Brenda Fricker, Oscar winner and Home Alone 2's Pigeon Lady, dies aged 81
The acclaimed Irish actress was also known for her long-running role as nurse Megan Roach in BBC medical drama Casualty.
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- Morgan Jeffery
Published: Friday, 17 July 2026 at 2:36 pm
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Brenda Fricker, the Oscar-winning Irish actress known for her roles in My Left Foot, Home Alone 2 and Casualty, has died at the age of 81.
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Her agent Phil Belfield confirmed the news in a statement, saying: "We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her."
He continued: "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 became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award when she was named best supporting actress in 1990 for her performance in My Left Foot.
She played Bridget Fagan Brown, the mother of writer and artist Christy Brown, who was portrayed in the 1989 film by Daniel Day-Lewis.
The film followed Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and learned to write and paint using his left foot. Fricker’s performance earned her the Oscar ahead of fellow nominees including Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston.
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She later became familiar to a new generation of viewers through her role in the 1992 Christmas film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Fricker played the Pigeon Lady, a homeless woman living in Central Park who befriends Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister after he becomes separated from his family in New York.
Initially frightened by her, Kevin forms a close bond with the character and later seeks her help during his confrontation with burglars Harry and Marv.
Alongside her film work, Fricker had a long association with the BBC medical drama Casualty. She appeared as nurse Megan Roach in the programme’s first-ever episode in 1986 and remained a regular member of the cast until 1990.
Fricker returned to the role several times in the years that followed, making her final appearance in the series in 2010.
Born in Dublin, Fricker began her acting career with roles in television and theatre.
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Her early screen credits included an appearance in Coronation Street in 1977, followed by a role in Licking Hitler, a Play for Today drama written by David Hare, in 1978.
Authors
Morgan Jeffery
Morgan Jeffery is as a TV and Film expert and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
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