Catherine O'Hara | |
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.jpg) O'Hara in 2024 | |
| Born | Catherine Anne O'Hara (1954-03-04)March 4, 1954 (age 71) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Citizenship |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mary Margaret O'Hara (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Catherine Anne O'HaraOC[1] (born March 4, 1954)[2] is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career insketch andimprovisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dramatic roles. She has receivedseveral accolades including twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, aGolden Globe Award, and twoScreen Actors Guild Awards.
She started her career in thesketch comedy seriesSecond City Television (1976–1984) where she won thePrimetime Emmy Award. She gained acclaim acting in films such asAfter Hours (1985),Heartburn (1986),Beetlejuice (1988),Home Alone (1990) andHome Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). She collaborated withChristopher Guest acting in hismockumentary filmsWaiting for Guffman (1996),Best in Show (2000),A Mighty Wind (2003), andFor Your Consideration (2006). She also voiced roles in films such asThe Nightmare Before Christmas (1993),Chicken Little (2005),Over the Hedge (2006),Monster House (2006),Frankenweenie (2012), andElemental (2023).
She gained a career resurgence for her role asMoira Rose in theCBC sitcomSchitt's Creek (2015–2020), earning aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. She was previously Emmy-nominated for her portrayal ofTemple Grandin's aunt in theHBO filmTemple Grandin (2010). She also acted in theHBO drama seriesSix Feet Under (2003–2005), theNetflix seriesA Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018), theApple TV+ comedy seriesThe Studio (2025), and theHBO post-apocalyptic drama seriesThe Last of Us (2025).
Catherine Anne O'Hara was born on March 4, 1954,[3] and she grew up inToronto,Ontario, the sixth of seven children. She is of Irish descent[4] and was raisedCatholic.[5] She is the older sister to musician and actressMary Margaret O'Hara.
In 1974, O'Hara graduated fromBurnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute.[6][7]
O'Hara started her comedy career in 1974 as a cast member ofThe Second City in her hometown, Toronto.[8] She was an understudy forGilda Radner until Radner left forSaturday Night Live.[9][10] Two years later, this theatre troupe created the sketch comedy showSCTV, for which O'Hara became a regular performer.[9] In the late 1970s, she provided voice-overs for a number ofcartoons, work which would continue throughout her career. During a short time in the early 1980s whenSCTV was in between network deals, she was hired to replaceAnn Risley whenSaturday Night Live was being retooled in 1981. However, she quit the show without appearing on air, choosing to go back toSCTV when the show signed on withNBC.[11][12] She was long rumored to have leftSNL due to conflicts with volatile writerMichael O'Donoghue, but O'Hara denied these claims and said she left the show due to her dislike for living in New York City.[13]
O'Hara expanded her career on television in the mid-1970s. She appeared in a small sketch role as a maid in a 1975Wayne and Shuster special on CBC. She appeared in the 1976 television filmThe Rimshots, the children's television seriesComing Up Rosie for a season (1976–77), and television specials, such asWitch's Night Out andIntergalactic Thanksgiving. Her performances onSCTV, 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 leftSCTV 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 asSCTV Network 90. O'Hara's work as a writer on the show earned her anEmmy Award for outstanding writing and two Emmy Award nominations. She leftSCTV 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 onTales from the Crypt,Oh Baby,Morton & Hayes andThe Larry Sanders Show. She served as actress and director onDream On andThe Outer Limits, the revival of the '60s series ofthe same name.
O'Hara has guest-starred on top-rated television series includingSix Feet Under andCurb Your Enthusiasm. In May 2008, it was announced that she had signed on to star in the upcomingABCdramedyGood Behavior.[14] Her role in the 2010 television filmTemple Grandin earned her three award nominations: aPrimetime Emmy Award, aSatellite Award, and aScreen Actors Guild Award.
O'Hara has a successful career in film. She made her feature debut in the 1980 filmDouble Negative, which also starred herSCTV co-starsJohn Candy,Eugene Levy, andJoe Flaherty.[15] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Hara appeared in many supporting roles, includingMartin Scorsese'sAfter Hours (1985) andHeartburn (1986). She appeared as Delia Deetz in the horror-comedy filmBeetlejuice (1988). In 1990, O'Hara had roles in the filmsDick Tracy andBetsy's Wedding. She then starred as Kate McCallister in the blockbuster comedy filmHome Alone (1990) and its sequelHome Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Also in 1992, O'Hara appeared in the comedyThere 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 filmThe Paper and the Western filmWyatt Earp. She received roles in four ofChristopher Guest'smockumentary films, three of which earned her awards and nominations:Waiting for Guffman (1996),Best in Show (2000),A Mighty Wind (2003), andFor Your Consideration (2006). Her role in 1999'sThe Life Before This won her aGenie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. She appeared in thetenth series of theBritish version ofWhose Line Is It Anyway? In 2004, she appeared withJim Carrey in the black comedy filmLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and in 2006, she starred withChristina Ricci in the fantasy filmPenelope.O'Hara has served as a voice artist in a number of animated films, includingThe 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), andThe Wild Robot (2024).[16]
From 2015 to 2020, O'Hara co-starred asMoira Rose in theCBC sitcomSchitt'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 inSchitt's Creek earned her sixCanadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.[17] She swept the five major TV awards for the 6th and final season, winning aTCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, aCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and aScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series.[18]
She appeared as Dr. Georgina Orwell in the first season of theNetflix black comedy drama seriesA Series of Unfortunate Events, which premiered in 2017.[19] Two of her episodes were directed by her husbandBo Welch who served asproduction designer for the series. She was the only cast member from the2004 film adaptation to be re-cast in the TV series as well.
She appears on the revival of another Canadian sketch comedy stapleThe Kids in the Hall, in its second episode as Charlene, a Friend of the Kids in the Hall.[20] O'Hara reprised her role as Delia Deetz in theBeetlejuice sequel,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in 2024.[21]
In 2025, she guest-starred asGail Lynden in thesecond season of theHBO post-apocalyptic drama seriesThe Last of Us.[22]
In 1983, O'Hara toldRolling Stone, "I'm pretty much a good Catholic girl at heart."[23] O'Hara metproduction designerBo Welch on the set ofBeetlejuice.[24] They married in 1992 and have two sons: Matthew (b. 1994) and Luke (b. 1997).[25][26] Her sister is singer-songwriterMary Margaret O'Hara; Catherine is a singer-songwriter in her own right, having written and performed songs in Christopher Guest's filmA Mighty Wind.
O'Hara was named honorary mayor ofBrentwood, Los Angeles, for 2021.[27]
She hassitus inversus, a condition where major internal organs are reversed from their normal positions.[28]
O'Hara maintains a close friendship withHome Alone co-starMacaulay Culkin, and was present when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[29]
She holds dual Canadian and American citizenship.[30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Nothing Personal | Audrey | |
| Double Negative | Judith | ||
| 1983 | Rock & Rule | Aunt Edith (voice) | [31] |
| 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-titledPaydirt |
| Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | Kate McCallister | ||
| 1993 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Sally /Shock (voice) | [31] |
| 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) | [31] |
| 1998 | Home Fries | Beatrice Lever | |
| 1999 | The Life Before This | Sheena | |
| Bartok the Magnificent | Ludmilla (voice) | Direct-to-video[31] | |
| 2000 | Best in Show | Cookie Fleck | |
| Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big | Lorna Mae Loon (voice) | Short film[31] | |
| 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) | [31] | |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Penny (voice) | [31] |
| Monster House | Mrs. Walters (voice) | [31] | |
| Brother Bear 2 | Kata (voice) | Direct-to-video[31] | |
| Penelope | Jessica Wilhern | ||
| For Your Consideration | Marilyn Heck | ||
| Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses | Rowena (voice) | Direct-to-video[31] | |
| 2009 | Away We Go | Gloria Farlander | |
| Where the Wild Things Are | Judith (voice) | [31] | |
| 2010 | Killers | Mrs. Kornfeldt | |
| 2011 | A Monster in Paris | Madame Carlotta (voice) | [31] |
| 2012 | Frankenweenie | Susan Frankenstein / Gym Teacher / Weird Girl (voices) | [31] |
| 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) | [31] |
| 2020 | Canada: Far and Wide | Herself (voice) | Narrator; Movie attraction forWorld Showcase atEpcot atDisneyworld |
| 2021 | Extinct | Alma (voice) | [31] |
| Back Home Again | Mayor Owl (voice) | Short film | |
| 2023 | Elemental | Brook Ripple (voice) | [31] |
| Pain Hustlers | Jackie Drake | ||
| 2024 | Argylle | Ruth | |
| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Delia Deetz | ||
| The Wild Robot | Pinktail (voice) | ||
| 2025 | John Candy: I Like Me | Herself | Documentary |
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| 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 asCustard 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 forThe Best of SCTV |
| 1978 | Witch's Night Out | Malicious (voice) | CBC/NBC television special[31] |
| 1979 | Intergalactic Thanksgiving | Ma Spademinder (voice) | Television short[31] |
| 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"[31] | |
| 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[31] |
| 2019–2020 | The Last Kids on Earth | Skaelka (voice) | 6 episodes[32][31] |
| 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 byDanny 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) |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Electric Energy" | Ariana DeBose,Boy George andNile Rodgers | Herself | [33] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Disney Speedstorm | Sally (voice) | |
| Disney Dreamlight Valley |
Actress Catherine O'Hara is 65.
