Canadian-American actor Catherine O'Hara came up alongside other comedy superstars like John Candy, Dan Akyroyd, and her long-time collaborator Eugene Levy, who she currently works with on Schitt's Creek. O'Hara has an extensive filmography in both television and film, acting in many of the most iconic films in every decade since she arrived on the scene.
Like her Canadian compatriots, O'Hara got her start in Toronto's Second City, where she learned how to perfect improvisation. This talent for spontaneous humor and dialogue has informed many of her roles over the years. This list testifies to O'Hara's abilities as an actor, showing she's worked with some of the most creative comedic forces in the industry.
10 Sheila Albertson In Waiting for Guffman (1996) - 7.5
O'Hara has acted in almost every Christopher Guest ensemble mockumentary, which includes other actors like Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, and Parkey Posey. In each of these films, Guest focuses his lens on the quirky lives of people invested in creative pursuits ranging from small-town theatre to national dog shows to folk music.
In Waiting for Guffman, Guest's first feature, O'Hara plays Sheila Albertson who, along with her husband Ron, is an amateur actor who makes a living as a travel agent. Ron and Sheila like to wear matching outfits, and they get cast as the leads in Corky St. Clair's play, which will be a sweeping historical review of Blaine, Missouri, the focus of the film.
9 Delia In Beetlejuice (1988) - 7.5
Tim Burton's cult classic wouldn't be the same without O'Hara's iconic portrayal of Lydia Deetz's stepmother Delia, a temperamental sculptor. When the Deetz family moves into an idyllic Connecticut country home from New York City, they soon realize the house is still occupied by the ghosts of its former owners: the Maitlands.
Delia guts the Maitlands's beloved home, turning it into a post-modern labyrinth that mimics the harshness of her art. The Maitlands turn to the infamous Beetlejuice for help pushing the new family out, but it comes at a cost. Things get really interesting when they realize Lydia, played by Winona Rider, can see them.
8 Kate In Home Alone (1990) - 7.6
O'Hara does an amazing job acting out any parent's worst nightmare: realizing you left one of your children behind on your way spend Christmas in Paris. Her character's son in Home Alone, Kevin McCallister, wakes up psyched about the fact that his loud, obnoxious family and bullying older brother are gone.
In this archetypal family comedy, Macauley Culkin's seminal character soon finds himself fending off a pair of robbers who think his home is abandoned. Meanwhile, O'Hara's character Kate gets the next flight she can back to the US, but delay after delay sets her back.
7 Miss Malone In The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (1988 - 1989) - 7.7
Another Canadian comedian O'Hara worked with in her early days is Martin Short, who also got his start in Toronto's Second City comedy troupe. Many of those involved in the group went on to develop the Second City TV series, also known as SCTV, and Short's character Ed Grimley debuted there.
A manchild with greased hair and highwater pants, Grimley is obsessed with pop culture, especially the show Wheel of Fortune. Short worked with Hanna-Barbera Productions on an animated series, which lasted one season on NBC. O'Hara voices the character Miss Malone.
6 Gail In After Hours (1985) - 7.7
O'Hara's fourth feature film credit is as Gail in Martin Scorsese's dark comedy After Hours. The films follows one fateful night in the otherwise boring life of computer data analyst Paul Hackett, played by Griffin Dunne. After hailing a cab in hopes of following up with a woman he met earlier, Hackett's evening takes a turn when his only $20 bill flies out of the window of the cab.
O'Hara's character, Gail, has a small role as an ice cream truck driver who appears later in the film. She believes Hackett is the person responsible for a series of burglaries in her neighborhood, and she rallies together a mob to chase after him.
5 Dr. Orwell In A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017 - 2019) - 7.8
In this Netflix series, adapted from the Lemony Snicket novels, Catherine O'Hara has a four-episode arc as Dr. Georgina Orwell, an optometrist who helps the nefarious Count Olaf in his attempts to steal the Baudelaire fortune.
Neal Patrick Harris stars as the ultimate villain Count Olaf. The show debuted in 2017 and ran for three seasons to much critical acclaim. From set design to mood to the phenomenal acting from the youth who play the Baudelaire children, the show is a fitting companion to the feature film adaptations that first hit theatres in 2004.
4 Geraldine Ferrett In Tales From The Crypt (1989 - 1996) - 8.0
O'Hara stars in an episode of HBO's revamp of the horror anthology Tales From The Crypt. In the episode entitled "Let the Punishment Fit the Crime," she plays an ambulance-chasing lawyer who has a greedy and slimy reputation.
One day, her character receives a moving violation in a small town called Stuecksville, and she finds herself on the receiving end of an unrepentant criminal justice system in the town. Between her goofy lawyer, played by Peter MacNicol, and the three judges presiding over the case, she gets a taste of her own medicine.
3 Sally In A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - 8.0
O'Hara is also an accredited voice actor, and she voices Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. In this classic macabre holiday movie, Sally plays a rag doll created by the oppressive Dr. Finklestein. She likes to drug him with various herbs in order to escape his reign, but he always wakes up and tracks her down.
Sally becomes infatuated with the King of Halloweentown, Jack, and helps him follow through with his plan to take over Christmas. O'Hara also voices Shock in the film.
2 Moira Rose In Schitt's Creek (2015 - 2020) - 8.3
O'Hara is brilliant as the former soap opera star turned slumming long-term hotel guest Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek. After the fortune she shares with her husband leaves the country with their thieving accountant, the Roses have no choice but to relate to the town father Johnny, played by Eugene Levy, bought for his son David as a joke.
Moira has more wigs and breakdowns than any character in television history, and adjusting to life in Schitt's Creek takes its toll on her. Fortunately, she was able to save enough of her high-end couture to maintain her very unique, and very iconic, look.
1 Various Roles In SCTV (1976 - 1984) - 8.4
O'Hara is a main fixture in the celebrated Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, the product of Toronto's Second City comedy group. This seminal series launched the careers of John Candy, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, and O'Hara.
O'Hara plays a slew of characters on the series, including impersonations of famous celebrities like Lucille Ball, Jane Fonda, and Margaret Thatcher. The show is structured to resemble a TV station broadcast, and the sketches are styled like the various kinds of absurd programming available to viewers.
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