Catherine O’Hara, comedy icon and “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy award winner, has died at 71.
The actress, best known for playing Kate McCallister, the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin, in “Home Alone,” died Friday in Los Angeles, TheWrap has learned.
“We are saddened to announce the passing of Catherine O’Hara,” O’Hara’s agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) shared in a statement to TheWrap. “O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.”
O’Hara was born on March 4, 1954 and grew up in Canada’s popular cities Toronto and Ontario. The longtime actress began her career in sketch and improvisational comedy with the Canadian series “Second City Television,” during which she performed alongside fellow alumni Eugene Levy and earned a Primetime Emmy award. She also reeled in four Emmy nominations for her writing on the show.
By the ’80s, O’Hara landed roles in “After Hours,” “Heartburn,” and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” in 1988. She went on to nab Hollywood blockbusters including her role in “Home Alone” and its spinoff “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”
Most recently, fans saw O’Hara reprise her role as Delia Deetz in the “Beetlejuice” sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” appear in Season 2 of the hit HBO series “The Last of Us,” and star in the multiple award-winning show “The Studio.”
During her career, O’Hara collaborated with Christopher Guest and Levy on four mockumentary films: “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration.” Her performance in the latter won her the 2007 National Board of Review Award for supporting actress.
Throughout her career, O’Hara made several guest appearances on popular shows, including “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Six Feet Under.” She also earned Primetime Emmy, Satellite and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for her role in HBO’s “Temple Grandin.”
“Catherine O’Hara was one of the rare performers who could disappear completely into a character and somehow make that character unforgettable,” Journey Gunderson, executive director for the National Comedy Center, said in a statement. “She shaped what comedy acting could be – blending precision, humanity and originality in a way that felt effortless but was anything but. Her work will continue to inspire generations of performers and audiences.”
O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch and sons Matthew and Luke., along with siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara, Patricia Wallice.
