At the age of 81, the Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, known for the film Home Alone 2

Brenda Fricker, the acclaimed Irish actress who became the first Irish woman to win an Oscar for acting, has died at the age of 81.

Oscar winner Brenda Fricker has died at the age of 81

Fricker died in Dublin on Thursday. Her death was confirmed to the BBC on Friday by her agent Phil Belfield.

Paying tribute, Belfield said: “We will never see her again and the world is a smaller place for missing her. It was an honor to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and the hearts of so many film and television fans around the world.”

Fricker’s career has spanned more than five decades across film, television and theater, earning her widespread acclaim for her ability to portray emotionally complex and deeply human characters. She rose to international fame in 1989 after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mrs Brown in My Left Foot, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Based on the life of Irish writer and artist Christy Brown, the film also earned Day-Lewis his first Academy Award for Best Actor.

The historic win made Fricker the first Irish actress to win an Oscar, cementing her place in Irish cinema history.

While My Left Foot remains her most critically acclaimed performance, Fricker became known to a new generation of viewers for her role as the sympathetic Pigeon Lady in the 1992 Christmas classic Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Her scenes alongside Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister remain among the film’s most memorable moments and have resonated with audiences for decades.

Throughout her career, Fricker has appeared in numerous television and film productions and established herself as one of Ireland’s most respected character actors. Her contribution to the industry has been recognized with several honours, including the inaugural Maureen O’Hara Award at the Kerry International Film Festival in 2008, which celebrates women who have made an outstanding contribution to cinema.

In 2020, The Irish Times ranked Fricker 26th on its list of the greatest Irish film actors of all time, reflecting the lasting impact of her work on both Irish and international cinema.