing her longtime costar Eugene Levy. Intertwined since their days on SCTV playing the parodic Hollywood stars Lola Heatherton and Bobby Bittman, their most recent reunion as the hilariously down on their luck Moira and Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek (2015) is a delightful bookend moment for longtime fans. Their comedic chemistry was solidified in the late ’90s and early 2000s, when the two starred recurrently in the mockumentary-style movies of Christopher Guest. Waiting For Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000) and For Your Consideration (2006) were a big hit during my family’s quarantine-mandated movie nights in 2020. The films feature quirky ensemble casts with comically sincere aspirations displayed in a faux-reality format, and Catherine O’Hara shines alongside Eugene Levy as a master of satirical and absurdist humor. In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Jan. 31, Levy mourns her death, saying that “words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today.” They truly brought out the best of each other onscreen, so it’s no surprise that they maintained a strong friendship throughout their parallel careers.
Catherine O’Hara’s reputation transcended comedic genius; she was regarded by all she worked with as a delight. News of her death hits especially hard after enjoying her portrayal of fictional studio executive Patty Leigh in the recent Apple TV series The Studio (2025) — a role that earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The cast and crew of The Studio shared their parting words in Deadline, a Hollywood news blog, following her sudden passing:
“We are at a loss for words at the passing of our friend Catherine O’Hara. She was a hero to all of us, and we pinched ourselves every day that we got to work with her on The Studio. She was somehow classy, warm, and hilarious all at the same time. We’re unbelievably saddened she is gone and send our deepest sympathy to Bo and all her family.”
No one can be feeling O’Hara’s loss harder than her husband, production designer Bo Welch. The couple met on the set of Beetlejuice in 1988 and married four years later. Their chemistry was undeniable after their very first date, and she left Canada behind for good to live with him in Los Angeles. “Yeah, I moved for love,” she told The New Yorker in a 2019 interview. The couple’s film credits overlapped again later in life: During her stint as Dr. Georgina Orwell in A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017), Welch directed two of the episodes she appeared in. Her casting in this role was a callback to the original film adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s black-comedy series, in which she also starred. Despite both maintaining fairly limelighted Hollywood careers, Welch and O’Hara’s family life remained peaceful and undisturbed as they raised their two sons Matthew and Luke. This weekend the world said goodbye to a beacon of light that has been brightening film and television for half a century. Two young men lost their mother, and a man bid farewell to the love of his life. The loss that their family must be feeling is immeasurable, and they will be holding a private celebration of her life in the near future. I will definitely be rewatching my favorite Christopher Guest movies to honor Catherine O’Hara in my own small way, and I recommend everyone find a time to let her make you laugh.
Maya Blanchard is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at mhb237@cornell.edu.
