Catherine OHara in 2019.Credit...Ryan Pfluger for The New York TimesSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTListen to this article 6:41 min Learn moreShare full article837By Alex Williams and Rylee KirkJan. 30, 2026Updated 6:27 p.m. ETLeer en españolCatherine OHara, the Emmy Award-winning comic actress who endeared herself to audiences, blending a maternal Everywoman quality with a sly touch of the surreal, as showcased in blockbusters like the Home Alone films as well as offbeat fare like the hit TV series Schitts Creek, died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 71.Creative Artists Agency, which represented her, confirmed her death in a statement, which did not cite a cause, saying only that she had been briefly ill.A native of Toronto, Ms. OHara began her climb to fame as an understudy to Gilda Radner with the Second City, the improvisational comedy troupe. Second City gave rise to the acclaimed Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV, which functioned as a north-of-the-border answer to Saturday Night Live and became a similar conveyor belt of Hollywood talent. Her co-stars included John Candy, Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy.Mr. Levy and Ms. OHara, equally matched in oddball charm, had a running history over the years, starting in their days in Canada. When I was waitressing, we tried dating, actually, Ms. OHara said in a 2019 interview with The New Yorker. Theres nothing sexier than making each other laugh. I think everybody tried dating everybody.ImageMembers of the cast of the Ca
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