Catherine O’Hara’s Late-Career Renaissance on ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and Beyond Showed the Beloved Comedian’s Enduring Range

It’s always hard to believe a public figure is gone after their unexpected passing. But in the case of Catherine O’Hara, it’s especially difficult, because the actor and comedian remained such a vital and dynamic presence well into her later career.

For many fans, the Canadian performer was a justifiably nostalgic figure, with roles in beloved family movies like “Home Alone” and “Beetlejuice.” There’s a strong possibility you grew up watching O’Hara search frantically for Kevin McCallister every Christmas, or ward off ghosts on repeat via VHS. To legions of comedy lovers, her collaborations with Christopher Guest were a gateway drug to a wry, understated form of mockumentary satire, paving the way for spiritual successors like “The Office” down the line.

Yet O’Hara didn’t just influence the modern cultural landscape. She continued to play a vital part in it, a prominence facilitated by the…