Comedy queen Catherine O’Hara got her start at Toronto’s Second City theater. After high school, she worked as a waitress there before finally auditioning for the comedy troupe. The director at the time, Joe Flaherty, told her “Keep up the day job. Keep up the waitressing,” according to Second City’s website.
O’Hara didn’t let the criticism stop her, though, and eventually replaced Gilda Radner in the cast. She won an Emmy in 1982 for her writing on SCTV. When the show was on a break, she became an SNL cast member only to quit before the first episode because SCTV was picked back up. Talk about loyalty.
Most people were first introduced to O’Hara in 1988’s Beetlejuice, where she played eccentric artist Delia Deetz. The dinner dance scene where she does her own rendition of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” has scared and thrilled generations.
A fan-favorite, Ms. Delia Deetz was gracious enough to return in 2024’s sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Finally, we got to see her be a loving mother to Winona Ryder’s Lydia and grandmother to Jenna Ortega’s Astrid. What a terrifying and terrific trio they made.
In 1990, O’Hara became America’s frazzled mom. She played Kate McCallister, mother to Kevin. Her line screaming his name is a favorite on social media. O’Hara was said to repeat the line when fans asked her to.
In the films, O’Hara lost her son twice but never her fashion sense. Every little girl watching her wanted to look just like her, except a little calmer (and maybe with better object permanence).
O’Hara wasn’t just a mother in the movies. In a 2024 interview, she was asked what role she’d most like to be remembered by. Her response? Mother of her children.
O’Hara married Bo Welch in 1992 after meeting on the set of Beetlejuice. The two went on to have two children together, Matthew and Luke Welch. She’s kept her children out of the spotlight, choosing to instead to be a present mother without all the spotlights.
You may have noticed a pattern in O’Hara’s career: she might be great at playing crazy, but all of her characters can sing. Her best musical performance was at the 2004 Academy Awards where her song with Eugene Levy was nominated for Best Original Song.
Levy and O’Hara performed “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” from the folk mockumentary A Mighty Wind that they starred in. O’Hara really learned to play the autoharp for the role. Their emotional song embodying their characters’ history was beautiful.
“Schitt’s Creek” is without a doubt one of the funniest shows to ever grace our screens. O’Hara played Moira Rose, a washed-up star and matriarch of the Rose family who has just lost their fortune.
Moira is hands-off when it comes to raising her children, but hands on when it comes to her collection of wigs. O’Hara plays alongside Eugene Levy again, and their connection drives the show.
O’Hara’s performance in Schitt’s Creek was so good that it won her an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020. She gave an emotional speech where she talked about still being highlighted as a woman in Hollywood at her age.
“"I will forever be grateful for Eugene and Daniel Levy for storing upon me the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age — my age — who gets to fully be her most ridiculous self," she said.
O’Hara had a knack for emotional speeches. In 2023, she honored her on-screen son Macaulay Culkin at his Walk of Fame induction. She said, “Macaulay, your sense of humor, it's a sign of intelligence in a child, and a key to surviving life at any age. And you have, from what I see, you have brought that sense of sweet, yet twisted, yet totally relatable sense of humor to everything that you have chosen to do since 'Home Alone'.”
The bond between these two after over thirty years still makes us tear up. Culkin often still referred to O’Hara as ‘Mama’, writing in an Instagram post following her death, “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."
O’Hara might’ve been known for her comedy skills, but her fashion sense was always right there making waves. She mastered her own kooky style that started in Beetlejuice.
Her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premiere dress is probably our favorite of all time. It was a custom-made dress by Oscar de la Renta. The sculptural detailing on the shoulders gave her the classic Beetlejuice edge.
One of O’Hara’s last roles was Gail Lynden on season two of “The Last of Us.” This was a departure from her usual comedic roles because she was playing a grieving widow in the apocalypse.
O’Hara played this role brilliantly. Her portrayal devastating and very real. She proved that she’s a versatile actress, ready to take on anything. We just wish we could’ve seen more from her.
