Catherine O'Hara

Catherine Anne O'Hara Template:Post-nominals<ref name="gg.ca">Template:Cite web</ref> (born March 4, 1954)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dramatic roles. She has received several accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

She started her career in the sketch comedy series Second City Television (1976–1984) where she won the Primetime Emmy Award. She gained acclaim acting in films such as After Hours (1985), Heartburn (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). She collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his mockumentary films Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). She also voiced roles in films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Little (2005), Over the Hedge (2006), Monster House (2006), Frankenweenie (2012), and Elemental (2023).

She gained a career resurgence for her role as Moira Rose in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek (2015–2020), earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. She was previously Emmy-nominated for her portrayal of Temple Grandin's aunt in the HBO film Temple Grandin (2010). She also acted in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2003–2005), the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018), the Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio (2025), and the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2025).

Early life

Catherine Anne O'Hara was born on March 4, 1954,<ref name="ggpaa">Template:Cite web</ref> and she grew up in Toronto, Ontario, the sixth of seven children. She is of Irish descent<ref>Onstad, Katrina (April 12, 2005)Template:Cite news</ref> and was raised Catholic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She is the older sister to musician and actress Mary Margaret O'Hara.

In 1974, O'Hara graduated from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Free access</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Free access</ref>

Career

O'Hara in 2005

O'Hara started her comedy career in 1974 as a cast member of The Second City in her hometown, Toronto.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was an understudy for Gilda Radner until Radner left for Saturday Night Live.<ref name="People1986">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two years later, this theatre troupe created the sketch comedy show SCTV, for which O'Hara became a regular performer.<ref name="People1986"/> In the late 1970s, she provided voice-overs for a number of cartoons, work which would continue throughout her career. During a short time in the early 1980s when SCTV was in between network deals, she was hired to replace Ann Risley when Saturday Night Live was being retooled in 1981. However, she quit the show without appearing on air, choosing to go back to SCTV when the show signed on with NBC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was long rumored to have left SNL due to conflicts with volatile writer Michael O'Donoghue, but O'Hara denied these claims and said she left the show due to her dislike for living in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

O'Hara expanded her career on television in the mid-1970s. She appeared in a small sketch role as a maid in a 1975 Wayne and Shuster special on CBC. She appeared in the 1976 television film The Rimshots, the children's television series Coming Up Rosie for a season (1976–77), and television specials, such as Witch's Night Out and Intergalactic Thanksgiving. Her performances on SCTV, which began airing locally in Southern Ontario in the fall of 1976, earned her fame in Canada. The show gradually built up a national and then international following in syndication. O'Hara left SCTV for a time, missing the 1980–81 season, but returned to the show in time for its pickup by the NBC television network in the US, when it became known as SCTV Network 90. O'Hara's work as a writer on the show earned her an Emmy Award for outstanding writing and two Emmy Award nominations. She left SCTV again prior to its fifth season in 1982, but did return for occasional guest appearances through the show's end in 1984. O'Hara has appeared in a number of television series and television films and continues to work in television. During the 1990s, she made guest appearances on Tales from the Crypt, Oh Baby, Morton & Hayes and The Larry Sanders Show. She served as actress and director on Dream On and The Outer Limits, the revival of the '60s series of the same name.

O'Hara's star on Canada's Walk of Fame

O'Hara has guest-starred on top-rated television series including Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In May 2008, it was announced that she had signed on to star in the upcoming ABC dramedy Good Behavior.<ref>Waldman, Allison (May 2, 2008) Template:Cite web Catherine O'Hara to star in ABC pilot</ref> Her role in the 2010 television film Temple Grandin earned her three award nominations: a Primetime Emmy Award, a Satellite Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

O'Hara has a successful career in film. She made her feature debut in the 1980 film Double Negative, which also starred her SCTV co-stars John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Hara appeared in many supporting roles, including Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985) and Heartburn (1986). She appeared as Delia Deetz in the horror-comedy film Beetlejuice (1988). In 1990, O'Hara had roles in the films Dick Tracy and Betsy's Wedding. She then starred as Kate McCallister in the blockbuster comedy film Home Alone (1990) and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Also in 1992, O'Hara appeared in the comedy There Goes the Neighborhood.

O'Hara continued to appear in many films during the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century. In 1994, she appeared in the comedy-drama film The Paper and the Western film Wyatt Earp. She received roles in four of Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, three of which earned her awards and nominations: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). Her role in 1999's The Life Before This won her a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. She appeared in the tenth series of the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? In 2004, she appeared with Jim Carrey in the black comedy film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and in 2006, she starred with Christina Ricci in the fantasy film Penelope. O'Hara has served as a voice artist in a number of animated films, including The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Bartok the Magnificent (1999), Chicken Little (2005), Over the Hedge (2006), Monster House (2006), Brother Bear 2 (2006), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Frankenweenie (2012), The Addams Family (2019), Extinct (2021), Elemental (2023), and The Wild Robot (2024).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

From 2015 to 2020, O'Hara co-starred as Moira Rose in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek, alongside Eugene Levy, with whom she had worked on TV, in films, and as a Second City cast member on stage in 1974. Her performance in Schitt's Creek earned her six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> She swept the five major TV awards for the 6th and final season, winning a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She appeared as Dr. Georgina Orwell in the first season of the Netflix black comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events, which premiered in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two of her episodes were directed by her husband Bo Welch who served as production designer for the series. She was the only cast member from the 2004 film adaptation to be re-cast in the TV series as well.

She appears on the revival of another Canadian sketch comedy staple The Kids in the Hall, in its second episode as Charlene, a Friend of the Kids in the Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> O'Hara reprised her role as Delia Deetz in the Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2025, she guest-starred as Gail Lynden in the second season of the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

O'Hara with Welch in 2024

In 1983, O'Hara told Rolling Stone, "I'm pretty much a good Catholic girl at heart."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> O'Hara met production designer Bo Welch on the set of Beetlejuice.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They married in 1992 and have two sons: Matthew (b. 1994) and Luke (b. 1997).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Catherine">Template:Cite web</ref> Her sister is singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara; Catherine is a singer-songwriter in her own right, having written and performed songs in Christopher Guest's film A Mighty Wind.

O'Hara was named honorary mayor of Brentwood, Los Angeles, for 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

She has situs inversus, a condition where major internal organs are reversed from their normal positions.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

O'Hara maintains a close friendship with Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin, and was present when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She holds dual Canadian and American citizenship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Nothing Personal	Audrey
	Double Negative	Judith
1983	Rock & Rule	Aunt Edith (voice)	<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
1985	After Hours	Gail
1986	Heartburn	Betty
1988	Beetlejuice	Delia Deetz
1990	Dick Tracy	Texie Garcia
	Betsy's Wedding	Gloria Henner
	Home Alone	Kate McCallister
	Little Vegas	Lexie
1992	There Goes the Neighborhood	Jessica Lodge	Internationally re-titled Paydirt
	Home Alone 2: Lost in New York	Kate McCallister
1993	The Nightmare Before Christmas	Sally / Shock (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
1994	The Paper	Susan
	Wyatt Earp	Allie Earp
	A Simple Twist of Fate	April Simon
1995	Tall Tale	Calamity Jane
1996	Waiting for Guffman	Sheila Albertson
	The Last of the High Kings	Cathleen
1997	Pippi Longstocking	Mrs. Prysselius (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
1998	Home Fries	Beatrice Lever
1999	The Life Before This	Sheena
	Bartok the Magnificent	Ludmilla (voice)	Direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
2000	Best in Show	Cookie Fleck
	Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big	Lorna Mae Loon (voice)	Short film<ref name="btva" />
2001	Speaking of Sex	Connie Barker
2002	Orange County	Cindy Beugler
	Searching for Debra Winger	Herself	Documentary
2003	A Mighty Wind	Mickey Crabbe
2004	Surviving Christmas	Christine Valco
	Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events	Justice Strauss
2005	Game 6	Lillian Rogan
	Chicken Little	Tina (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2006	Over the Hedge	Penny (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Monster House	Mrs. Walters (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Brother Bear 2	Kata (voice)	Direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
	Penelope	Jessica Wilhern
	For Your Consideration	Marilyn Heck
	Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses	Rowena (voice)	Direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
2009	Away We Go	Gloria Farlander
	Where the Wild Things Are	Judith (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2010	Killers	Mrs. Kornfeldt
2011	A Monster in Paris	Madame Carlotta (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2012	Frankenweenie	Susan Frankenstein / Gym Teacher / Weird Girl (voices)	<ref name="btva" />
2013	A.C.O.D.	Melissa
	The Right Kind of Wrong	Tess
2014	When Marnie Was There	Old Marnie (voice)
2015	Being Canadian	Herself	Documentary
2019	The Addams Family	Grandma Frump (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
2020	Canada: Far and Wide	Herself (voice)	Narrator; Movie attraction for World Showcase at Epcot at Disneyworld
2021	Extinct	Alma (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Back Home Again	Mayor Owl (voice)	Short film
2023	Elemental	Brook Ripple (voice)	<ref name="btva" />
	Pain Hustlers	Jackie Drake
2024	Argylle	Ruth
	Beetlejuice Beetlejuice	Delia Deetz
	The Wild Robot	Pinktail (voice)
2025	John Candy: I Like Me	Herself	Documentary

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Wayne and Shuster	Various	Episode: "1975 Show #2"
1975–77	Coming Up Rosie	Marna Wallbacker
1976	The Rimshots	Maggie	Retooled as Custard Pie with a different cast
1976–84	SCTV	Various	Main; Seasons 1, 2 & 4, Guest; Seasons 5 & 6, Also writer for seasons 1, 2, 4 & 6, Served as writer for The Best of SCTV
1978	Witch's Night Out	Malicious (voice)	CBC/NBC television special<ref name="btva" />
1979	Intergalactic Thanksgiving	Ma Spademinder (voice)	Television short<ref name="btva" />
1980	Easter Fever	Scarlett O'Hare (voice)	CBC television special
	From Cleveland	Various	Television pilot; Also writer
	You've Come a Long Way, Katie	Chris Dougherty	Miniseries
1981	The Steve Allen Comedy Hour	Various	Episode: "May 29, 1981"
1984	The New Show		3 episodes
1985	The Last Polka	Lemon Twin	Television movie
	George Burns Comedy Week	Sally	Episode: "The Dynamite Girl"
1986	Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood	Marie Antoinette	Television movie
	Really Weird Tales	Theresa Sharpe	Episode: "I'll Die Loving"; also writer
1987	Trying Times	Rebecca	Episode: "Get a Job"
1988	The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley	Miss Malone (voice)	Main role
	Saturday Night Live	Herself	Episode: "Matthew Broderick / The Sugarcubes"
1989	I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood	Nancy Mae	HBO television special
	Andrea Martin... Together Again	Various	Television special; Also writer for special material
1990	The Dave Thomas Comedy Show		Episode: "#1.5"
	Dream On	Irma	Episode: "555-HELL"; Directed episode: "And Your Little Dog, Too"
1991	Morton & Hayes	Amelia von Astor	Episode: "Daffy Dicks"
	Married... with Children	Female Dog	Episode: "Look Who's Barking"
	Saturday Night Live	Herself / Host	Episode: "Catherine O'Hara / R.E.M."
1992			Episode: "Catherine O'Hara / 10,000 Maniacs"
	The Larry Sanders Show	Herself	Episode: "The Talk Show Episode"
1993	The Hidden Room	Laurel Brody	Episode: "The First Battle"
1994	Tales from the Crypt	Geraldine Ferrett	Episode: "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime"
1997	The Outer Limits	Becka Paulson	Episode: "The Revelations of Becka Paulson"; Directed episode: "Glyphic"
	Hope	Muriel Macswain	Television movie
1998	Whose Line Is It Anyway?	Herself	3 episodes
1999	Late Last Night	Shrink	Television movie
	Oh Baby	Roberta Hunter	Episode: "Discrimination"
2000	MAD TV	Woman on Blind Date	Episode: "24"
2001	Committed	Liz Larsen	Main role
2002	Bram & Alice	Ms. O'Connor	Episode: "Pilot"
	Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist	Catherine (voice)	Episode: "Bakery Ben"<ref name="btva" />
2003	Odd Job Jack	Claudia Johnson	Episode: "Broke & Broker"
2003–05	Six Feet Under	Carol Ward	4 episodes
2004	The Wool Cap	Gloria	Television movie
2009	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Bam Bam	Episode: "Funkhouser's Crazy Sister"
2009–2011	Glenn Martin, DDS	Jackie Martin (voice)	Main role
2010	Temple Grandin	Aunt Ann	Television movie
2012	Leslie	Leslie	2 episodes
	30 Rock	Pearline	Episode: "Governor Dunston"
2013	The Greatest Event in Television History	Muriel Rush	Episode: "Too Close for Comfort"
2015	What Lives Inside	Sarah Delaney	Miniseries
2015–2020	Schitt's Creek	Moira Rose	Main role; Also consulting producer for seasons 2–6
2015	Modern Family	Dr. Debra Radcliffe	Episode: "Clean Out Your Junk Drawer"
2016	Sofia the First	Morgana (voice)	Episode: "Gone With the Wand"
	Harvey Beaks	Miley (voice)	Episode: "The New Bugaboo/The Case of the Missing Pancake"
2016–18	Skylanders Academy	Kaossandra (voice)	Main role
2017–18	A Series of Unfortunate Events	Dr. Georgina Orwell	3 episodes
2018	The Magic School Bus Rides Again	Aunt Tennelli, Teresina Tennelli (voice)	2 episodes<ref name="btva" />
2019–2020	The Last Kids on Earth	Skaelka (voice)	6 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva" />
2020	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?	Herself	2 episodes
2022	Central Park	Gwendolyn Swish (voice)	Episode: "The PAIGE-riarchy!"; Performed the song "Light The Match", written by Danny Elfman
	The Kids in the Hall	Charlene	Episode 2
2025	The Studio	Patty Leigh	Main role
	The Last of Us	Gail Lynden	3 episodes (Season 2)

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist(s)	Role	Template:Abbr
2024	"Electric Energy"	Ariana DeBose, Boy George and Nile Rodgers	Herself	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2024	Disney Speedstorm	Sally (voice)
	Disney Dreamlight Valley

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Catherine O'Hara at Northernstars.ca