A Tribute for a Comedic Icon
In film and on TV, Catherine O’Hara made legions of fans laugh for 50 years
Humor has always played a major role in how we navigate an often-chaotic world.
This is why we hold those who make us laugh in such high esteem. They poke fun at the absurdities of human nature and make them appear less threatening.
So it hurts when such iconic individuals leave our midst. Over the past few days, numerous people have mourned the loss of a comic legend.
Catherine O’Hara, who appeared in more than 50 films, died January 30 at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 71. Her representatives at Creative Artists Agency said she died “following a brief illness,” offering no additional information.
Tributes to O’Hara poured in from the entertainment industry. Macauley Culkin, who starred alongside O’Hara in the Home Alone movies, offered one of the most moving sentiments.
O’Hara played Kate McCallister, Culkin’s mother in 1990’s Home Alone and 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Culkin was about 9 when he filmed the first film; O’Hara became a mother figure to him on the set. The two developed a close bond while working together, and this endured until her death.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more,” Culkin wrote in a post on Instagram. “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.”
Director Ron Howard shared his thoughts in a post on X:
“This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her, and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year. My heart goes out to Bo & family. #RIPCatherineO’Hara”
While appearing on the Canadian comedy show “Second City Television (SCTV)” in the 1970s and ’80s, O’Hara at times parodied Brook Shields. The actress, who took O’Hara’s impersonations of her in stride, offered her heartfelt condolences.
“What an honor it was to be spoofed by Catherine O’Hara,” Shields wrote in a post on X. “What an unfathomable loss. We love you, Catherine. Comedy won’t be the same without her. Sending love to Catherine’s family, friends, castmates, and fans today. Truly beloved.”
O’Hara started in comedy with Second City in Toronto, Canada, an offshoot of the improvisational group founded in Chicago. There, she served as an understudy to another comic legend: Gilda Radner.
O’Hara earned greater attention in 1976 as a cast member of “Second City Television” affiliated with Second City in Toronto. This show launched the careers of figures such as John Candy, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty and Martin Short. O’Hara’s work as a writer on the program earned her an Emmy Award in 1982.
Her movie career began in 1980. She went on to appear in many films including Heartburn(1986), Beetlejuice (1988), The Paper (1994), Away We Go (2009) and The Addams Family (2019). She provided voiceover work in movies such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Pippi Longstocking (1997), Where the Wild Things Are (2009) and Frankenweenie (2013).
O’Hara appeared in several of comedian Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. These included Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006).
O’Hara teamed with former “SCTV” cast members in various films. She appeared with Candy and Levy in The Last Polka (1985) and with Candy in Home Alone.
Candy died on O’Hara’s 40th birthday in 1994. She delivered the eulogy at her dear friend’s funeral.
O’Hara reunited with Levy in the television program “Schitt’s Creek.” The Canadian sitcom ran from 2015 to 2020. She won a Golden Globe (2020) and two Actor Awards (2020) for her work on the show.
In a statement, Levy expressed his sorrow over the death of his longtime friend.
“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over 50 years,” he said in the 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.
Seth Rogen worked with O’Hara on Apple TV’s “The Studio.” He said that Home Alone inspired him to seek a career in the film industry.
“I told O’Hara when I first met herm I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies,” Rogen wrote in a post on Instagram. “Getting to work with her was a true honor. 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.”
Born in Toronto in 1954, O’Hara was honored by her native country by being appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney summed up the sentiments of many with a post on Facebook:
“I join Canadians and fans across the world in mourning the loss of Catherine O’Hara. Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy — from ‘SCTV’ to ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ Canada has lost a legend. My thoughts are with her family, friends, and all those who loved her work on screen. She will be dearly missed.”