Honestly, if you haven’t spent at least one night down a YouTube rabbit hole watching Catherine O'Hara’s old sketches, you’re missing out on a masterclass. Most people know her as the lady who screamed "KEVIN!" in Home Alone or the eccentric, wig-wearing matriarch Moira Rose. But her resume is a weird, wild, and incredibly deep map of comedy history.
It’s 2026, and O’Hara is somehow more relevant than she was thirty years ago. Between her Emmy-nominated turn in The Last of Us and the massive success of the Beetlejuice sequel, she’s basically the queen of the "prestige second act." She doesn't just play characters; she inhabits these bizarre, lived-in souls that feel like they existed long before the cameras started rolling.
The SCTV Years: Where the Chaos Began
You can’t talk about Catherine O’Hara movies and TV shows without starting in Toronto. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, SCTV (Second City Television) was the "cool" alternative to Saturday Night Live. While SNL was often about the "live" energy and political jabs, SCTV was a surreal, character-driven universe.
O’Hara was the secret weapon. She did these uncanny impressions—everyone from Maggie Smith to Lucille Ball—but her original characters were the real gems. Remember Lola Heatherton? The hyper-active, "I love you, I really love you!" variety star? That wasn't just a parody; it was a terrifyingly accurate look at show business desperation. She won an Emmy for writing on that show, and it’s where she solidified her legendary partnership with Eugene Levy. They’ve been working together for over 50 years. That kind of creative longevity is unheard of in Hollywood.
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The Tim Burton and Chris Columbus Era
In the late 80s and early 90s, Catherine O'Hara became the quintessential "cool but stressed" mom of cinema.
- Beetlejuice (1988): As Delia Deetz, she managed to make a pretentious, avant-garde sculptor actually likable. Or at least hilarious. That dinner table scene where she’s possessed by "Day-O" is arguably one of the most famous moments in film history.
- Home Alone (1990): She played Kate McCallister. It’s a role that could have been a thankless "straight man" part, but O’Hara gave it real stakes. You actually felt her panic as she traded her jewelry for a ride in a van with a polka band.
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): People often forget she’s the voice of Sally! She brought a fragile, haunting soul to a ragdoll, proving she didn’t need her face on screen to steal the show.
The Christopher Guest Mockumentaries
If you want to see O'Hara at her most unrestrained, you have to watch the Christopher Guest movies. These were mostly improvised, which is where her Second City training really shines.
In Waiting for Guffman, she plays Sheila Albertson, a travel agent who thinks she’s a Broadway star. In Best in Show, she’s Cookie Fleck, a woman with "hundreds" of ex-boyfriends who all seem to show up at the worst possible time. But A Mighty Wind is where she breaks your heart. As Mickey Crabbe, half of a former folk-duo, she performs "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" with Eugene Levy. It’s funny, yeah, but it’s also genuinely moving. That’s the O’Hara magic: she finds the human pulse inside the caricature.
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The Moira Rose Phenomenon
Then came Schitt’s Creek.
Let’s be real: Moira Rose is a once-in-a-generation character. The vocabulary? Absolute insanity. The wigs? Each one had its own personality. O’Hara famously decided that Moira should have an accent that didn’t belong to any specific country but rather a "global" affectation of someone who had traveled too much and learned too little.
By the time the show swept the Emmys in 2020, O’Hara had achieved a rare feat. She wasn't just a "cult favorite" anymore. She was a household name for Gen Z and Boomers alike. People were dressing as Moira for Halloween, and "Fold in the cheese" became a permanent part of the internet's lexicon.
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What’s Happening Now: 2025 and 2026
If you think she's slowing down, you’re wrong. She recently made a massive splash in the HBO world.
- The Last of Us Season 2 & 3: O'Hara joined the cast as a psychotherapist, Gail. It was a huge departure from her comedy roots—dark, gritty, and incredibly tense. It earned her a 2025 Emmy nomination for Guest Actress.
- The Studio: She’s starring alongside Seth Rogen in this Apple TV+ satire about a failing movie studio. She plays a veteran producer, and honestly, seeing her navigate modern Hollywood "speak" is a joy.
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024/2025): Reprising Delia Deetz was a masterstroke. The film crossed the $400 million mark, making it one of the biggest domestic hits of her entire career.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the Catherine O'Hara filmography, don't just stick to the hits.
- Watch "After Hours" (1985): It’s a Martin Scorsese dark comedy where she plays a beehive-haired ice cream truck driver. It's weird and brilliant.
- Check out "Temple Grandin" (2010): She plays Aunt Ann in this biopic. It’s a grounded, dramatic performance that shows her range beyond the "funny faces."
- Listen to her voice work: Beyond The Nightmare Before Christmas, her recent work in The Wild Robot as Pinktail the opossum is fantastic.
The biggest takeaway from O’Hara’s career is her fearlessness. She isn't afraid to look ridiculous, and she never "winks" at the camera. Whether she’s playing a woman turning into a crow or a mother lost in a blizzard, she commits 100%. That’s why, even in 2026, we’re still obsessed with whatever she does next.
To get the full experience, start with a double feature of Best in Show and the "Wine Business" episode of Schitt's Creek. It'll give you everything you need to know about why she's a legend.