Acclaimed Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara has passed away at the age of 71, following a brief illness.
Born and raised in Toronto, O’Hara began her comedy career at Toronto’s Second City and went on to help create iconic sketch comedy show SCTV, which earned her four Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, alongside future Schitt’s Creek collaborator Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Andrea Martin, and others.
Over her 50-year career, she amassed a long list of film and television credits including Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, HBO miniseries Temple Grandin (for which she received her first Emmy nomination), and Six Feet Under, among many other productions.
She’s arguably best known for her role as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek from 2015-20, which earned her six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in 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. ACTRA Toronto presented her with its Outstanding Performance honour in 2016 and recognized her with the ACTRA National Award of Excellence in 2020. The Canadian Academy presented O’Hara with the Icon Award in 2023 and she accepted the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award at TIFF 2025. O’Hara had previously been invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2018.
She had most recently contributed to the documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, and had recurring roles on AppleTV+ satire The Studio (which earned her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nods) and HBO’s The Last of Us. She was noticeably absent from the Golden Globes Awards on Jan. 11, despite her nomination.
Among those paying tribute to O’Hara online was Canadian entertainer Michael Bublé, who wrote that the actress “was one of a kind.”
“A rare light in this world and her passing hits with a weight I can’t fully put into words,” the singer said in a post on X. “She wasn’t just a legendary artist, actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest sense: brilliant, fearless, deeply original, and so full of humanity. She made the world laugh, but she also made people feel seen. As an artist, she inspired me more than she’ll ever know. She set the bar for what it means to represent your country with excellence and grace and all without ever losing warmth or humility. My heart is broken for her family, her loved ones, and everyone who adored her, both here in Canada and around the world. If you’re grieving this loss, you’re not alone. We’re all holding a piece of this sadness together.”
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called her “a beloved Canadian icon with a rare gift for comedy and heart.”
“She made people laugh across generations and helped bring Canadian storytelling to the world in a way only she could. My thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone who found joy in her work,” he wrote.
