By Andrew Dalton and Jocelyn Noveck | Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mom in “Home Alone” to the iconic Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” — died Friday at 71.
The Canadian-born O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her agency, CAA. Further details were not immediately available.
O’Hara’s career was launched at the Second City in Toronto in the in 1970s. It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator — and her “Schitt’s Creek” costar. The two would be among the original cast of the sketch show “SCTV,” short for “Second City Television,” which spawned a legendary group of esoteric comedians including Martin Short, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Joe Flaherty.
“Schitt’s Creek” would be a career-capping triumph and the perfect personification of her comic talents. The small show created by Levy and his son Dan about a wealthy family forced to live in a tiny town would dominate the Emmys in its sixth and final season. It brought O’Hara, always a beloved figure, a new generation of fans and put her at the center of cultural attention.
O’Hara’s dramatic turn in HBO’s “The Last of Us” earned her an Emmy nomination, as did her recent role as a Hollywood producer in “The Studio.”
She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.
Noveck reported from New York. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed reporting.
The Mercury News
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