Appreciation: Catherine O’Hara was an onscreen benediction

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It’s incredibly sad to write about Catherine O’Hara as if she’s no longer with us, because she was such a vibrant and energetic performer. She’s been a constant presence in my thoughts – and I admit, in my heart – ever since her work on shows like “SCTV,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “The Studio.” She was about to begin filming the second season of “The Studio” when she passed away on Friday at the age of 71.

Whenever she took a role, it felt like an endorsement – a sign of quality – for the project itself. She seemed to only choose parts that were fulfilling, enjoyable, or intriguing, and her presence elevated everything and everyone involved. I don’t see her as someone driven by ambition, but as authentically Canadian. When I spoke with her in 2015 about joining “Schitt’s Creek,” she explained it took a little convincing, but she already had faith in Eugene Levy – both as a writer, actor, and simply a good person she enjoyed being around.

Television

Catherine O’Hara, the beloved actress from ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘The Studio,’ and ‘Home Alone,’ has passed away at the age of 71.

Her journey started in Toronto, where her brother’s girlfriend, Gilda Radner, was performing in “Godspell” alongside Levy and Martin Short. Watching Gilda perform sparked her own interest in acting, something she’d enjoyed in school, and made her realize it could be a real career path. When Gilda joined the Second City theater, she practically followed her there, working as a waitress. Eventually, she got the chance to understudy and then join the cast herself, and Eugene Levy was also part of the show. She felt incredibly lucky to have a working professional actor suddenly enter her life and open up these opportunities.

I first noticed Catherine O’Hara on “SCTV” because she was hilarious, and also strikingly beautiful. What was fascinating was how she could play with her appearance to enhance her comedy. Though primarily a comedic actress, she brought a surprising depth to her characters – even her most outlandish ones. Take Lola Heatherton, a famously energetic and sparkly performer known for lines like “I love you! I want to have your babies!” – beneath the over-the-top persona was a sense of desperation. O’Hara’s range was incredible; she brilliantly impersonated everyone from a teenage Brooke Shields performing Devo’s “Whip It!” to Katherine Hepburn, and even a melancholy character from an Ingmar Bergman film. But she’s perhaps best remembered as Margaret Meehan, the relentlessly enthusiastic and prematurely answering quiz show contestant who would fall apart as the host, Eugene Levy, grew increasingly frustrated.

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Catherine O’Hara was beloved for many roles, but she’s probably most famous for playing the forgetful mom in “Home Alone.” She also appeared in memorable parts like an ice cream truck driver in Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” and a snobby, detached mother in “Beetlejuice,” where she met her future husband. She frequently collaborated with Christopher Guest, shining in comedies like “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “For Your Consideration.” More recently, she played a villainous optometrist in the Netflix series “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and earned an Emmy nomination for her role as a powerful executive in “The Studio.” Though known for comedy, O’Hara proved her dramatic range in “The Last of Us,” where she played a therapist and the widow of a man whose life was impacted by the show’s protagonist.

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2026-01-31 05:31