Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on ''

Second City Television ''Second City Television'', commonly shortened to ''SCTV'' and later known as ''SCTV Network'' and ''SCTV Channel'', is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from T ...

'' (1976–84) and ''

Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons. Produced ...

'' (2015–2020) and in films such as '' After Hours'' (1985), '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hea ...

'' (1990), '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992), and '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993). Her other film appearances include the mockumentary films written and directed by

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is an American-British screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed, and starred in h ...

; ''

Waiting for Guffman ''Waiting for Guffman'' is a 1996 American mockumentary comedy film written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, and directed by Guest. The film's ensemble cast includes Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, and Parker Posey. The film' ...

'' (1996), '' Best in Show'' (2000), ''

A Mighty Wind ''A Mighty Wind'' is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. Co-written (with Eugene Levy), directed, and compo ...

'' (2003), and '' For Your Consideration'' (2006). O'Hara won the 1982

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series debuted in 1966, and has been annually awarded most years since the mid-1960s. It has had a large number of name changes, mostly involving the addition or subtraction of the wo ...

for ''

SCTV Network ''Second City Television'', commonly shortened to ''SCTV'' and later known as ''SCTV Network'' and ''SCTV Channel'', is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from T ...

'', the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1999 film '' The Life Before This'', and was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for the 2010 television film '' Temple Grandin''. From 2015 to 2020, she starred as

Moira Rose Moira Rose is a fictional character in the Canadian sitcom ''Schitt's Creek,'' which aired on CBC and Pop from 2015 to 2020. Moira is introduced as the eccentric former soap opera star wife of Johnny Rose and mother of their adult children, D ...

on the CBC sitcom ''Schitt's Creek'', for which she won a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, TCA Award and six consecutive Canadian Screen Awards.

Early life

O'Hara was born in 1954 and grew up in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, the sixth of seven children. She is of Irish descent, and was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Career

O'Hara started her comedy career in 1974 as a cast member of

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...

in her hometown, Toronto. She was an understudy for

Gilda Radner Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian, and one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). In h ...

until Radner left for ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. Two years later, this theatre troupe created the sketch comedy show '' SCTV'', for which O'Hara became a regular performer. In the late 1970s, she provided voice-overs for a number of

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

s, work which would continue throughout her career. During a short time in the early 1980s when ''SCTV'' was in between network deals, she was hired to replace

Ann Risley Anna F. "Ann" Risley (born September 30, 1949, Madison, Wisconsin) is a retired American actress and comedian. She was a cast member of the TV series ''Saturday Night Live'' for the 12 episodes of the 1980–1981 season. These 12 broadcasts were t ...

when ''Saturday Night Live'' was being retooled in 1981. However, she quit the show without ever appearing on air, choosing to go back to ''SCTV'' when the show signed on with NBC. O'Hara began her career on television, apart from ''SCTV'', in the mid-1970s. She first appeared on television in a small sketch role as a maid in a 1975 Wayne and Shuster special on CBC. Later, she appeared in the 1976 television film ''The Rimshots'', the children's television series ''

Coming Up Rosie ''Coming Up Rosie'' was a Canadian children's sitcom TV series on CBC Television, aired for three seasons from 1975–1978. Premise The show focused on a group of tenants in an office building located at 99 Sumach Street, Toronto. Rosema ...

'' for a season (1976–77), and television specials, such as ''

Witch's Night Out ''Witch's Night Out'' is a Canadian animated television Halloween special that premiered on NBC October 27, 1978. Produced in a Toronto studio, it was the sequel to the 1974 special ''The Gift of Winter'' with the vocal talents from Dan Aykroyd ...

'' and ''

Intergalactic Thanksgiving ''Intergalactic Thanksgiving'', sometimes known as ''Please Don't Eat The Planet'', is a 1979 Canadian Thanksgiving animated television special that premiered on CBC and in the United States in syndication on November 22, 1979. ''Intergalactic Th ...

''. But it was her performances on ''SCTV'', which began airing locally in Southern Ontario in the fall of 1976, that earned her fame in Canada. The show gradually built up a national and then international following in syndication. O'Hara left ''SCTV'' for a time, missing the 1980-81 season, but returned to the show in time for its pickup by the NBC television network in the US, when it became known as ''

SCTV Network 90 SCTV may refer to: *SCTV (TV network), an Indonesian television network *''Second City Television'', a Canadian sketch comedy television program *Sichuan Radio and Television, a Chinese television station *Seven Regional, formerly Southern Cross Te ...

''. O'Hara's work as a writer on the show earned her an

for outstanding writing and two Emmy Award nominations. She left ''SCTV'' again prior to its fifth season in 1982, but did return for occasional guest appearances though the show's end in 1984. O'Hara has appeared in a number of television series and television films and continues to work in television. During the 1990s, she made guest appearances on ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'', '' Oh Baby'', '' Morton & Hayes'' and ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

''. She served as actress and director on '' Dream On'' and '' The Outer Limits'', the revival of the '60s series of the same name. O'Hara has guest-starred on top-rated television series including '' Six Feet Under'' and ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televi ...

''. In May 2008, it was announced that she had signed on to star in the upcoming ABC dramedy ''Good Behavior''. Her role in the 2010 television film '' Temple Grandin'' earned her three award nominations: a

, a Satellite Award, and a

O'Hara has also had a successful career in film. She made her feature debut in the 1980 film ''

Double Negative A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a clause. In some languages, ...

'', which also starred her ''SCTV'' co-stars John Candy,

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series '' SCTV''. He has also appeared in the '' American Pie'' series of films and the Canadian ...

, and

Joe Flaherty Joseph Flaherty (born June 21, 1941) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy '' SCTV'' from 1976 to 1984 (on which he also served as a writer), and as Harold Weir on '' Freaks and ...

. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Hara appeared in many supporting roles, including

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

's '' After Hours'' (1985) and ''

Heartburn Heartburn, also known as pyrosis, cardialgia or acid indigestion, is a burning sensation in the central chest or upper central abdomen. Heartburn is usually due to regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux) into the esophagus. It is the ...

'' (1986), with Meryl Streep. She appeared in movies like '' Beetlejuice'' (1988) and '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004), as well as the blockbuster ''

'' (1990) and its sequel '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992). Also in 1992, O'Hara worked alongside

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

in the comedy '' There Goes the Neighborhood''. O'Hara continued to appear in many films during the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century. She received roles in four of

's mockumentary films, three of which earned her awards and nominations: ''

'' (1996), '' Best in Show'' (2000), ''

'' (2003), and '' For Your Consideration'' (2006). Her role in 1999's '' The Life Before This'' won her a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. She also appeared in the tenth series of the UK version of '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' In 2006, she starred with

Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress. Known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge, Ricci predominantly works in independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box office hits. She has receive ...

in the fantasy film '' Penelope''. O'Hara has served as a voice artist in a number of animated movies, including '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ''

Bartok the Magnificent ''Bartok the Magnificent'' is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated adventure comedy film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It is a spin-off to the 1997 film ''Anastasia'' which was also directed by Bluth and Goldman. The film centers on ...

'' (1999), '' Chicken Little'' (2005), '' Over the Hedge'' (2006), '' Monster House'' (2006), ''

Brother Bear 2 ''Brother Bear 2'' is a 2006 American animated direct-to-video musical fantasy comedy-drama film and the sequel to the animated feature ''Brother Bear'', which was released on August 29, 2006. Melissa Etheridge contributed three songs to the ...

'' (2006), '' Frankenweenie'' (2012), and '' The Addams Family'' (2019). From 2015 to 2020, O'Hara starred alongside Eugene Levy, whom she met on the set of ''

'', as

in the CBC sitcom ''

''. Her performance earned her six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She swept the 5 major tv awards for the 6th and final season, winning a TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. She also appeared as Dr. Georgina Orwell in the first season of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

black comedy drama series ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their ...

'', which premiered in 2017. Two of her episodes were directed by her husband Bo Welch who also served as

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

for the series. She was the only cast member from the 2004 film adaptation to be re-cast in the TV series as well. She appears on the revival of another Canadian sketch comedy staple ''

The Kids in the Hall The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1989 to 1995, on CBC, ...

'', in its second episode as Charlene, a Friend of the Kids in the Hall.

Celebrities impersonated on ''SCTV''

* Tammy Faye Bakker *

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

* Candice Bergen * Karen Black *

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The film ...

* Rona Barrett * Barbara Billingsley *

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of t ...

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...

* Joan Embery *

Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Search for T ...

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whi ...

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

* Phyllis George *

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

* Rickie Lee Jones * Diane Keaton *

Dorothy Kilgallen Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (July 3, 1913 – November 8, 1965) was an American columnist, journalist, and television game show panelist. After spending two semesters at the College of New Rochelle, she started her career shortly before her 18th birth ...

Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the ag ...

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

* Jessica Savitch *

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film '' Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...

* Dinah Shore *

Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performer ...

* Meryl Streep *

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possesse ...

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...

* Monica Vitti * Rusty Warren

Personal life

In 1983, O'Hara told ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', "I'm pretty much a good Catholic girl at heart." O'Hara met

Bo Welch on the set of ''Beetlejuice''. They married in 1992 and have two sons, Matthew (born 1994) and Luke (born 1997). Her sister is singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara; Catherine is a singer-songwriter in her own right, having written and performed songs in Christopher Guest's film ''A Mighty Wind''. She holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. O’Hara was named honorary mayor of Brentwood for 2021. She has situs inversus.

Filmography

Films

TV series

Television films

Awards and nominations

O'Hara was selected for the inaugural 2021

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

50 Over 50; made up of entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators who are over the age of 50. O'Hara is also referenced in the Bran Van 3000 song "Supermodel" from their 1996 album '' Glee''.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

*

at Northernstars.ca {{DEFAULTSORT:OHara, Catherine 1954 births 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian comedians 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American comedians 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Roman Catholics Actresses from Toronto American film actresses American people of Irish descent American Roman Catholics American sketch comedians American television actresses American television hosts American voice actresses American women comedians American women television presenters Audiobook narrators Best Actress in a Comedy Series Canadian Screen Award winners Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Best Supporting Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian Comedy Award winners Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian Roman Catholics Canadian sketch comedians Canadian television actresses Canadian television hosts Canadian television writers Canadian voice actresses Canadian women comedians Canadian women screenwriters Canadian women television hosts Comedians from Toronto Living people Officers of the Order of Canada Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners People with acquired American citizenship Canadian women television writers Writers from Toronto