Catherine O’Hara might be best known by younger generations as the eccentric Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek . But she has a long history in Hollywood—with incredible roles like Cookie Fleck in Best in Show (2000), Kate McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and, of course, Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988).
She reprises her role as Delia in the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice . About being on set again, O’Hara told Parade , “It was fun! Tim [Burton] was just so excited and enthusiastic about doing it, and that was infectious. Everybody jumped in, and we kept saying, ‘Do you believe we’re doing this?’”
She added, “And to see Michael [Keaton] ’s face for the first time as Beetlejuice … Like, his character doesn’t have to age because he was always dead!”
Related: Catherine O'Hara Reveals How She Landed Original Beetlejuice Role Without an Audition
Here’s a closer look at O’Hara’s acting history, how much she’s made off key projects and her total net worth.
How did Catherine O’Hara get her start?
Catherine O’Hara, born and raised in Toronto, always had an affinity for comedy. After high school she got work as a waitress at an improv comedy club called Second City Theatre. There, she was made Gilda Radner ’s understudy and became a full member of the troupe in the mid-1970s.
It was Second City that led O’Hara to SCTV . The troupe started the sketch comedy TV show in 1976, and it took off in Canada and later the U.S. She also briefly worked for Saturday Night Live during this time.
From ‘75 on, she picked up roles in Canadian TV shows such as Wayne and Shuster and Coming Up Rosie . Her first movie roles came in 1980, on Nothing Personal and Double Negative . It wasn’t until she won an Emmy for SCTV in 1982 that she started getting larger roles in American TV and movies.
What movie made Catherine O’Hara famous?
O’Hara’s first big movie role was as Gail in the Martin Scorsese film After Hours (1985). Although the film was a success, she wasn’t a main character and it probably gained her more traction behind the scenes in Hollywood than anything else.
A few years later in 1988, she would star in Beetlejuice as Delia Deetz, the cynical and condescending stepmother of Lydia ( Winona Ryder ). Although she played an antagonist, O’Hara still injected her trademark humor into the project that would go on to become a cult classic.
But what probably accelerated her fame more than any other role was her portrayal of Kate McCallister—the mother of Macaulay Culkin ’s character, Kevin—in the Christmas movie Home Alone (1990). She also starred in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Both movies remain Christmastime traditions today.
What is Catherine O’Hara’s net worth in 2024?
In 2024, Catherine O’Hara has an estimated net worth of $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth .
Her net worth includes the home she owns with her husband Bo Welch in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles—which is a modest 2,606 square feet and features four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The couple purchased the house in 1994 for $1.25 million; and neighboring homes that compare in size have recently sold for around $4 million, per Celebrity Net Worth .
How much money did Catherine O’Hara make for Beetlejuice ?
The cast salaries for Beetlejuice (1988) have never been revealed, and that includes what Catherine O’Hara made as Delia Deetz. The same goes for her reprisal in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice . However, there are some Hollywood gossip websites that have reported on rumors that indicate she made $2 million for her work on the sequel.
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What was Catherine O’Hara paid for Home Alone ?
Most of the cast salaries for 1990’s Home Alone have not been publicized —except for two. Daniel Stern , who played Marv the burglar, wrote in his 2024 memoir that he made $300,000 for six weeks of filming. Additionally, Business Insider reported in 2023 that John Candy made just $414 for his beloved cameo as Midwest polka star Gus Polinksi .
Candy was apparently bitter about his small payday, and Stern also argued with producers about his salary. For the sequel, he successfully negotiated his contract up to $1.5 million and 1% of the gross profits. His co-star Joe Pesci made somewhere between $2 million and $3 million (plus a percentage of gross profits), and the big kahuna himself Macaulay Culkin had a deal for $5 million and 5% of gross profits. This is all according to the memoir —not Pesci and Culkin themselves.
O’Hara’s salaries for Home Alone and Home Alone 2 have not been reported on, but she did have significantly less screen time than the burglars and her movie son, so she may have been paid less.
Related: Fans Praise Jenna Ortega as She Recreates ‘Iconic’ Winona Ryder Look From Beetlejuice
How much did Catherine O’Hara make for Schitt’s Creek ?
O’Hara starred as matriarch Moira Rose in the massively popular sitcom Schitt’s Creek , which ran from 2015 to 2020. Though her salary has not been confirmed, she clearly loved her time on the show.
“I'd love to just be with them all again. Doing a movie would be wonderful,” she told People in January 2024.
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How many Emmy awards does Catherine O’Hara have?
O’Hara has won many awards, including two Emmys. She won her first Emmy in 1982 for writing in a variety or music program for SCTV . She was nominated five times for that work. In 2020, she picked up her second Emmy—her first for acting—as lead actress in a comedy series for Schitt's Creek . She’s been nominated a total of eight times . O'Hara also won a Golden Globe in 2021 for Schitt’s Creek .
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