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\nBrenda Fricker and Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot<\/p>\n
Oscar-winning Irish actress Brenda Fricker, best known for her roles in My Left Foot and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, has died aged 81, her agent said.<\/p>\n
Her agent Phil Belfield said in a statement: “We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.”<\/p>\n
\nBrenda Fricker and Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot<\/p>\n
“I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over,” he said.<\/p>\n
Dublin-born Fricker had a career spanning more than six decades across stage and screen, becoming one of Ireland’s most celebrated actors.<\/p>\n
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\nJohn Kavanagh and Brenda Fricker in The Ballroom of Romance<\/p>\n
She made history in 1990 when she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Christy Brown\u2019s mother in My Left Foot alongside Daniel Day-Lewis.<\/p>\n
Her emotional acceptance speech, in which she dedicated the award to “all the people of Ireland”, remains one of the defining moments in Irish film history.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Dublin City Council announced that Fricker would be awarded the Freedom of Dublin in recognition of her exceptional contribution to Irish arts and culture.<\/p>\n
Before turning to acting, Fricker worked as an assistant in the art department at The Irish Times. She went on to make her screen debut in the 1960s before becoming a familiar face on Irish television in RT\u00c9 soap Tolka Row.<\/p>\n
She went on to become a familiar face to international audiences through roles in films including The Field, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, in which she played the kindly Pigeon Lady opposite Macaulay Culkin, A Time to Kill and Veronica Guerin.<\/p>\n
Watch: Brenda Fricker on The Late Late Show in 2020 where she discussed her illustrious career and revealed the chaotic story of how her Oscar statuette ended up at the bottom of a hotel swimming pool in Connemara.<\/p>\n
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n Alongside her acclaimed film work, Fricker was also a familiar face on television. She was one of the original stars of the BBC medical drama Casualty, playing staff nurse Megan Roach when the long-running series launched in 1986. She later returned to the role on several occasions with her final appearance coming 2010.<\/p>\n She also starred in The Ballroom of Romance, the acclaimed television drama adapted from William Trevor’s short story, which won the BAFTA for Best Single Drama and is regarded as a landmark of Irish television. Her other television work included the 2004 drama Omagh, Coronation Street and Holding, the adaptation of Graham Norton’s novel.<\/p>\n In a wide-ranging interview with Brendan O’Connor on RT\u00c9 Radio 1 last year, Fricker spoke candidly about personal struggles explored in her memoir She Died Young: A Life in Fragments, including her battles with depression and alcoholism, as well as the experiences that shaped both her life and career.<\/p>\n Listen: Brenda Fricker’s full interview with Brendan O’Connor in September 2025<\/p>\n