Hollywood legend Catherine O’Hara died Friday at the age of 71.
Her cause of death is unknown, but a representative for Creative Artists Agency confirmed to Page Six that she passed away “after a brief illness.”
The actress and comedian has had a storied career spanning five decades, starting in the 1970s with her hometown Toronto improv troupe Second City, where she co-starred with Martin Short, John Candy and Eugene Levy, and then on the company’s sketch comedy series SCTV, which led to 1988’s Beetlejuice and 1990’s Home Alone.
But at the time of her death, the Canadian actress was best known for her second-wave career, topped by her iconic role as the glamorous Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek.
In a 2019 interview with Vulture magazine, she said she almost said no. “I was allowed to create my own characters, write my own scripts, and improvise, and I was able to create in a very free way. I was used to playing a lot of different characters and doing something new every day.”
She explained that signing onto a traditional sitcom that could last for years gave her “anxiety.”
The show, which aired from 2015 to 2020, won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and sparked a career resurgence. “Schitt’s Creek,” produced by and starring father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, follows a once-wealthy family who loses their fortune and moves into a motel in a small town.
Her role as the eccentric matriarch Moira, a former soap star known for her eccentric fashion, grew out of her long working relationship with the older Levy, with whom she briefly dated in the 1970s.
“I’m so glad it worked out the way it did. If we had continued to date more, we probably wouldn’t have worked together. It was really just like one or two dates and that’s it,” she told The New Yorker in 2019.
They worked on several projects together, including “Best in Show” and “For Your Think.”
Levy told Elle Canada in August 2024 that O’Hara was a “bona fide star” long before the show. “But what she did with the character of Moira Rose was truly an artistic masterpiece, and seemed to remind the world of what an accomplished actress she truly is.”
He added: “She’s a really nice person with a keen sense of humor, and that combination is the perfect recipe for a fun working relationship.”
O’Hara said she and Levy worked well because they both took comedy “very seriously.”
She attributed it to her early contact with the comedy legend. One of her six siblings dated original “Saturday Night Live” star Gilda Radner.
“She would come home[with her brother]and improvise with the family and teach mom and dad the games. She was so in touch with her inner child more than anyone I’ve ever known, but she was also a very beautiful and sexy woman,” O’Hara told Elle.
In a 2019 interview with The New Yorker, O’Hara credited the late “SNL” star for starting her career, including “expanding my world on Second City.”
“That’s where I met Eugene, Marty (Short), and Andrea (Martin), all of whom I ended up working with a few years later. Gilda joined Second City, and I auditioned and got a job as a waitress[at the theater]. Then John Candy hired Marcus[my brother]and I into his touring company, and Joe Flaherty replaced me with Gilda,” she explained.
O’Hara told the media that funny things are “encouraged” in her family.
“My father would tell jokes and my mother would tell stories and imitate everyone in the stories. I think everyone is born with a sense of humor, but sadly sometimes life defeats it, and sometimes you’re lucky enough to grow up with it.”
“Schitt’s Creek” wasn’t an overnight hit. The show had a modest start, famously being rejected by both HBO and Showtime before airing on CBC in Canada and Pop in the United States.
It exploded in popularity when it debuted on Netflix in 2017, and in 2020 it debuted on Neilson’s list of most streamed shows. It dominated the Emmy Awards that year, winning seven trophies.
“You never know how something is going to be received. I mean, that’s magic. That’s the scariest thing,” O’Hara told Elle.
“But if you’re lucky enough to work with people who make every day exciting and creative and inspiring, that’s the best, because you never really know what’s going to happen from there. It’s mostly luck and timing.”
She said “Schitt’s Creek” is “a weird example of that, because we did this little show for ourselves.”
The resurgence of her career introduced O’Hara to a younger audience, and Moira Rose’s iconic style led to an unexpected career stage where she was accepted into the fashion industry.
“It’s because of that character. It’s crazy, it’s so cool,” she said.
O’Hara spent his later years showcasing his comedic talents in several high-profile television roles.
After “Schitt’s Creek,” her career was revitalized and she was cast in Seth Rogen’s series “The Studio,” which premiered last March and swept the Emmys and Golden Globes.
This comedy centers on fictional Hollywood executives. O’Hara plays Patti Lee, an ousted former studio executive.
“Seth and[co-creator]Evan[Goldberg]approached me about this,” O’Hara told Forbes in March. “Then they sent me the script and it was great and really funny. I’ve never played someone who’s in this kind of position of power and then quickly falls from grace.”
After her death, her “The Studio” co-star Ike Barinholtz posted on Instagram: “Never in a million years did I think I would get to work with Catherine O’Hara…so sad…so grateful to have spent time with her.”
She also took part in Season 2 of the gritty Pedro Pascal HBO series “The Last of Us,” which aired in April and May.
“I’m lucky to be able to continue doing this at my age. It’s unbelievable,” O’Hara told Elle a year before her death. “Over the last few years, when I start feeling scared or nervous or complaining about something, I’ve really tried to practice turning it around and being grateful.”
Ms. O’Hara is survived by her husband of 33 years, Beau Welch, and two sons, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.
