Oscar-winning Irish actress Brenda Fricker has died at the age of 81. Her death was confirmed by her agent Phil Belfield, who described her as a “legend” whom he was “honoured to know”.
In a statement to the Press Association on Friday, Belfield said: “It is with much sadness that I share the news that beloved actress Brenda Fricker passed away last night peacefully after a period of ill health, at the age of 81.
“Dublin born and bred, Brenda Fricker undoubtedly deserves the noun legend… We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. 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.”
Academy Award winner
Fricker became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar, taking home the Best Supporting Actress award for the 1989 biopic My Left Foot. The film tells the story of Christy Brown, an Irish man born with cerebral palsy who could control only his left foot.
She was also well known for her role in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where she played the Pigeon Lady, a homeless woman in New York’s Central Park.
Television and stage career
Fricker was part of the original cast of BBC medical drama Casualty and featured alongside Cate Blanchett in Veronica Guerin (2003). She also appeared in ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and soap opera Coronation Street.
Her film roles included So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), and A Time to Kill (1996). Later roles included the TV adaptation of Graham Norton’s first novel Holding, directed by Kathy Burke, and the Channel 5 drama series The Catch.
Fricker also made numerous stage appearances in plays such as Lavender Blue and A Pagan’s Place at theatres including the National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre.
Legacy and personal life
Belfield said: “Brenda’s versatility was renowned” and that her most recent solo film performance in Tadhg O’Sullivan’s The Swallow showed “the truth and majesty of Brenda as an actor” and was “a thing of beauty”.
Fricker’s memoir She Died Young appeared on the Irish Sunday Times bestseller list. She was recently granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin, which Belfield said she was “particularly thrilled and proud of”.
She was married to director Barry Davies from 1979 until their divorce in 1988. She became pregnant on several occasions but suffered miscarriages, which she said left her with severe depression for much of her life.
Her hobbies reportedly included looking after her pet dogs, reading poetry, playing snooker, and drinking Guinness.
