Catherine O’Hara, the two-time Emmy-winning actor who starred in Home Alone and Best in Show and enjoyed a late-career renaissance with Schitt’s Creek, has died, her manager confirmed to Variety. She was 71.
According to her agency CAA, O’Hara died Friday at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
O’Hara’s career spanned five decades, beginning with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, which she created with Eugene Levy. She earned her first Emmy for the show, along with four additional nominations. She went on to star in films including After Hours, Beetlejuice, and the first two Home Alone movies, in which she played the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin. O’Hara maintained a close friendship with Culkin and honored him at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023.
She was a frequent collaborator of director Christopher Guest, appearing in mockumentary films such as Best in Show, For Your Consideration, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind. Her voice roles included beloved animated films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Chicken Little. More recently, O’Hara reprised her role as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and appeared in the Apple action film Argylle.
O’Hara experienced a major career resurgence in her 60s with her role as Moira Rose on the CBC sitcom Schitt’s Creek, starring alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy. She won her second Emmy for the role, which led to other high-profile television work, including HBO’s The Last of Us and Apple TV+’s The Studio. In the latter, she portrayed a longtime Hollywood executive pushed aside by her studio. The show’s second season recently began filming.
In a 2025 interview with Variety, O’Hara reflected on the changing nature of Hollywood. “It must be a much more nervous business now, than in the past,” she said. “The internet and streaming must have opened up a world of good and horrific possibilities for people.” She added, “Most people are trying to do and want to do good work. And most people want to be entertained.”
Born in Toronto, O’Hara became a beloved figure in Los Angeles and was named honorary mayor of Brentwood in 2021.
She is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch; their sons, Matthew and Luke; and her siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O’Hara, Tom O’Hara, and Patricia Wallice.