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NEED TO KNOW
- Catherine OâHara was married to Bo Welch from 1992 until her death in 2026
- The actress met the production designer in 1988 on the set of her movie Beetlejuice
- Over the course of their 33-year-long marriage, they welcomed two children: Matthew and Luke
Catherine OâHara was married to Bo Welch for over three decades.
The beloved actress â who died in January 2026 at the age of 71 â met the production designer when she starred in Tim Burtonâs 1988 classic Beetlejuice. At the urging of the acclaimed director, Welch asked the Schittâs Creek alum on a date, and the rest is history.
Born and raised in Canada, OâHara moved to California to pursue her relationship with Welch. âI moved to L.A. to be with him,â she told The New Yorker in January 2019. âYeah, I moved for love.â
Welch and OâHara eventually got married on April 25, 1992. They welcomed their first son, Matthew, in 1994 and their second son, Luke, in 1997.
Over the years, Welch has worked on a number of iconic films, including Burtonâs 1990 Edward Scissorhands, starring Johnny Depp, and the original Men in Black, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.
So, who is Catherine OâHaraâs husband? Hereâs everything to know about Bo Welch and his relationship with the Home Alone star.
He is an Oscar-nominated production designer
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Welch is an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated production designer, best known for his work on Edward Scissorhands, Men in Black and A Little Princess. He grew up in Bucks County, Penn., per Below the Line, and had his big break as a production designer in 1985âs The Color Purple. His work on the film landed him his first of four Oscar nominations.
Welch made his directorial debut in 2003 with The Cat in the Hat. He also directed five episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events, the same series that landed him his first Primetime Emmy nomination. He has additionally done production design for Batman Returns, Schmigadoon! and Thor.
âIf you have to wake up in the morning to do something, I canât think of anything better [than production design],â he told Below the Line in July 2022. âYou can do this job for 100 years, and I swear every time you come to this part of production design, picking colors, itâs like youâve just started this career. It is so difficult.â
He and OâHara met on the set of BeetlejuiceÂ
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Welch and OâHara met while she was starring in Beetlejuice as Delia Deetz. Burton hired Welch to work on the filmâs production design, which at the time was the second movie he had ever worked on.
âIt was just thrilling at that point in my career. Second movie, and this was it. I had never seen anything like it,â Welch told UPROXX. âIt didnât have the pressure of a third episode of a franchise movie. So, all of that was great.â
âMy memories of Beetlejuice are very fond, of course,â he added. âNot to mention, I met my wife, who was in it.â
While working on the movie, Burton learned that OâHara had a crush on Welch. Burton helped the pair get together by arranging a trip to a swap meet with the filmâs art department, he told PEOPLE.
âI was grouching to Tim Burton about how this guy was talking to me all the time and never asking me out,â OâHara recalled to InStyle in January 2018. âWe had a break between filming in Los Angeles and on location, and in that time, Tim told Bo that he should ask me out.â
They shot the exteriors of the Beetlejuice house in Vermont, and that was the day that Welch asked OâHara out, which was admittedly her favorite part of filming the movie.
âOur first day of shooting at the house was the day that Bo finally asked me out, so thatâs what I see when I look at the scenes we shot there,â she added. âMatchmaking Tim Burton!â
OâHara moved to Los Angeles to be with him
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After meeting Welch on the set of Beetlejuice, OâHara was smitten. The pair started dating after filming wrapped. OâHara admitted to The New Yorker in 2019 that she moved to L.A. after Beetlejuice to be with Welch.
âI was in Beetlejuice, and the production designer, Bo Welch, was very attractive, and he finally asked me out,â she said. âWe went on location at the end of the movie, and we started dating. I moved to L.A. to be with him. Yeah, I moved for love.â
OâHara and Welch tied the knot on April 25, 1992.
They share two sonsÂ
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OâHara and Welch welcomed two sons together, Matthew and Luke. Two years after they were married, they welcomed Matthew in 1994. Luke was born roughly three years later in 1997. While Matthew and Luke were raised in Canada, they have followed in the footsteps of their parents and have taken on jobs in Hollywood.
During their adolescence, Matthew and Luke were very creative kids.
âMatthew and Luke ⊠Theyâre very funny, and we encourage it,â OâHara told the Toronto Star in June 2007. âThe older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-ass funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play.â
Matthew and Luke made their way into the entertainment industry and have worked in set dressing and construction. They additionally worked with OâHara during her time on Schittâs Creek.
OâHara told PEOPLE in January 2024 that she once had her own brief Home Alone moment with her two sons in New York on the subway.
âWe were in New York once; I think it was New York. Bo and I got on the subway, we turned around, the doors are closing, and they werenât on,â she said. âI screamed and people screamed with me. Everybody joined in.â
Luckily, Matthew and Luke made it on the train and werenât separated from their parents. âIt makes me sick to think what could have happened,â OâHara added.
He and OâHara had a viral moment during the 2021 Golden Globes
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At the 2021 Golden Globes Awards, OâHara received the award for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for her work in Schittâs Creek. Because the awards ceremony was held during the height of the pandemic, she gave her acceptance speech virtually with her husband by her side.
As she spoke, Welch played audio of an audience applauding. When she neared the end of her speech, he played music to signal OâHara to wrap up. âSeriously?â she jokingly said to Welch at the time.
He and OâHara had an interesting visit to the Vatican as newlyweds
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After OâHara and Welch got married, Burton gave them tickets for a private tour of the Vatican.
âIt was a very inside kind of deal,â OâHara said on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
During the trip, the priest who was showing them around was scolded.
âOk, so a priest took us around â he got yelled at at one point,â OâHara recalled. âI wish I spoke Italian, but he was definitely getting yelled at by another priest because we were in the popeâs closet, like, looking at garments and stuff. It was crazy.â
Everything turned out to be fine for OâHara and Welch, and they ended their tour in a mini museum where gifts given to the Vatican are held. âAnd this priest is just letting us open cases, and pretending to put a crown inside Boâs backpack, taking pictures,â she added.
He supported OâHara at the Venice Film Festival
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In August 2024, Welch joined OâHara at the Venice Film Festival for the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premiere. The actress turned heads in a gothic-inspired gown by Oscar de la Renta, while Welch complemented his wife in a classic black suit.


