Delightful comic actress Catherine O’Hara, 71, died on Jan. 30. O’Hara first came to fame on the sketch-comedy show SCTV, in the 1970s. She went on to deliver fey, hilarious performances in such movies as After Hours, Beetlejuice, Betsy’s Wedding, Home Alone, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and For Your Consideration (I cannot stand those improv films), and in the sitcom Schitt’s Creek. The Toronto-born O’Hara was the sister of singer-songwriter, actress and composer Mary Margaret O’Hara, and was married to production designer Bo Welch. “I think everyone is born funny,” O’Hara said. “Sadly, some lives beat it out of them. I don't know what allows someone to keep being funny and actually make a career of it. I was encouraged to see the humor in life and have always been around people who think funny, but I know some hilarious people whose sense of humor saved them from their lives. I think the best dramatic actors know how to tap into their character's humor.”
