Oscar-Winning Irish Actress Brenda Fricker Dies at 81

DUBLIN: Acclaimed Irish actress Brenda Fricker, the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award for acting, has died at the age of 81 following a period of ill health, her agent confirmed. Fricker passed away in Dublin on Thursday, bringing to a close a distinguished career spanning more than six decades in film, television and theatre.

Fricker won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1990 for her portrayal of Bridget Fagan Brown, the determined mother of writer and artist Christy Brown, in the critically acclaimed 1989 film “My Left Foot.” Her performance, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, earned international recognition and marked a milestone for Irish cinema, making her the first Irish actress to receive an Oscar.

Born in Dublin in 1945, Fricker began her acting career in the 1960s before becoming one of Ireland’s most respected performers. She appeared in numerous acclaimed productions, including “The Field,” “A Time to Kill,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” and the popular Christmas classic “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” in which she portrayed the beloved “Pigeon Lady” opposite Macaulay Culkin.

Paying tribute to the late actress, “My Left Foot” director Jim Sheridan described Fricker as “an amazing actress” and “a forceful personality,” recalling her vibrant spirit and unwavering individuality throughout her career.

Film industry figures also credited the success of “My Left Foot” with helping transform Ireland’s film industry into a globally recognized creative sector. Dublin International Film Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys said the film’s international acclaim laid the foundation for the country’s thriving cinema industry.

Despite her international success, Fricker remained known for her humility and wit. In a 2015 newspaper column, she remarked that she was almost as proud of becoming part of Dublin rhyming slang as she was of winning the Oscar, revealing that she once kept the Academy Award in a plastic shopping bag under her kitchen sink before eventually displaying it on a shelf.