Richard Baneham won an Oscar for his work on Avatar
Michael and Noeleen Baneham, the Irish parents of Richard Baneham, will be flying the flag for Ireland on Sunday after heading out to LA to cheer on their son.
The Tallaght man, who has won two Oscars, has been nominated for his work in Best Visual Effects in the hit film Avatar: Fire and Ash, having previously won in 2010 for Avatar and 2023 for Avatar: The Way of Water.
“It’s going to be great. People say it’s a shoo-in for a third Oscar for Richie, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch, as they say. But we’re so excited,” Michael Baneham said.
“This is our third Oscars and he got a Bafta a couple of weeks ago so it’s going great for him.”
On rubbing shoulders with the world’s biggest stars at the event in Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, Mr Baneham said the “experience is amazing”.
“The first time was absolutely amazing. We had a great time. It was surreal to say that you’re at the Oscars and next of all, you son’s name gets called out. That was back in 2010,” he said.
“That was his first one and then he got a second one. So we’ll see what happens in 2026.”
Baneham now lives in America and his parents will be staying with his wife Ashling and their three sons Nathan, Luke and Daniel. “Then we’re heading over to our daughter who’s in New Zealand. She’s in the film business as well,” Mr Baneham said.
Asked if he had put a bet on his son to win, he said it was something he had previously considered.
“Back in 2009, I was thinking I’d go for a hat-trick and if he wins, this is the hat-trick. But we don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
“He has two Oscars and about 15 worldwide awards. People are saying he’s a shoo-in for this, but we don’t take anything for granted.”
A graduate of Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Baneham has worked on a string of huge movies including Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia as well as the three Avatar films.