Brenda Fricker, the first Irish actress to win an Oscar for ‘My Left Foot,’ dies at 81

(17 Jul 2026) ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles - 26 March 1990 1. STILL IMAGE: "My Left Foot" stars Daniel Day Lewis, winner of Oscar for best actor, and Brenda Fricker, winner of Oscar for best supporting actress, share the excitement at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles Monday night. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith; ID 9003270130) This film clip has been accessed under U.S. ‘fair use’ provisions for use only as part of a wider obituary that includes the additional video elements provided. Customers must confirm usage rights under local law. Thirty-day use only/no archive++ MIRAMAX 2. Film clip "My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown" ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles - 25 March 1991 3. STILL IMAGE: Actress Brenda Fricker points something out to Joe Peschi, left, after she presented him with the best supporting actor Oscar at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles Monday night, March 26, 1991. Pesci won for his performance in "GoodFellas." (AP Photo/Craig Fujii; ID 9103260122) ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Angeles - 9 July 1996 ++4:3 MATERIAL++ 4. Pull out Donald Sutherland greets Brenda Fricker at premiere of "A Time to Kill Premiere" 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Brenda Fricker, actor: "I live in Ireland and we have our own problems there, you know. It's a country in turmoil. Where is it not now?" 6. Wide shot Brenda Fricker and Kevin Spacey speak to reporters STORYLINE: Brenda Fricker, who won an Academy Award for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot,’’ has died. She was 81. The Irish character actor died Thursday night in Dublin after a period of ill health, her agent, Phil Belfield said in a statement. Fricker became the first Irish woman to win an Academy Award in 1990 for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the determined mother of Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot. Daniel Day-Lewis, who played Christy Brown, won the award for best actor. “We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,’’ Belfield said. “I was honored 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, who appeared in more than 90 films and television shows between 1964 and 2024, was also known for her role in the 1992 film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where she played a homeless woman who befriended Macaulay Culkin’s character in New York’s Central Park. She also featured in the original cast of the BBC medical drama “Casualty” and appeared alongside Cate Blanchett in “Veronica Guerin,” the story of an Irish investigative journalist who was murdered in 1996. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...