The Canadian American actress, comedian, screenwriter died on 30 Jan 2026 at the age of 71. Born on March 4, 1954 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her career spanned 50 years. She started young at the age of 21!!
She grew up as the sixth of seven children. She has an older sister Mary Margaret O’Hara, a musician & actress.
She started her comedy career from 1974 as a cast member of ‘The Second City’ in her hometown, Toronto. She was an understudy for Gilda Radner until Radner left for ‘Saturday Night Live’.
She extended her career to TV in mid 1970s. Her work earned her an Emmy for outstanding writing & two Emmy nominations.
During 1990s she made guset appearances in ‘Tales from the Crypt’, ‘Oh Baby’ & acted, directed episodes of ‘Dream On’& ‘The Outer Limits’.
Her role in 2010 TV film ‘Temple Grandin’ earned her three award nominations.
She appeared in the horror comedy film ‘Beetlejuice'(1988) as Delia Deetz. On the set she met Robert Welch, production designer, art director. They married in 1992 & have two children.
In 1990, she had roles in films ‘Dick Tracy’& ‘Betsy’s Wedding’. She starred as Kate McCallister in the blockbuster comedy film ‘Home Alone’ (1990) & it’s sequel ‘Home Alone 2 :Lost in NewYork (1992). In 1992, she appeared in the comedy ‘There Goes the Neighborhood’.
From 2015 to 2020, she co-starred as Moira Rose in CBC sitcom ‘Schitt ‘s Creek’ alongside Eugene Levy. It earned her six Canadian Screen awards for Best lead actress in a Comedy series.
In 2025, she had a main role in ‘The Studio’. She also starred in ‘The Last of Us’. She received nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards for both roles.
Her box office is more than $ 4.3 billion.
Her co-star Culkin was among paying tribute on Friday, “Mama, I thought we had time’. Culkin on instagram said’ I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you.I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you’.
It echoes our sentiments perfectly.
Asian Entertainment 