Tributes have been paid to Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker following her death at the age of 81, with colleagues, friends and public figures remembering her as one of Ireland’s greatest performers.
Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan, who directed Fricker in My Left Foot and The Field, described her as a “force of nature” and revealed that the first person to call him after hearing the news was her My Left Foot co-star Daniel Day-Lewis.
“We were just reminiscing about her for a bit – she was an amazing actress, amazing character, forceful personality, great writer. Just amazingly talented,” Sheridan told RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline.
He said Fricker was “very giving to her friends” and threw herself into everything she did.
Reflecting on her career, Sheridan said one of Fricker’s regrets was that the success of My Left Foot led to her being repeatedly cast as mothers.
“She kept getting asked to play mothers, and she wanted to play an axe murderer,” he said.
Sheridan also revealed he had recently sent Fricker a script for a new role, to which she responded with “100 pages of notes”.
“I was glad I had reconnected with her on that level,” he added.
Brenda Fricker and Bernard Gallagher in a scene from the BBC television series Casualty in 1986.
Actress Fionnula Flanagan said she was “totally devastated” by the news and described Fricker’s Oscar win as a pivotal moment for Irish cinema.
“She was a great talent, wonderful talent,” Flanagan said.
“Terribly important for Ireland because at the time we didn’t have a film industry… She was one of the leaders of that movement.”
Director Tadhg O’Sullivan, who worked with Fricker on her final screen project, The Swallow, said they had forged a lasting friendship during the five years they worked together.
“She was an incredibly generous and open person,” he said.
Colin Farrell, Brenda Fricker and director Joel Schumacher attend the world premiere of the movie Veronica Guerin at the Savoy Cinema on July 8, 2003 in Dublin, Ireland.
Addressing Fricker’s reputation for being demanding, O’Sullivan added: “She was only difficult with people who didn’t take her work as seriously as she did.
“If you could meet her on her own terms, you had a friend for life, and that was my experience of working with her.”
Gráinne Humphreys, director of the Dublin International Film Festival and a longtime friend of Fricker’s, described her death as “a huge loss”.
She said she had seen Fricker just days before her death and recalled her delight in telling stories, including learning to play snooker for a television role. Humphreys also remembered seeing Fricker perform in Big Maggie at the Abbey Theatre before she went on to captivate audiences around the world with her Oscar-winning performance in My Left Foot.
Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker attend the 15th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards on January 16, 1990 at the Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood, California.
Ardmore Studios described Fricker’s death as “a profound loss to Ireland’s film community”, calling her “a true giant of Irish acting”.
“It holds special significance for Ardmore Studios that My Left Foot was filmed here,” the studio said.
“The film remains a landmark achievement in Irish cinema, and Brenda’s remarkable performance stands among the finest ever delivered by an Irish actor on screen.”
Paying tribute, Tánaiste Simon Harris described Fricker as “one of Ireland’s most celebrated and cherished actors” and said: “Our country has lost a national treasure.”
US Ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh described Fricker as “a giant of Irish film”, saying her work “brought Ireland’s stories to the world and inspired generations on both sides of the Atlantic”.