Catherine O’Hara has played memorable maternal roles on TV and in movies, drawing inspiration from her children: Matthew and Luke Welch.
O’Hara shares her sons with husband, Bo Welch, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated production designer known for his work on films like Edward Scissorhands and A Little Princess. O’Hara and Welch met on the set of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice in 1988, eventually started dating and married in 1992.
After welcoming their kids in the late ’90s, O’Hara’s experience portraying a mom on-screen evolved. “It’s great to play a realized mother because it is one of the most important roles in life,” she told Variety in 2020.
Today, Matthew and Luke are adults with their own careers in Hollywood, though they are more private than their parents.
Here’s everything to know about Catherine O’Hara’s children: Matthew and Luke Welch.
They were born three years apart
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After O’Hara and Welch wed on April 25, 1992, the couple welcomed their first child together, Matthew, in 1994. About three years later, O’Hara and Welch celebrated the arrival of their second child, Luke, in 1997.
They once had a Home Alone moment
One of O’Hara’s most iconic roles was playing Kevin’s mom, Kate McCallister, in the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone. Although it may have seemed unrealistic to forget one of her children then, the actress later had a real-life experience that echoed the movie’s storyline.
Speaking to PEOPLE in January 2024, O’Hara recalled a family trip to New York City, where they took the subway. While commuting from one location to another, though, O’Hara and her husband Welch didn’t have Matthew and Luke board first, and a mixup happened.
“We turned around, the doors are closing, and they just weren’t on,” she said. “I screamed and people screamed with me. Everybody joined in.”
Luckily, the doors reopened, and her children were able to get on the train, but the moment still startled her. “It makes me sick to think what could have happened,” she added, explaining that they didn’t have cellphones to communicate.
They’re funny
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Years before Matthew and Luke stepped foot on a TV set, they were coming of age at home with O’Hara, who enjoyed hearing their impersonations and clever jokes.
In a 2007 interview with Toronto Star, the Argylle star opened up about her sons’ different senses of humor. According to the outlet, Matthew and Luke were 12 and 9, respectively.
“They’re very funny, and we encourage it,” O’Hara said. “The older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-a– funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play.”
She continued, “I’m proud to say, we all make each other laugh. In my home, growing up. I learned that from my parents. They made each other laugh to the end, God bless ‘em. How great is that?”
They work on set design
Matthew and Luke chose to follow in their parent’s Hollywood footsteps. However, they aren’t actors like their mom or producers like their dad. Instead, the brothers have worked on set design for a few projects.
In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, O’Hara revealed Schitt’s Creek was something of a family affair. According to the actress, both her kids worked on the sitcom: One was a set dresser, and the other was in set construction.
More recently, during a February 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, O’Hara confirmed rumors that she was going to appear on The Last Of Us season 2, and also noted that one of her sons was involved in the HBO Max series.
“My son’s a set dresser on the show,” she told host Andy Cohen, stopping short of sharing a name.
They’re private people
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Although they work in Hollywood like their parents, Matthew and Luke live private lives. O’Hara rarely talks about them in interviews, and they don’t make public appearances with her.
In October 1994, O’Hara and Welch took Matthew, an infant at the time, to the opening party for Burton’s photo exhibit, The Museum of Unnatural History, in Hollywood.
Otherwise, the two don’t walk the carpet with their mom. They also don’t appear to have public social media accounts.
