In Honor Of The Late, Great Catherine O'Hara, Here Is The Mount Rushmore Of Comic Actresses

This week, Catherine O'Hara passed away at the age of 71, and it was one of those celebrity deaths that hit a lot of people hard. 

That's because she had such an extensive career in both TV and movies and was always spectacular in whatever she was in.

In fact, it got me wondering if you were to put together a Mount Rushmore of comedic actresses, would O'Hara be on it?

I think the answer is a resounding "yes," but it made me wonder who else I would add to that list.

So, let's chisel away and come up with the four faces that would make up a Mount Rushmore of comedic actresses.

Catherine O'Hara

It was O'Hara's tragic passing that made me think about this idea, and she was an easy addition to the list.

From "SCTV" to "Home Alone" to "Schitt's Creek," O'Hara was great in everything she did, including her countless guest spots on pretty much every show you can think of.

For me, the movies that made her a Mount Rushmore comedy actress are the ones she appeared in directed by Christopher Guest.

"Waiting For Guffman," "Best In Show," "A Mighty Wind," and "For Your Consideration." O'Hara is in all of them, and they show off what a great improvisational actress she was.

Another example came from her guest spot on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," when she played Marty Funkhouser's recently-released-from-the-loony-bin sister, Bam Bam.

RIP Catherine O'Hara.

Cloris Leachman

Here's one who I don't think immediately comes to people's minds, but then you think about it for a second, and you're like, "Yeah, put her up there for sure."

Cloris Leachman had such a long career and was in just about everything, always shone in a supporting role, usually as some kind of bizarre character.

This was the case in the three Mel Brooks movies she appeared in: "Young Frankenstein," "High Anxiety" (the most underrated Mel Brooks movie), and "History of the World, Part 1."

Her role in "Young Frankenstein" as Frau Blucher (*horse noises*) is probably her most memorable, but she was a scene-stealer, even into her 80s and 90s.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Two women have won eight Primetime Emmy Awards. One is Cloris Leachman, the other is Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Of course, immediately, we all go to "Seinfeld," as we should. For my money, it's the best sitcom of all-time, and it was always going to take a special kind of actress to fill out that cast alongside Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards.

I mean, come on, Elaine is one of the greatest characters in sitcom history.

But what always blew my mind is that while countless actors and actresses have struggled to follow up a role like the one she had on "Seinfeld," Julia Louis-Dreyfus followed it up with two very successful TV shows in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and, most notably, "Veep."

Plus, she was great in "Christmas Vacation."

Lucille Ball

Was there ever any doubt about this one?

Lucille Ball didn't just set the standard for comedic leading ladies; she set the standard in sitcoms, period.

True story: my wife watches "I Love Lucy" pretty much all day, every day, while she works. I had never really sat and watched it until recently, and it wasn't until then that I realized how good Lucille Ball was. Just crazy good timing, and her physical comedy was next level.

I had always thought that she was held in that regard because she was one of the first, but nope. She really was that good and easily earned a spot on Mount Rushmore for me based solely on her acting, but she could've also earned it for being a trailblazer with the show and with Desilu Studios.