Legendary actress Catherine O’Hara has died aged 71
Actress Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71.
The legendary star was known for her iconic roles in Home Alone, Best in Show and Schitt’s Creek.
O’Hara’s death was confirmed by her management to Variety. O’Hara passed away at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
A cause of death has not been confirmed.
According to The Sun, O’Hara hadn’t attended the Golden Globes awards earlier this month, despite receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Female Actor for her role in Seth Rogen’s The Studio.
O’Hara had spoken about what it was like to work with Rogen in an interview with LADbible last year.
Catherine O’Hara has passed away at the age of 71 (MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
O’Hara explained: “People ask me, ‘Is he stoned? Is he smoking all day?’ If he is, I would never know it.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever worked with anyone who is more aware of everything going on on the set. [Rogen] is director, producer, star in the scene and you’re so aware, so collaborative and so loose and fun, but on the money.
“It’s crazy. Really, [Rogen] is seriously impressive.”
O’Hara’s career first began with the Canadian show, Second City Television, which earned her her first Emmy Award.
She went on to star in movies including Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
O’Hara played Macaulay Culkin’s character Kevin’s mom, Kate McAllister, in the movies.
O’Hara starred in the first two Home Alone movies (Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
O’Hara once spoke about filming Home Alone and the scene she found most difficult.
While delivering a speech about Culkin at a ceremony to unveil his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she said: “The scene where I had to drag him upstairs to sleep in the attic ‘cause he’d misbehaved, he’s mouthing off about the family and I say, ‘Well, you’d be pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you had no family,’ and he says, ‘No, I wouldn’t.’ And I was supposed to say, ‘Then say it again – maybe it’ll happen.’
“I can’t tell you how much that killed me – I could not wrap my head around saying something so horrific to this beautiful child.
“Of course I was not yet a mother at the time and I had no idea the kind of things would come out of my own mouth with my own two sons.”
Catherine O’Hara and husband Bo Welch (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch, and her two sons.