Greg Proops recalls working with Catherine O'Hara on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
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Proops says that the Home Alone actress was "nervous" before filming
Proops continues to tour with Whose Line castmates and hosts a comedy game show blending humor and democracy
Catherine O'Haraleft a mark on everyone she worked with, including Greg Proops.
The 66-year-old comedian tells PEOPLE that performing with the late actress onWhose Line Is It Anyway?was one of the highlights of his time on the improvisational comedy television series.
"My favorite memory of shootingWhose Line Is It Anyway?is early on when we came to America, it must have been 1999, our producer, Dan [Patterson], had Catherine O'Hara do the show," he recalls. "It was me, Colin Mochrie, Ryan [Stiles] and Catherine O'Hara."
"We were getting ready to do an improvised game show. Catherine turned to me, and evidently, she didn't do that much improv. She said mostly she did sketches," he continues. "She said, 'I'm a little nervous.' I said, 'I don't care. I love you.' "
Despite her nerves, humor came naturally to O'Hara.
"Then we got up to do the game, and I was the host of the show, and I said, 'Contestant number two, what's your name?' She said, 'Shanky Shankerman.' I burst out laughing," Proops recalls.
"I'll always remember that because she was so unpredictable and so lovely, and it was such a gift to be able to play with her and do aWhose Linewith her," he adds.
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O'Hara joined a few episodes of the showWhose Line Is It Anyway?from 1998 to 1999. She and Proops had also previously worked together in 1993'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas,with O'Hara voicing Sally and Proops voicing the Harlequin Demon in the film.
The actress continued to work in television and film until she died from a pulmonary embolism on Jan. 30, 2026.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?began as a show in the United Kingdom in 1988 before coming to the United States in 1998. Proops appeared on the show during its first season and was a recurring guest over the years, appearing in over 100 episodes between the British and American versions combined.
Since then, he has continued to do comedy, traveling on theWhose Live Anyway?tour with Ryan Stiles, and comedians Jeff B. Davis and Joel Murray. Proops also continues to engage with comedy throughWe The People. WTF, a new social media game show bringing comedians, such as Margaret Cho and The Sklar Brothers, together to combine comedy and democracy.
Proops hopes to continue to connect with audiences through humor, in both the good times and the bad.
"The whole point of comedy is to connect. Not that I'm not as pedantic as the next comedian, but I really feel like you know, at the end, if they stand up and cheer ... you can't make them do that and you can't force them to do that. It's an organic thing," he tells PEOPLE. "That's what we really try to do every night when we're out there, is get them to stand up. Other people's delight is our goal."
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