So anti-cool she became the coolest, RIP to the GOAT Catherine O’Hara!
Canadian born actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71, following a brief illness. Her passing marks the end of a career that stretched across five decades and reshaped what character driven comedy could look and feel like on both film and television.
For generations of audiences, O’Hara was not just funny. She was specific, strange, tender, exaggerated and somehow always grounded. The kind of performer who could steal a scene without overpowering it. The kind who made even the broadest characters feel unmistakably human.
Born in Toronto in 1954, O’Hara came up through Canada’s legendary improv and sketch scene, becoming a core member of SCTV in the late 1970s. That era produced a wave of performers who would go on to shape modern comedy, and O’Hara quickly stood out for her fearless physicality, vocal precision and instinct for character.
She appeared in a long list of beloved films, including Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, playing Kevin McCallister’s frantic but devoted mother. For many people, those films became annual rituals, which means O’Hara quietly became part of childhoods around the world.
Alongside mainstream hits, she carved out a cult legacy through her collaborations with Christopher Guest on mockumentary classics like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. These performances showcased her improvisational brilliance and her ability to build entire emotional worlds on the fly.
Then, late in her career, came the role that introduced her to an entirely new generation.
As Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, O’Hara delivered one of the great television comedy performances of the 21st century. A fallen soap star clinging to glamour in a small town, Moira was ridiculous and vulnerable in equal measure. The wigs, the accent, the costumes and the vocabulary became instantly iconic. The heart beneath it all made her unforgettable.
The role earned O’Hara an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a permanent place in contemporary pop culture. More importantly, it proved something quietly radical. You do not age out of relevance. You age into depth.
She never chased cool.
She never flattened herself to fit trends.
She kept saying yes to interesting characters, strange choices and projects that valued craft.
O’Hara’s comedy was never about punchlines alone. It was about observation. About finding the absurdity inside everyday emotions. About letting people be flawed, dramatic, selfish, generous and soft all at once; the kind of storytelling we find timeless.
Catherine O’Hara is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and their two sons. RIP GOAT!
