Brenda Fricker, the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, died on July 16 at the age of 81 following a period of ill health.
Fricker won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for My Left Foot in 1989, portraying the mother of Christy Brown, the Irish writer and painter who had cerebral palsy. The role cemented her international reputation and opened doors to a career spanning film and television on both sides of the Atlantic.
Earlier this year, she was awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin, her native city's highest civic honour. In September 2025, following the publication of her memoir She Died Young: A Life in Fragments, Fricker sat for an interview reflecting on her life and career.