The great comic actress Catherine O’Hara has died.
She was known for roles like that of Kevin’s (McCauley Culkin) mother, Kate, in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). She also starred as Delia Deetz, mother of Winona Ryder’s character Lydia, in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988). She returned to reprise the role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. O’Hara collaborated often with Burton, lending her voice to some of his animated films.
Widely celebrated as a versatile comedic powerhouse, O’Hara was one of the original cast members on the groundbreaking Canadian TV sketch comedy SCTV (1976), and decades later she won an Emmy for her iconic performance as Moira Rose in the comedy series Schitt’s Creek.
Also on TV, O’Hara most recently portrayed Patty Leigh in Apple’s Emmy-winning comedy The Studio starring Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz and more. She also portrayed Gail Lynden, therapist to Pedro Pascal’s Joel in The Last of Us Season 2.
O’Hara is also remembered for her work within Christopher Guest’s legendary improv mockumentary ensemble, delivering unforgettable performances as the stage-struck Sheila Albertson in Waiting for Guffman (1996), the eccentric Cookie Fleck in Best in Show (2000), and the soulful Mickey Crabbe in A Mighty Wind (2003). Her collaboration with Guest continued in For Your Consideration (2006), where she portrayed Marilyn Hack, an actress caught in the whirlwind of award-season desperation.
Revisit O’Hara’s career below.