Brenda Fricker, the Oscar-winning actress known for her roles in “My Left Foot” and “Home Alone 2,” has died. She was 81.
Fricker died on July 16, in her native Dublin following a “period of ill health,” Fricker’s agent, Philip Belfield, confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY July 17.
“We will never see [someone] like her 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.”
Born in February 1945, Fricker initially had aspirations go into journalism, working as an assistant to the art editor of The Irish Times, a publication where her father worked. At 19, Fricker stumbled into acting with an uncredited role in the 1964 medical drama “Of Human Bondage.”
Brenda Fricker opens up: ‘Home Alone 2’ actress laments Christmas ‘can be very dark’
Following a string of roles in British television series and films, Fricker got her big break when she was cast as nurse Megan Roach on the BBC drama “Casualty” in 1986.
The burgeoning actress found a taste of international success three years later with her role in “My Left Foot,” a 1989 biopic on Irish writer and artist Christy Brown, who had cerebral palsy and could only create using the toes on his left foot. Fricker played Brown’s mother, Bridget Fagan Brown, opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrayed Brown.
Fricker’s performance earned her an Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role, while her costar Day-Lewis won best actor in a leading role.
Fricker also had a flair for comedy. The actress became an icon of ’90s cinema thanks to her offbeat role in the Macaulay Culkin film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Fricker played “Pigeon Lady,” a homeless woman living in Central Park who later befriends Culkin’s Kevin McCallister.
While the “Home Alone” movies are now considered Christmas classics, Fricker opened up about her rocky relationship with the holiday season in a 2020 interview on RTÉ Radio 1.
“I would be lying if I said that it would be a nice and happy Christmas because I’m one of those people, I’m old and I live alone. It can be very dark,” Fricker said. “I just turn the phone off and put the blinds down. I pre-record some good programs and things. I have my dog, and I get myself through it that way.”
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The actress maintained an active career in her later years, appearing on TV series including “Forgive Me,” “Holding” and “The Catch,” as well as the films “Albert Nobbs,” “Cloudburst” and “A Long Way from Home.” She even reprised her “Casualty” role of Megan Roach for a string of episodes in 2010.
“She was a consummate performer who graced our screens and stages with remarkable talent and authenticity,” Simon Harris, Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland, said in a statement to BBC News. “Brenda brought depth and humanity to every role she undertook. She truly was among the greatest exports this country has ever produced and an ambassador for Irish talent on the world stage.”
Fricker’s final role was a performance in the 2024 documentary drama “The Swallow.”
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brenda Fricker, Oscar winner and ‘Home Alone 2’ fan favorite, dies
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