Who Was Catherine O'Hara? What To Know About The 'Schitt's Creek' Actress
Catherine O'Hara How She Maintained A Multi-Decade Acting Career
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Catherine O’Hara filled plenty of roles in her time ... and she earned herself more than a few fans during her career as an actress, in which she appeared in productions like "Schitt's Creek" and "Home Alone."
We’re going to take a look back at the performer's career and see what she accomplished professionally in the years prior to her 2026 death.
Catherine was born in 1954 in Toronto, Canada, and she grew up in a large family in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke.
Catherine Was Originally From Canada
She began her acting career in the 1970s, when she joined The Second City -- a historic improv comedy enterprise -- in Toronto.
Catherine started out in showbiz by filling bit parts in various TV shows and made-for-TV movies, according to her IMDb page.
Her big break came in 1976, when she started appearing in The Second City’s sketch comedy show “SCTV,” and she remained with the show for three years alongside other future stars like John Candy and Rick Moranis.
She Eventually Began Working In Movies
Catherine switched back and forth between TV and film work throughout her career, and she gained exposure after being featured in flicks like “After Hours” and “Beetlejuice.”
She wasn’t exactly averse to appearing in sequels, either ... because she reprised her role as Kate, the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character from the 1990 film “Home Alone,” in the movie’s 1992 sequel.
Catherine didn’t mind waiting more than a few years for a sequel, either ... because she agreed to reprise her role as Delia from “Beetlejuice,” which was released in 1988, for its sequel -- which was released 36 years later.
And speaking of “Beetlejuice” -- Catherine met her husband, Bo Welch, on the set of the flick and Tim Burton encouraged him to ask her out ... they married in 1992, and they welcomed sons Matthew and Luke in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
Catherine Received Critical Acclaim For Her Work In “Schitt’s Creek”
Catherine’s career had always been steady ... and it received a serious boost in popularity in 2015, when she joined the cast of “Schitt’s Creek,” which was co-created by her old Second City castmate, Eugene Levy.
She filled the role of Moira Rose, a former soap opera star who was forced to deal with her family’s loss of fortune ... and she remained with the show for the entirety of its 80-episode run.
Catherine was put up for a duo of Primetime Emmy Awards for her work in the show ... and she took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020.
It’s also worth mentioning, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy the same year.
Her Cause Of Death Hasn’t Been Confirmed Yet
We revealed Catherine had died at the age of 71 in January 2026 ... her cause of death wasn’t publicly revealed.
Paramedics were called to her home in Los Angeles in the early hours of January 30th for a medical aid call, with her being in serious condition.
