Catherine O'Hara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine O'Hara
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
O'Hara in 2024
|
|
| Born |
Catherine Anne O'Hara
March 4, 1954 |
| Citizenship |
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mary Margaret O'Hara (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a well-known Canadian and American actress, comedian, and writer. She was born on March 4, 1954. She began her career in comedy, performing in sketch shows and improvisational comedy. Later, she also took on serious acting roles.
She has won many important awards for her work. These include two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Catherine O'Hara first became famous on the TV show Second City Television (1976–1984). She even won an Emmy Award for her writing on the show. She also starred in popular movies like Beetlejuice (1988), Home Alone (1990), and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
She often worked with director Christopher Guest on funny "mockumentary" films. These include Waiting for Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000). Catherine O'Hara has also lent her voice to many animated movies. Some of these are The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Little (2005), and Elemental (2023).
More recently, she became very popular for her role as Moira Rose in the TV show Schitt's Creek (2015–2020). For this role, she won another Primetime Emmy Award. She also appeared in the HBO series Six Feet Under and the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2024, she returned for the Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Catherine Anne O'Hara was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was the sixth of seven children in her family. Her family background is Irish, and she was raised Catholic. Her older sister, Mary Margaret O'Hara, is also a musician and actress.
Catherine finished high school at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute in 1974.
Career Highlights
Catherine O'Hara started her comedy journey in 1974. She joined The Second City comedy group in Toronto. She was a backup performer for Gilda Radner, who later became famous on Saturday Night Live.
Two years later, her comedy group created the TV show SCTV. Catherine became a regular performer on this show. In the late 1970s, she also began doing voice-overs for cartoons. This type of work continued throughout her career.
For a short time in the early 1980s, Catherine was asked to join Saturday Night Live. However, she decided to return to SCTV instead. Her writing for SCTV earned her an Emmy Award and two other Emmy nominations.
Television Roles
Catherine O'Hara's TV career grew in the mid-1970s. She appeared in a children's TV series called Coming Up Rosie. Her performances on SCTV made her famous in Canada and later internationally.
She has guest-starred on many popular TV shows. These include Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2010, her role in the TV movie Temple Grandin earned her several award nominations.
From 2015 to 2020, Catherine O'Hara played Moira Rose in the sitcom Schitt's Creek. She worked alongside Eugene Levy, who she had known from her early comedy days. Her performance on Schitt's Creek won her many awards. These include six Canadian Screen Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. She also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role.
She also appeared in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2018). Her husband, Bo Welch, directed some of the episodes she was in. In 2025, she guest-starred in the HBO drama series The Last of Us.
Film Appearances
Catherine O'Hara has had a very successful film career. Her first movie was Double Negative in 1980. She starred with her SCTV co-stars John Candy and Eugene Levy in that film.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she appeared in many supporting roles. She was in Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985) and Heartburn (1986). A memorable role was Delia Deetz in the horror-comedy Beetlejuice (1988).
In 1990, Catherine O'Hara starred as Kate McCallister in the hugely popular movie Home Alone. She returned for its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
She continued to appear in many films in the 1990s and early 2000s. She was in The Paper (1994) and Wyatt Earp (1994). She also starred in four "mockumentary" films by Christopher Guest. These include Waiting for Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000). Her role in The Life Before This (1999) won her a Genie Award.
In 2004, she appeared with Jim Carrey in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2006, she starred in the fantasy film Penelope.
Voice Acting
Catherine O'Hara is also a talented voice artist. She has voiced characters in many animated films. Some of these include:
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Chicken Little (2005)
- Over the Hedge (2006)
- Monster House (2006)
- Frankenweenie (2012)
- The Addams Family (2019)
- Elemental (2023)
- The Wild Robot (2024)
Personal Life
Catherine O'Hara met her husband, production designer Bo Welch, while working on the movie Beetlejuice. They got married in 1992 and have two sons. Her sister, Mary Margaret O'Hara, is a singer-songwriter. Catherine herself has written and performed songs for films like A Mighty Wind.
In 2021, she was named honorary mayor of Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Catherine O'Hara has a close friendship with Macaulay Culkin, her co-star from Home Alone. She was there when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She holds citizenship in both Canada and the United States.
Awards and Nominations
See also
In Spanish: Catherine O'Hara para niños
