Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian comedian and star of Schitt’s Creek, has died, her manager confirmed to Global News.
He was 71 years old.
O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, the second oldest of seven children. After graduating from high school, he got a job as a waiter at the Second City Theater.
After the cast auditioned, then-director Joe Flaherty advised, “Get on with the day’s work. Keep waiting,” according to the Second City website. However, O’Hara eventually joined the company in 1974 and was cast in a TV show called Second City Televisionwhere he is known for both celebrity appearances and fan-favorite real-life characters.
O’Hara made her film debut in the 1980s Double Negativewhich also revealed the future Schitt’s Creek star, Eugene Levy. O’Hara then starred in Martin Scorsese’s 1985 comedy After Hours and 1986 Heartburn.
In 1988, he had a role Beetle juice as Delia Deetz, the stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia. O’Hara later reprized the role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. He also hosted Saturday Night Live twice in 1991 and 1992 but chose to leave the show to return Second City Television.
Get the latest country news
For news that affects Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
One of his most famous roles was in Home alone again Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as the forgetful mother of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin, which went on to become one of the film’s most popular.
He would work with Levy and his son Dan Schitt’s Creek in 2015, as the show grew from being broadcast only in Canada to being picked up by Netflix.
Actresses Annie Murphy, from left, Catherine O’Hara and Jennifer Robertson attend the 11th Annual New York Television Show’s “Schitt’s Creek” at the SVA Theater on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP).
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara of Toronto and Los Angeles was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General Julie Payette during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Justin Tang.
CANADIAN NEWS PHOTOS/Justin Tang
Dan Levy, from left, Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy and Eugene Levy participate in the Pop TV panel “Schitt’s Creek,” during the Winter 2020 Television Critics Association Press Tour, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. CBC series “Schitt’s Creek” in Torontos Award for RACTs top Anne winner. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ AP-Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ AP-Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
More to come.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
