Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker has died aged 81 after a period of ill health, her agent has confirmed.
The actor, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, became an international star after her roles in films like My Left Foot and The Field.
However, she’s arguably best remembered these days for her memorable turn in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where she played The Pigeon Lady.
‘We will never see her like again, and the world is lesser for the lack of her,’ her agent Phil Belfield said in a statement.
‘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.’
Fricker began her acting career with smaller TV parts, including an uncredited role in Upstairs, Downstairs.
She got her big break in 1977, however, when she appeared in four episodes of Coronation Street playing Staff Nurse Maloney.
After this, she appeared in classic shows like The Quatermass Experiment and Casualty, where she played yet another nurse, Megan Roach.
Fricker ended her first stint as Megan after 65 episodes, because she believed the character had ‘started off with a wonderful sense of humour, [but] lost it all and all she ever seemed to do was push a trolley around and offer tea and sympathy.’
After leaving Casualty, however, she got her biggest role yet, playing Bridget Fagan Brown in Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot.
![Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/Shutterstock (681508pu) 'My Left Foot' - Picture shows Christy Brown [Daniel Day Lewis] and his mother [Brenda Fricker] ITV ARCHIVE](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SEI_305519338-7796.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Based on the 1954 memoir by Christy Brown, the film told the story of an Irish man with cerebral palsy, who could only control his left foot.
Despite his disability and poor working-class background, Brown grew up to become a writer and artist
The film, which also starred Daniel Day-Lewis, was a critical hit and received fine nominations at the 62nd Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Fricker.
She became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award and dedicated her award to Brown’s mother, saying, ‘Anybody who gives birth 22 times deserves one of these.’
Following her win, she went on to star in films like Home Alone 2,So I Married an Axe Murderer, and Angels in the Outfield.
More recently, she starred in the adaptation of Holding, based on the book by Graham Norton and worked with experimental documentarian Tadhg O’Sullivan’s on his first TV drama, The Swallow.
Following Fricker’s death, there has been an outpouring of grief online from friends and fans.
Most notably, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Ed Walsh, wrote: ‘Sad to hear of the passing of Brenda Fricker, a giant of Irish film and the first Irish actress ever to win an Academy Award for her unforgettable performance in My Left Foot.
‘From Dublin to Hollywood, her work brought Ireland’s stories to the world and inspired generations on both sides of the Atlantic. She leaves a remarkable legacy, and I extend my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who loved her’