Catherine O’Hara, ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Actress, Dies at 71

Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian comedian best known for her roles in “Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek” and “Beetlejuice,” and as a member of the influential sketch comedy series “SCTV,” died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 71.

Creative Artists Agency confirmed her death in a statement, which did not cite a cause but said she died after a brief illness.

Ms. O’Hara got her start as a member of the Second City, the improvisational comedy troupe, which gave rise to “SCTV” and her first television role, where her celebrity impersonations included Lucille Ball and Maggie Smith. She appeared alongside other notable comedians, including John Candy, Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy, who would play her husband in “Schitt’s Creek.”

After the last iteration of “SCTV” ended in 1984, Ms. O’Hara began to appear more frequently in films, landing supporting roles in “After Hours” (1985), directed by Martin Scorsese, and “Heartburn” (1986), directed by Mike Nichols.

She was cast in “Beetlejuice” (1988), directed by Tim Burton, as Delia Deetz, a sculptor of abstract statues and the clueless stepmother to a misanthropic teenager played by Winona Ryder. That film became a cult favorite, exposing Ms. O’Hara to an audience beyond the niche world of improvisational and sketch comedy, and setting her up for a film and television career that would last for nearly another four decades.

Catherine O’Hara was born on March 4, 1954, in Toronto. Her survivors include her husband, Bo Welch; her sons Matthew and Luke; and her siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.

She won a prime-time Emmy in 1982 for writing on “SCTV,” and in 2020 won her first acting Emmy for portraying the reality-challenged Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek.” She also won a Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award for that role.

Ms. O’Hara played notorious mother figures in addition to Delia Deetz, including Kate McCallister, who twice — in “Home Alone” (1990) and “Home Alone 2” (1992) — forgets to bring her son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) on vacation.

She appeared most recently in “The Studio” on Apple TV. In 2017, she was awarded the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honors.

A full obituary will follow.

Emmanuel Morgan contributed reporting and Susan C. Beachy contributed research.

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