Beloved comedian, Catherine O’Hara, passed away on January 30 at 71.
The Makings of an Icon: O’Hara’s Start at SCTV
O’Hara got her start at Second City Toronto in the 1970s. There, she waitressed and eventually joined the Second City touring company. The theater troupe later created the sketch comedy show SCTV, in which she became a core member of the ensemble cast. Through original characters such as Lola Heatherton and Dusty Towne, as well as impersonations of famous figures like Elizabeth Taylor and Katherine Hepburn, O’Hara showcased her improv skills and innate comedic ability to acclaim and adoration.
In a 1983 interview with Rolling Stone, O’Hara spoke of her career success, in particular her acting process, saying, “I think the success of my work stems from being truthful…I go to the depths of nothingness. The more I do that — become nothing — and the more I let the character take over, the more I feel like that person. When you become the person, nothing is contrived.”
O’Hara’s dedication to her craft earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in 1982.
A Lengthy Career
Following SCTV, O’Hara went on to have a successful run in film. Her most well-known roles being the frazzled but loving mother to Kevin in the Christmas staple Home Alone, and Delia Deetz, the struggling gothic artist in the horror-comedy Beetlejuice.
In the late 1990s and 2000s, O’Hara continued to bring her improv talents to the screen. She frequently collaborated with director Christopher Guest on a series of mockumentaries, including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.
O’Hara was also a gifted voice actress, appearing in films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Chicken Little, Over the Hedge, Monster House, Where the Wild Things Are, Frankenweenie, The Addams Family, Elemental, and The Wild Robot.
It wasn’t until the 2010s that O’Hara made a major return to TV. In 2015, O’Hara starred in the Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek as former soap opera star Moira Rose. O’Hara’s physical comedy and input on her wigs and costuming perfected Moira’s eccentricities. Her work on the show cemented her as an icon amongst a new generation of television fans. O’Hara would snag the five major TV awards for the show’s sixth and final season.
Working until the end of her life, some of O’Hara’s final roles included Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, where she reprised her role as Delia. As well as The Last of Us and The Studio, both of which earned her Emmy nominations. The Screen Actors Guild also nominated her this year for her role as Patty Leigh in The Studio. The SAG Awards will take place on March 1.
Friends and Colleagues Pay Tribute
O’Hara’s passing leaves a hole in the hearts of those who had the opportunity of working alongside her.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.” wrote Macaulay Culkin on Instagram.
Co-creator and star of The Studio, Seth Rogen wrote on Instagram, “Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
Long time friend and collaborator Eugene Levy said in a statement, “From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to ‘SCTV,’ to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”
O’Hara’s Beetlejuice co-star Michael Keaton wrote of his friendship with her on Instagram. “She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her,”
Director Martin Scorsese, who’d worked with O’Hara in his 1985 film After Hours, her first major film role, said in a statement to IndieWire, “Catherine was a true comic genius, a true artist, and a wonderful human being. I was blessed to be able to work with her on ‘After Hours,’ and I’m going to miss her presence and her artistry. We all are.”
O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch and sons Matthew and Luke.
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