‘She was our mama’: Catherine O’Hara honoured at Emmys In Memoriam
Catherine O’Hara, who died in January at 71, was honoured at the 78th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday night by her former on-screen children Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy.
Culkin opened the tribute, remembering O’Hara, who played his mother in Home Alone, as encouraging, warm and funny.
“She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Bo and Matthew and Luke. She was my mom. She was our mama,” he said.
“And by extension, she’s all of our mama. By the way, call your mother tonight. Give it up for moms. But like a good mama, she always showed up when I asked her to. Because that was Catherine. That’s what she did. She showed up. And this is the best that we can do for her tonight.”
Murphy, who played O’Hara’s daughter Alexis in Schitt’s Creek, then took the stage and described O’Hara’s laugh as a “perpetual ‘yes’” that challenged anyone who heard it to join in her delight.
She also recalled the affection she encountered from strangers following O’Hara’s death.
“After we lost Catherine, I was passed a note on an Air Canada flight that said, ‘She was so special. I hope you’re doing okay,’” Murphy said.
She recalled being hugged by an “extremely gruff-looking” gas station attendant who was also grieving O’Hara’s death, as well as hearing a lively Catherine mashup while buying wine at the LCBO.
Murphy said these encounters were among the many reminders of “how profoundly Catherine has impacted the world”.
Levy, who played O’Hara’s son David in Schitt’s Creek, was the final speaker. He said the “greatest lesson” he learned from O’Hara was “to always say yes” to everything, both professionally and personally.
“Say yes to her naming that wig,” Levy said. “Say yes to giving her space to experiment and create. It will amaze you on a daily basis, and it will change your life. Say yes to her dinner invites and her stories and her wisdom and her generosity. Those are the things you will hold onto the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”
O’Hara’s death was announced by her agency, CAA. She died at her Los Angeles home following a brief illness.
Her five-decade Hollywood career began with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, which she co-created with her future Schitt’s Creek co-star Eugene Levy. The show earned her an Emmy in 1982.
She later starred in films including After Hours, Beetlejuice and the first two Home Alone films.
O’Hara also appeared in several Christopher Guest mockumentaries, including Best in Show, For Your Consideration, Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind.