15 Best Catherine O'Hara Movies and TV Shows, Ranked

A fashion icon and a quotable hit with viewers, Moira Rose, will forever be labeled as O'Hara's most iconic creation. In Schitt's Creek, the wealthy Rose family is forced from their lavish lifestyle after the government seizes their assets. The family is left only with a podunk town they purchased as a joke, Schitt's Creek, where they are forced to live. Co-starring once again with her onscreen husband Eugene Levy, O'Hara won her first acting Emmy and Golden Globe.

With her eccentric accent and expansive vocabulary, Moira became a pop culture phenomenon. O'Hara's mastery of the craft is on full display in Schitt's Creek as she took what was already an excellent script and developed a character that audiences desperately needed. Moira is chaotic and witty but graceful and beautifully tender, perfectly complementing the equally eccentric energy of her co-stars. It was the role that every character she'd portrayed in her career prepared her for, as O'Hara infused pieces of Cookie, Shelia, Delia, and more into making Moira her greatest role.

Kate McCallister reigned as O'Hara's most iconic character for decades. In the rush to leave for their Christmas vacation to Paris, the McCallister family forgets their youngest son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), leaving him home alone in Chicago. His mother, Kate, does everything she can to make it home to him just before Christmas. The popularity of Home Alone led to a sequel a few years later, 1992's Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, repeating the holiday fiasco once again.

Known for her memorable scream, "KEVIN!" in both films, Kate remains an audience favorite despite managing to lose her son twice in the chaos of traveling. What's special about O'Hara's performance is how she's viewed as the villain in Kevin's eyes—parenting a child who's acting out and struggling with sibling bullying. However, those concerns are quickly proven wrong as she moves mountains to reunite with him. '90s audiences felt like all was right in the world when, last year, O'Hara was present during Culkin's presentation of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

With all the ingredients for a great comedy, Best in Show is not only one of O'Hara's most iconic performances but one of Christopher Guest's most memorable films. In mockumentary behind-the-scenes filmmaking style, the eclectic and bizarre personalities of several dog owners are showcased as they gather to compete in the Mayflower Dog Show.

Eugene Levy and O'Hara star as Florida dog owners Gerry and Cookie Fleck, who bring their Norwich terrier, Winky, to compete. With every role starring opposite each other, Levy and O'Hara bring out the magic. Cookie and Arthur are a dynamic pairing and arguably the film's beating heart; they're fun, quirky, and fiercely committed to the competition, acting as both an indictment and an embrace of the world Guest is satirizing. The immaculate improv work from O'Hara is laugh-out-loud, making Best in Show a top credit.

A precursory role demonstrating O'Hara's eclectic potential, Delia Deetz is a scene-stealer in Tim Burton's dark fantasy comedy Beetlejuice. Following their accidental death, ghosts Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) enlist the help of a malicious demon exorcist named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) to remove the unbearable family who is trying to renovate their home.

Beetlejuice remains an iconic Halloween staple and one of the best collaborations between O'Hara and director Tim Burton. It's clear from the moment she arrives that Delia is in charge of the Deetz family. Her unique taste in art, interior decorating, and dramatics are the catalysts for Adam and Barbara to take action. O'Hara's ability to go from level one to ten with her voice and facial expressions creates an entertainingly manic mother to her doom-and-gloom daughter, Lydia (Wynona Ryder).

In her second collaboration with filmmaker Tim Burton, O'Hara brought out the soft and tender side of the spooky holiday tale The Nightmare Before Christmas. After discovering the world of Christmas Town, pumpkin king Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) decides to try his hand at putting on Christmas after yet another successful Halloween celebration. O'Hara voices Sally, a rag doll creation and his love interest, who tries to stop Jack from taking over Christmas.

The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a certified classic and a triumph of animation, thanks to its wildly original story, beautiful art direction, and stellar voice cast. This is one of many films where O'Hara worked alongside Burton and is her most memorable voice role. Sally's intuition is a driving force contradicting Jack's innocent curiosity despite her sheltered existence. With this stop-motion character, O'Hara is brilliant in her execution of vocal range, creating a soft yet higher-pitched tone in a very dark and loud world.

Playing a local town member in Waiting for Guffman is the perfect set-up for the role reversal O'Hara would see later in her career. A real estate agent, Shelia Albertson, is one of the amateur actors cast in the local production of "Red, White, and Blaine" by aspiring director Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest). The play, he hopes, is his ticket back to Broadway when he learns that acclaimed theater agent Mort Guffman plans to make his way there for opening night.

Waiting for Guffman has become a timeless cult classic and a brilliant example of the excellence Guest brings out in his dynamic ensemble. Who can forget the "Midnight at the Oasis" audition with O'Hara's onscreen husband, Fred Willard, and the tracksuits? O'Hara adapts seamlessly to the deadpan style of the mockumentary, showcasing her versatile talent to adjust to the comedic medium, especially when there's no script and just a 29-day shoot schedule.

A completely underrated film not only in O'Hara's credits but in director Martin Scorsese's career. After Hours details the frantic and chaotic evening of Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) after taking a cab to visit Marcy (Rosanna Arquette), a girl he met earlier. As the night unfolds, it gets more crazy and unhinged as Paul tries to make his way back uptown.

During his evening escapade, Paul meets Gail (O'Hara), an ice cream truck vendor, who eventually leads a charge of locals chasing after Paul, believing him to be a burglar terrorizing the neighborhood. While the role doesn't command the entirety of the film, O'Hara's comedic versatility does for her time onscreen. Normally recognized for the light-hearted, gut-wrenching laughs style of the genre, After Hours is a dark, successful comedic departure from both Scorsese and O'Hara.

A Mighty Wind was Christopher Guest's third outing with his cast of quirky and reliable usual suspects. In one of her many onscreen relationships with Eugene Levy, O'Hara brings her musical A-game. The pair star as a folk-singing duo, Mitch & Mickey, one of the three aging bands participating in a reunion concert to honor the death of their manager.

Showcasing the cast's true versatility as entertainers, all the music was performed live, making Levy and O'Hara's performance of "When You're Next to Me" and "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" all the more perfect. Guest's signature mockumentary style of filmmaking makes A Mighty Wind a heartfelt tribute to folk music and camaraderie. O'Hara's portrayal of Mickey fills the film with a sensitive sweetness left out of other iconic roles.

Participating in both the film and television versions of the popular book series, O'Hara is forever tied to A Series of Unfortunate Events. Both productions are based on the children's novels written by Lemony Snicket about the three orphaned Baudelaire children as they bounce from guardian to guardian, attempting to escape the dreadful Count Olaf, who is after their inheritance fortune. The Netflix original series stars Neil Patrick Harris as Olaf.

For the Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, O'Hara was cast as Dr. Georgina Orwell, the optometrist from the fourth novel, "The Miserable Mill." O'Hara had previously appeared in the movie adaptation, but her portrayal of Orwell is more engaging and entertaining. The scheming and decidedly cruel Orwell is just as hungry for the children's fortune as her former love, Olaf. Her wicked glee and chemistry with Harris go a long way in making Orwell memorable.

In one of her many turns as a cinematic or television mother, O'Hara stepped into a fairytale rom-com with Penelope. The unfortunate recipient of her aristocratic family curse, Penelope (Christina Ricci), is born with a pig snout and ears, the spell only to be broken with true love and acceptance from "one of her own kind." The underrated 2000s rom-com includes a supporting cast of James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon.

O'Hara stars as Penelope's mother, Jessica, who interprets the "one of her own kind" to mean social status, setting up Penelope with suitors for seven years. With each of her maternal roles, O'Hara brings a distinct uniqueness to each, making them never the same. Jessica isn't necessarily a villain here, but she's morally gray as she wants her daughter to find happiness, but not at the expense of her social standing. Her chemistry with Ricci further elevates this whimsical tale about love and self-acceptance.

When a highly advanced robot, Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), is stranded on an island, she struggles to adapt to not only her new environment but also the vast variety of animals who call the island home. As Roz tries to send a signal to her manufacturer, she accidentally becomes the surrogate mother of a baby goose and, with the help of a fox and supposed goose expert, Fink (Pedro Pascal), she must raise and prepare the gosling to fly south for the next winter.

O'Hara provides the voice of a straight-forward, no-nonsense mother opossum, Pinktail, in the 2024 hit animated feature, The Wild Robot. While Pinktail isn't a main central character, she does play a vital role in Roz taking on the responsibility of raising Brightbill and serves as a source of motherly advice for the robot. O'Hara brings a sincere and nurturing tone to her character while still sneaking in a bit of her sarcasm and witty humor which audiences know and love her for. Despite not being a major character, O'Hara's performance in The Wild Robot is one of her best in recent years and should be on everyone's watchlist.

Claire Danes stars as the famous innovator with autism, Temple Grandin, who has a passion for mechanics and makes the brave decision to get an education. Once in college, Temple struggles to overcome immense social and academic challenges, but eventually, she finds her strength and successfully defies the odds, inventing a more humane machine to slaughter cattle and becoming a pioneer in animal care.

Based on the inspirational true story, Temple Grandin features O'Hara as Temple's Aunt Ann, who owns a cattle ranch where Temple initially learns about the business of raising and producing cattle. O'Hara delivers one of her most overlooked performances, which is full of heart and passion, showcasing the actress' highly underrated talent in dramatic, serious roles. While she may not be the star of the movie, O'Hara is a pure delight, and it is refreshing for audiences to see her in a non-comedic role, making Temple Grandin one of her must-see films.

The McCallister family is headed for sunny Florida for Christmas but when they make the same mistake and wake up late, they rush to the airport to make their flight. They make sure Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is with them when they leave the house, but as they get lost in the crowded airport, Kevin ends up on a flight to New York City. Initially, Kevin finds the mishap to be the perfect Christmas present, but when he runs into the Wet Bandits (now the Sticky Bandits), his vacation takes an unexpected turn.

O'Hara returns as Mother-of-the-Year, Kate McCallister, in the pretty much identical sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, who, despite her best efforts, loses her youngest son over the festive holiday....again. Similar to the first movie, O'Hara gives a heartfelt performance as a remorseful and devoted mother who will stop at nothing to find her son. Even though her character is almost frantic and concerned the entire film, she does have her moments of humor (notably slapping Tim Curry).

Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a young scientist and aspiring filmmaker who lives with his parents in a small town with his Bull Terrier dog, Sparky. When Sparky is unfortunately hit by a car, Victor is devastated but, after being inspired by his teacher, he decides to try and bring his best friend back to life through electricity.

Frankenweenie is a parody and homage to Mary Shelley's famous 1818 novel, Frankenstein, as well as a remake of Tim Burton's 1984 short film of the same. O'Hara lends her voice to several characters in the film but her main role is Victor's kind mother, Mrs. Frankenstein, who encourages her son to embrace his interests and value his uniqueness. O'Hara's soft, delicate voice brings her character to life without coming off as a cliché Mrs. Beaver-type character, proving her immense talent as a voice-over actress.

Lydia Deets (Winona Ryder), now a successful television host of her own paranormal series, must return to her small Connecticut town with her step-mother, Delia (O'Hara), and her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), to bury her father. As the women arrive back in town, Lydia is forced to confront her past with the ever-so-charming Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), who is soon up to his old tricks while trying to avoid his former flame who is on the hunt for him.

O'Hara returns as the eccentric Delia Deets in the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, reuniting with familiar faces as well as new ones in this zany follow-up to Tim Burton's hit '80s film. Despite it being several years since the first film, O'Hara reprises her role with perfection and effortlessly revives Delia with her overly dramatic tendencies and weirdly wild style. She also has a few sentimental moments with her step-daughter, revealing a more emotional element of the women's relationship which was non-existent in the first film.