'Home Alone 2' star and Oscar winner Brenda Fricker dies at 81
The acclaimed actress behind 'Home Alone 2's memorable Pigeon Lady and 'My Left Foot's' Oscar-winning performance has died aged 81
Brenda Fricker, the Academy Award-winning actress best known for her unforgettable role as the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has died at the age of 81.
Her death was confirmed by her agent, Phil Belfield, who paid tribute to the celebrated Irish actress, calling it an honour to have known and worked with her throughout her remarkable career.
"We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her," Belfield said in a statement.
"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 made history in 1990 when she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown, the mother of Daniel Day-Lewis' character in My Left Foot. The performance also earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Although she enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades, Fricker remained widely recognized by generations of movie fans for her touching performance as the mysterious Pigeon Lady in 1992's Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Reflecting on the film in a past interview with The Hard Shoulder, Fricker described it as the biggest-budget production of her career and recalled the luxurious experience of filming in New York City.
"Home Alone 2 was the biggest budget film I worked on," she said, adding that she stayed at the Plaza Hotel while filming scenes in Central Park.
She also remembered sharing the set with Joe Pesci, describing the actor as "one of the funniest men I've ever met" and calling the entire experience "absolutely lovely."
Television audiences also knew Fricker for portraying nurse Megan Roach in the BBC medical drama Casualty, a role she played from 1986 to 2010.
Her extensive screen career included appearances in Irish soap Tolka Row, Coronation Street, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and A Time to Kill alongside Matthew McConaughey.
Earlier this year, Dublin City Council announced that Fricker would receive the Freedom of Dublin in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Irish arts and culture.