Brenda Fricker, Ireland’s First Oscar Winner, Dies at 81

Brenda Fricker, the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, has died at the age of 81. Her agent Phil Belfield confirmed her passing, stating she died peacefully after a period of ill health. Belfield described Fricker as a ‘legend’ and said he was ‘honoured to know, love and work with her’.

Fricker won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film My Left Foot, opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. The film told the story of Christy Brown, who had cerebral palsy and could only control his left foot.

She was also beloved for playing the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and was part of the original cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty. Her later roles included films like Veronica Guerin and TV adaptations such as Holding.

Fricker’s memoir ‘She Died Young’ became a bestseller, and she was recently granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin, a honour she was ‘particularly thrilled and proud of’, according to her agent. Tributes have poured in from fans and colleagues, celebrating her remarkable career and legacy.

Article and image source: irishmirror.ie