Catherine O'Hara

O'Hara was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario to a large Irish Catholic family. She started her acting career in 1974 as a cast member of The Second City in Toronto. She was an understudy for Gilda Radner until she left for Saturday Night Live. Two years later, this theatre troupe created the television series SCTV, on which she became a regular performer. Memorable O'Hara characterizations on the show included Las Vegas scorcher (I wanna bear your children!) Lola Heatherton, buzzer-happy game show contestant Margaret Meehan, raunchy nightclub comedian Dusty Towne, soap opera seductress Sue Ellen and stage actress Sue Bopper Simpson.

In the late 1970s, she did various voice-overs for a number of cartoons, which would continue throughout her career. During a short time in the early 80's when SCTV was in between network deals, she was hired to replace Ann Risley when Saturday Night Live was being retooled in 1981. However, she quit the show without ever having made an appearance on it, choosing to go back to SCTV when the show signed on with NBC and was back on the air. Her SNL position was then given to fellow Canadian Robin Duke, who had also replaced O'Hara for a season on SCTV.

She had roles in many films over the years, including Martin Scorsese's After Hours in 1985, as well as parts in two Tim Burton films, Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas. She played Kate McCallister in the first two Home Alone films. In 2006, she starred in her fourth Christopher Guest film, For Your Consideration (following Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind).

On June 9, 2007, she was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In May 2008, it was announced that she has signed on to star in the upcoming ABC dramedy Good Behavior.

Personal life

A naturalized U.S. citizen, she married production designer/director Bo Welch in 1992 and has two sons, Matthew (b.1994) and Luke (b.1997). She is the sister of critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara, though she is a singer-songwriter in her own right, having written and performed songs in the 2003 film A Mighty Wind. She has a condition known as Dextrocardia with situs inversus.

Catherine O'Hara passed away at her home in Los Angeles, California on January 30, 2026 at the age of 71 “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her representatives at Creative Artists Agency.

Films

Year Film title Character or Role

1983 Rock & Rule Aunt Edith

1985 After Hours Gail

1988 Beetlejuice Delia Deetz

1990 Home Alone Kate McCallister

1990 Betsy's Wedding Gloria Henner

1990 Dick Tracy Texie Garcia

1990 Little Vegas Lexie

1992 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Kate McCallister

1992 There Goes the Neighborhood Jessie Lodge

1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally and Shock (both speaking and singing)

1994 Little Giants Young Boy's Mother

1994 A Simple Twist of Fate Mrs. Simon

1994 Wyatt Earp Allie Earp

1994 The Paper Susan

1995 Tall Tale Calamity Jane

1996 The Last of the High Kings Cathleen

1996 Waiting for Guffman Sheila Albertson

1997 Hope (TV) Muriel Macswain

1997 Pippi Longstocking voice of Mrs. Prysselius

1999 Late Last Night (TV) the Shrink

1998 Home Fries Mrs. Lever

1999 Bartok the Magnificent voice of Ludmilla

1999 The Life Before This Sheena

2000 Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big voice

2000 Best in Show Cookie Guggelman Fleck

2001 Speaking of Sex Connie Barker

2001 Committed (TV Series)

2002 Orange County Cindy Beugler

2003 A Mighty Wind Mickey Crabbe

2004 Surviving Christmas Christine Valco

2004 The Wool Cap Gloria

2004 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Justice Strauss

2005 Chicken Little Tina

2006 For Your Consideration Marilyn Hack

2006 Monster House DJ's Mother

2006 Brother Bear 2 Kata

2006 Over The Hedge Penny

2008 Penelope Jessica Wilhern

2009 Farlanders TBA

2009 Where the Wild Things Are Judith