Biography for
Catherine O'Hara More at IMDb Pro »

Date of Birth

4 March 1954, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Birth Name

Catherine Anne O'Hara

Nickname

Cath

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Spouse

Bo Welch

(25 April 1992 - present) 2 children

Trade Mark

Her smile.

Trivia

Sister of critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Mary Margaret O'Hara.

She was part of the group Northern Lights who sang the song "Tears Are Not Enough" which was on the "We Are The World" album.

Crowned Queen of Comedy after her years as a regular on "Second City TV" (1976), better known as SCTV. Catherine O'Hara has an almost religious cult following around the world.

A high school friend of Robin Duke at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. They first acted together in a school production of "Harvey".

Her sons were born in 1994 and 1997.

Is one of 7 children.

Sons names are Matthew and Luke.

Became a U.S. citizen.

Third generation Irish/Canadian/Catholic.

Wrote "Second City TV" (1976)'s famous sketch "High-Q", considered one of the funniest sketches on "Second City TV" (1976).

Composed the two songs she and her sister Mary Margaret O'Hara and friend Robin Duke performed in The Last Polka (1985) (TV).

Owns a cottage (along with her husband Bo Welch) in Muskoka, Ontario.

Learned to play the autoharp for her role in A Mighty Wind (2003).

Gave a tearful eulogy at the funeral for John Candy.

Went to the same high school as fellow Canadian entertainer Dave Foley.

Auditioned for the role of Jane Craig in Broadcast News (1987). Holly Hunter was cast instead.

Received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in June 2007.

Began working at Toronto's Second City in 1973 as a waitress. Her brother Marcus O'Hara, and sister Mary Margaret also had jobs there.

A close friend of late actor John Candy.

Personal Quotes

I'm pretty much a good Catholic girl at heart and I believe in family. I also have a basic belief that God takes care of me. I believe in prayer, even though I'm not that religious. I just have that foundation from my family. I mean when you think that you're just a human being and one of God's creatures, you can't take anything that seriously.

I lived in LA for a few months. It seemed like no one there had parents. Or if they did have parents, they would deny it.

I think the success of my work stems from being truthful.

I know. I'm lazy. But I made myself a New Years resolution that I would write myself something really special. Which means I have 'til December, right?

Night time really is the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone is asleep.

I never went to the prom or anything. I got asked by a couple of weird guys, but no one I wanted to show up at a formal with. Mostly I thought about being an actress. I wasn't conscious of wanting to be a comic actress. I wasn't really funny or anything, and I didn't think about it. It wasn't supposed to be ladylike for a girl to joke. To this day, I've found that it doesn't matter what a guy looks like if he's really funny. His sense of humor makes him attractive. On the other hand, you don't hear men saying, "No she's not pretty, but is she ever funny!"

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z