Catherine O’Hara, Canadian actor and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star, dead at 71

Catherine O'Hara is best-known for her role as Kate McCallister in the 'Home Alone' movie series, alongside 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Beetlejuice.'

Catherine O’Hara, Canadian comedic actor and star of Schitt’s Creek, has died, her manager confirmed to Global News.

According to a statement from her agency, Creative Artists Agency, she passed at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” the Associated Press reported.

She was 71.

O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, the second oldest of seven siblings. After graduating from high school, she got a job as a waitress at the Second City Theater.

After auditioning for the cast, then-director Joe Flaherty advised, “Keep up the day job. Keep up the waitressing,” according to the Second City website.

O’Hara eventually joined the company in 1974 and was cast in a TV show called Second City Television, where she became known for both her impressions of celebrities and original fan-favourite characters.

O’Hara made her film debut in 1980’s Double Negative, which also featured future Schitt’s Creek co-star, Eugene Levy. O’Hara then took on roles in Martin Scorsese’s 1985 black comedy After Hours and 1986’s Heartburn.

In 1988, she had a role in Beetlejuice as Delia Deetz, the stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia. O’Hara later reprised her role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. She also hosted Saturday Night Live twice in 1991 and 1992 but opted to leave the show to return to Second City Television.