Brenda Fricker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker at the Academy Awards in 1990
Born	(1945-02-17) 17 February 1945 (age 80) Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1964–present
Spouse(s)	Barry Davies ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1988)​

Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is a famous Irish actress. She has been acting in movies and TV shows for over sixty years! She has appeared in more than 30 films and many television roles.

In 1990, Brenda made history. She became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, also known as an Oscar. She won for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie My Left Foot (1989). You might also know her from films like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) where she played the Pigeon Lady, and Angels in the Outfield (1994).

Brenda Fricker has received many honors. In 2008, she won the first Maureen O'Hara Award at the Kerry Film Festival. In 2020, The Irish Times newspaper listed her as one of the greatest Irish film actors ever.

Early Life and First Roles

Brenda Fricker was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her mother, Bina, was a teacher. Her father, Desmond Frederick Fricker, worked for the government and was also a broadcaster and journalist.

Before acting, Brenda wanted to be a reporter. She worked as an assistant for the art editor at the Irish Times newspaper. When she was 19, she became an actress by chance. Her first movie role was a small part in Of Human Bondage in 1964. She also appeared in Tolka Row, which was Ireland's very first soap opera.

Becoming a Star: TV and Oscar Win

One of Brenda's first TV roles was Nurse Maloney in the show Coronation Street in 1977. She became well-known in the United Kingdom for another nursing role. She played Megan Roach in the BBC One TV drama series Casualty. Brenda played Megan for 65 episodes. She left the show in 1990 because she felt her character had lost her sense of humor. She returned for special episodes in 1998, 2007, and 2010.

Brenda Fricker became famous around the world after winning an Oscar in 1990. She won for her amazing performance as Christy Brown's mother in My Left Foot (1989). Christy Brown was an Irish writer and painter who had cerebral palsy. In her Oscar speech, Brenda thanked Christy Brown for being alive. She also dedicated the award to Christy's mother. She said that anyone who gives birth 22 times deserves an Oscar!

For her role in My Left Foot, Brenda was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress. After this, she worked again with the writer and director of My Left Foot, Jim Sheridan. They made the 1990 film The Field. In this movie, she played Maggie McCabe, the wife of "Bull" McCabe, played by Richard Harris.

Hollywood and Beyond

After winning her Oscar, Brenda Fricker appeared in several big Hollywood movies. One of her most memorable roles for kids was in 1992. She played the kind Central Park Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

In 1993, she played May Mackenzie in So I Married an Axe Murderer. May was the Scottish mother of Charlie Mackenzie, played by Mike Myers. Then, in 1994, she played Maggie, the caring guardian of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, in the family comedy Angels in the Outfield.

One of her last big Hollywood film roles was in A Time to Kill (1996). After this, she mostly focused on acting in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In 2003, she played Bernie Guerin, the mother of Veronica Guerin (played by Cate Blanchett), in the movie Veronica Guerin. She also played Nurse Eileen in the film Inside I'm Dancing.

In 2012, Brenda had an important role in the movie Albert Nobbs. She also played a same-sex couple with Olympia Dukakis in Cloudburst. This was a first for two Oscar-winning actors! In 2021, Brenda joined the cast of the TV show Holding. This was her first major role on screen in six years.

Brenda Fricker at the 2014 Dublin Film Festival

Personal Life

Brenda Fricker lives in the Liberties, Dublin. She was married to Barry Davis for 15 years. They divorced in 1988 but became friends again in 1990. Barry Davis later passed away, which was very sad for Brenda.

In 2012, Brenda shared that only three of her films truly felt like she grew as an actress. These were Cloudburst, My Left Foot, and The Field. In 2021, she spoke on a TV show about battling depression for much of her life. She shared that she had been hospitalized many times.

Awards and Recognition

• In 1989, Brenda Fricker became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award for her role in My Left Foot.
• In 2008, she was honored with the first Maureen O'Hara Award at the Kerry Film Festival.
• In 2020, The Irish Times newspaper ranked her 26th on its list of the greatest Irish film actors of all time.

Selected Film and TV Roles

See also

• List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland