Photo: Jerry Avenaim at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Catherine O'Hara was born on March 4, 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was credited as a television actor, film actor and voice actor. Catherine O'Hara died on January 30, 2026, aged 71. Recorded honors include Earle Grey Award (1995), Canada's Walk of Fame (2007), Governor General's Performing Arts Award (2020) and 5 more. Notable works include Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Beetlejuice.
My Take
Catherine O'Hara was, for my money, one of the finest comic actors who ever lived. The frantic mother of Home Alone, the deliriously possessed Delia of Beetlejuice, the voice of Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas — she was the secret weapon in films other people got famous for. What I treasure most is the late-career victory lap: an Emmy and a Golden Globe arriving decades after she had already earned them several times over. Her improvisational instincts gave even small lines a strange, perfect music. She passed in early 2026, and comedy genuinely feels poorer for it. Few performers leave a gap that specific.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Catherine O'Hara
- Name (Japanese)
- キャサリン・オハラ
- Reading
- きゃさりん・おはら
- Born
- March 4, 1954 – January 30, 2026
- Origin
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / voice actor / songwriter / singer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Horse
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 1995 Earle Grey Award
- 2007 Canada's Walk of Fame
- 2020 Governor General's Performing Arts Award
- 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Officer of the Order of Canada
- 2001 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Performance by a Female – Film
- 2019 Canadian Comedy Award for Comedic Artist of the Year
- 2021 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Home Alone |
| Notable work | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York |
| Notable work | Beetlejuice |
| Notable work | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice |
| Notable work | The Nightmare Before Christmas |
| Notable work | The Wild Robot |
4. Links
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Catherine O'Hara born?
Catherine O'Hara was born on March 4, 1954.
When did Catherine O'Hara die?
Catherine O'Hara died on January 30, 2026, aged 71.
Where was Catherine O'Hara from?
Catherine O'Hara was from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
What did Catherine O'Hara do?
Catherine O'Hara worked as television actor, film actor, voice actor, songwriter, singer.
What was Catherine O'Hara known for?
Catherine O'Hara's notable works include Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Beetlejuice.
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from Canada → · More people born on March 4 →