ArkaEvren
Catherine O'Hara

ACTOR · BORN 1954 · DIED 2026

Catherine O'Hara

Born
4 March 1954, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died
30 January 2026
Known for
Schitt's Creek (2015), Killers (2010), The Studio (2025), Penelope (2006)

26 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Catherine O'Hara (4 March 1954 – 30 January 2026) was an actor best known for Schitt's Creek, Killers and The Studio.

26 Interesting Facts About Catherine O'Hara

Interesting Facts (13)

  1. #001

    She gave a tearful tribute at John Candy's funeral.

    Catherine O'Hara — a scene
    Catherine O'Hara: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #002

    She has a congenital condition called situs inversus, in which the chest and abdominal organs are arranged in a perfect mirror image of their normal positions. Most people with situs inversus experience no medical symptoms or complications from the condition, and it occurs in fewer than 1 in 10,000 people.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #003

    She has known Eugene Levy since their days on SCTV (1976) and has known Dan Levy since he was a baby.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  4. #004

    In 2013, she joined "Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton" to perform "Sally's Song" from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). She received a standing ovation both when she came on stage and when she left it.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  5. #005

    She was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  6. #006

    She learned to play the autoharp for her role in A Mighty Wind (2003).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  7. #007

    Tim Burton's wedding gift to her and Bo Welch was two tickets to a private tour of the Vatican.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  8. #008

    As seen on SCTV (1976), she does a perfect impression of Katharine Hepburn.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  9. #009

    Catherine O'Hara wrote SCTV's (1976) famous sketch "High-Q," which is regarded as one of the show's funniest sketches.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  10. #010

    Because of a scheduling conflict with Schitt's Creek (2015), Catherine O'Hara turned down a part in Mascots (2016), a film by Christopher Guest, with whom she frequently collaborates. It was the first film she had not starred in since The Big Picture (1989).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  11. #011

    Catherine O'Hara attended the same high school as her fellow Canadian entertainer Dave Foley.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  12. #012

    Catherine O'Hara appeared in three films with Joe Pesci: Betsy's Wedding (1990), Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  13. #013

    Luke Perry died on Catherine O'Hara's 65th birthday, while her close friend and fellow SCTV alumnus John Candy died on her 40th birthday.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Behind the Scenes (8)

  1. #014

    She is depicted on one of a set of five Canadian commemorative postage stamps, issued on August 29, 2014, honouring Great Canadian Comedians, with no denomination specified. In addition to the main portrait, she is shown in her roles as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988), Marilyn Hack in For Your Consideration (2006) and Mickey Crabbe in A Mighty Wind (2003). Others honoured in the set include Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Martin Short and Olivier Guimond. Each stamp was priced at 85¢ on its issue date.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #015

    After casting Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern for Home Alone (1990), Chris Columbus felt confident enough to cast actors with growing followings such as O'Hara, after seeing her work on SCTV (1976) as well as John Heard, and Tim Curry and Rob Schneider in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), because they were all open to the films.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #016

    She shares a 40-year acquaintance with Eugene Levy; they have appeared together in many projects: SCTV (1976), SCTV Network (1981), SCTV Channel (1983), Nothing Personal (1980), The Last Polka (1985), Double Negative (1980), I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), Over the Hedge (2006), For Your Consideration (2006), A Mighty Wind (2003) and the May 5, 1975 (1975) episode.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  4. #017

    She met her husband Bo Welch on the set of Beetlejuice (1988), where he worked as production designer.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  5. #018

    She was part of the Northern Lights group that sang "Tears Are Not Enough", a track included on the "We Are The World" album.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  6. #019

    She appeared in two unconnected adaptations of Daniel Handler's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" book series: as Justice Strauss in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) and as Dr. Georgina Orwell in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2016).

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  7. #020

    She is a high school friend of Robin Duke from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. They first appeared together in a school production of "Harvey".

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  8. #021

    She auditioned for the role of Susan in Big (1988), a film that Robert De Niro was involved with.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Career & Awards (2)

  1. #022

    Macaulay Culkin's speech at his 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony moved Catherine O'Hara to tears.

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #023

    Janeane Garofalo has stated that Catherine O'Hara had a significant influence on her acting career.

    CAREER & AWARDS · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Life & Family (3)

  1. #024

    In 2014, it emerged that Macaulay Culkin, who played her on-screen son in Home Alone (1990), still calls her "Mom."

    LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #025

    John Candy, her longtime collaborator, died on her 40th birthday.

    LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #026

    Catherine O'Hara co-wrote two songs she performed in the 1985 film The Last Polka, together with her sister Mary Margaret O'Hara and her friend Robin Duke.

    LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Continue through the archive

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work