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)
- #001
She gave a tearful tribute at John Candy's funeral.
Catherine O'Hara: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0 - #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.
- #003
She has known Eugene Levy since their days on SCTV (1976) and has known Dan Levy since he was a baby.
- #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.
- #005
She was a naturalized U.S. citizen.
- #006
She learned to play the autoharp for her role in A Mighty Wind (2003).
- #007
Tim Burton's wedding gift to her and Bo Welch was two tickets to a private tour of the Vatican.
- #008
As seen on SCTV (1976), she does a perfect impression of Katharine Hepburn.
- #009
Catherine O'Hara wrote SCTV's (1976) famous sketch "High-Q," which is regarded as one of the show's funniest sketches.
- #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).
- #011
Catherine O'Hara attended the same high school as her fellow Canadian entertainer Dave Foley.
- #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).
- #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.
Behind the Scenes (8)
- #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.
- #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.
- #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.
- #017
She met her husband Bo Welch on the set of Beetlejuice (1988), where he worked as production designer.
- #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.
- #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).
- #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".
- #021
She auditioned for the role of Susan in Big (1988), a film that Robert De Niro was involved with.
Career & Awards (2)
- #022
Macaulay Culkin's speech at his 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony moved Catherine O'Hara to tears.
- #023
Janeane Garofalo has stated that Catherine O'Hara had a significant influence on her acting career.
Life & Family (3)
- #024
In 2014, it emerged that Macaulay Culkin, who played her on-screen son in Home Alone (1990), still calls her "Mom."
- #025
John Candy, her longtime collaborator, died on her 40th birthday.
- #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.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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