Catherine O Hara

2021 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Broadcasting and Film)

Actor and writer

Catherine O’Hara is an acting legend whose on-screen creations have imprinted themselves on our cultural consciousness. A gifted and generous collaborator, she has brought her creative genius to many groundbreaking comedy productions and ensembles. From her Emmy Award-winning work on the sketch comedy series “SCTV” and her lead roles in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films, to her iconic character on the hit CBC TV comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” she is a cultural trailblazer whose international success has inspired many artists and helped pave the way for the next generation of women in comedy.
 
Ms. O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, and launched her acting career with The Second City comedy troupe. “Second City was my university,” she says. “I learned writing, scene structure, character development … everything I’m still tapping into, and I was fortunate enough to meet all those wonderful, talented people with whom I still get to work.” Later, with other Second City alumni, she created the sketch comedy series “SCTV” (Second City Television), where her satirical impersonations and original characters earned her wide acclaim and an Emmy Award for outstanding writing.
 
Her role as fan favourite Moira Rose, the eccentric, high-fashion matriarch on “Schitt’s Creek,” earned her six consecutive Canadian Screen Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy, and in 2021 she became the fourth person in history to sweep all five major U.S. television awards in a single season: Screen Actors Guild, Television Critics Association, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice. She has also made guest appearances on such top-rated TV series as “Six Feet Under,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “30 Rock.”
 
Ms. O’Hara’s film credits include lead and supporting roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Home Alone 2, After Hours, Heartburn, The Life Before This, Penelope, Away We Go, Where the Wild Things Are, A.C.O.D., and The Right Kind of Wrong. She co-starred with Eugene Levy (2008 GGPAA) in the critically acclaimed Christopher Guest mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration.
 
Catherine O’Hara is an Officer of the Order of Canada. Her other awards include a Genie, an ACTRA Award, and (with Eugene Levy) the Legacy Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.