Brenda Fricker

Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress who has had an illustrious career spanning six decades across stage and screen. She has taken on over 30 film and television roles. In 1990, Fricker made history as the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award. Her Oscar-winning performance was in the biopic My Left Foot (1989), where she played the role of the mother of Christy Brown. Her filmography also includes notable films such as The Field (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Veronica Guerin (2003), Inside I'm Dancing (2004), and Albert Nobbs (2011).

Born in Dublin, Ireland on February 17, 1945, Fricker's mother was a teacher of languages and her father, a broadcaster with RTÉ and a journalist for The Irish Times. Before pursuing acting, Fricker worked as an assistant to the art editor of the Irish Times and harbored dreams of becoming a reporter. She stumbled upon acting 'by chance' at the age of 19. Fricker's film career kicked off with a minor part in the 1964 film Of Human Bondage. In the course of her career, she has been honoured with prestigious awards. In 2008, she received the inaugural Maureen O'Hara Award at the Kerry Film Festival. In 2020, she was ranked 26th on The Irish Times' list of the greatest Irish film actors of all time. In her personal life, she married Barry Davies. They divorced after 15 years in 1988, but remained friends thereafter.

Off the screen, Fricker is known for her love of her pet dogs, drinking Guinness, reading poetry and playing snooker. She has made poignant statements about acting, stating, in 2012, 'Of all the films I’ve made, only three do I remember where I felt I’d moved forward as an actress: Cloudburst, My Left Foot and Angels In The Outfield.' Brenda Fricker is a meticulous actress with a distinguished career, admired for her contributions to both the Irish and global film industry.