SEE Mourns Death of Catherine O’Hara

With sadness and sorrow, Sada El Balad English Website "SEE" mourns the death of Canadian legendary actress Catherine O’Hara, who died on Friday at the age of 71.

SEE underscored the global cultural legacy of Catherine O’Hara, noting her work became part of the films and stories audiences around the world grew up watching including myself.

O’Hara’s Hollywood career spanned five decades, beginning with the Canadian sketch comedy series “Second City Television,” which she created with Eugene Levy, and for which she earned her first Emmy and earned four nominations. O’Hara went on to star in films such as “After Hours,” “Beetlejuice” and the first two “Home Alone” movies, in which she played the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin. 

O’Hara was born in Toronto, but she became a beloved figure in Los Angeles. She was named the honorary mayor of Brentwood in 2021.

She is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke, along with siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara, and Patricia Wallice.

Through decades of creative contributions, her performances resonated far beyond borders and reflected the strength of Canadian cultural influence on the global stage.

Cultural sectors including cinema will remain imperative soft power tools for building bridges between nations.