{"id":8858,"date":"2026-07-17T19:03:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8858"},"modified":"2026-07-17T19:03:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:03:06","slug":"oscar-winner-brenda-fricker-who-played-home-alone-2s-pigeon-lady-dies-aged-81","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8858","title":{"rendered":"Oscar-winner Brenda Fricker who played Home Alone 2&#8217;s Pigeon Lady dies aged 81"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519322-949f.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29162479\" alt=\"Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by 20th Century Fox\/Kobal\/Shutterstock (5883418a) Brenda Fricker Home Alone 2 - Lost In New York - 1992 Director: Chris Columbus 20th Century Fox USA Scene Still Comedy Maman, j'ai encore rat? l'avion\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker has died aged 81 (Picture: Century Fox\/Kobal\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker has died aged 81 after a period of ill health, her agent has confirmed. <\/p>\n<p>The actor, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, became an international star after her roles in films like My Left Foot and The Field.<\/p>\n<p>However, she\u2019s arguably best remembered these days for her memorable turn in <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/12\/11\/home-alone-2-we-relived-kevin-mccallisters-lost-in-new-york-trip-17905724\/\">Home Alone 2: Lost in New York<\/a>, where she played The Pigeon Lady.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We will never see her like again, and the world is lesser for the lack of her,\u2019 her agent Phil Belfield said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I 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.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Fricker began her acting career with smaller TV parts, including an uncredited role in Upstairs, Downstairs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"975\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519292-1df7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29162476\" alt=\"Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (170113a) BRENDA FRICKER BRENDA FRICKER HOLDING OSCAR AWARD\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Her career began in the 1960s (Picture: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She got her big break in 1977, however, when she appeared in four episodes of Coronation Street playing Staff Nurse Maloney.<\/p>\n<p>After this, she appeared in classic shows like The Quatermass Experiment and Casualty, where she played yet another nurse, Megan Roach. <\/p>\n<p>Fricker ended her first stint as Megan after 65 episodes, because she believed the character had \u2018started off with a wonderful sense of humour, [but] lost it all and all she ever seemed to do was push a trolley around and offer tea and sympathy.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>After leaving Casualty, however, she got her biggest role yet, playing Bridget Fagan Brown in Jim Sheridan\u2019s My Left Foot.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519338-7796.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29162477\" alt=\"Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV\/Shutterstock (681508pu) 'My Left Foot' - Picture shows Christy Brown [Daniel Day Lewis] and his mother [Brenda Fricker] ITV ARCHIVE\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Fricker played Brown\u2019s mother in the film My Left Foot (Picture: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Based on the 1954 memoir by Christy Brown, the film told the story of an Irish man with cerebral palsy, who could only control his left foot. <\/p>\n<p>Despite his disability and poor working-class background, Brown grew up to become a writer and artist<\/p>\n<p>The film, which also starred Daniel Day-Lewis, was a critical hit and received fine nominations at the 62nd Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Fricker. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519297-53c6.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29162475\" alt=\"Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Beyond\/Ferndale\/Kobal\/Shutterstock (5875824a) Brenda Fricker, Imelda Staunton How About You - 2007 Director: Anthony Byrne Beyond Films\/Ferndale Films IRELAND Scene Still\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Brenda\u2019s career lasted more than six decades (Picture: Ferndale\/Kobal\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award and dedicated her award to Brown\u2019s mother, saying, \u2018Anybody who gives birth 22 times deserves one of these.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Following her win, she went on to star in films like Home Alone 2,So I Married an Axe Murderer, and Angels in the Outfield.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, she starred in the adaptation of Holding, based on the book by Graham Norton and worked with experimental documentarian Tadhg O\u2019Sullivan\u2019s on his first TV drama, The Swallow.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519311-0fc3.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29162473\" alt=\"Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV\/Shutterstock (12843088ak) Conleth Hill as Sgt PJ Collins and Brenda Fricker as Mrs Meany. 'Holding' TV Show, Series 1, Episode 1 UK - 14 Mar 2022 Holding, is a British ITV dark comedy crime drama adapted from Graham Norton's novel, starring Conleth Hill, Siobhan McSweeney, and Brenda Fricker. When human remains are found in a tiny Irish village, Sergeant PJ Collins finally has a genuine crime to solve. As the gruesome?find ripples through the community, it threatens to expose a lifetime of secrets.\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>More recently she starred in the adaptation of Holding, based on the book by Graham Norton (Picture: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following Fricker\u2019s death, there has been an outpouring of grief online from friends and fans. <\/p>\n<p>Most notably, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Ed Walsh, wrote: \u2018Sad to hear of the passing of Brenda Fricker, a giant of Irish film and the first Irish actress ever to win an Academy Award for her unforgettable performance in My Left Foot. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018From Dublin to Hollywood, her work brought Ireland\u2019s stories to the world and inspired generations on both sides of the Atlantic. She leaves a remarkable legacy, and I extend my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who loved her\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/17\/praised-odyssey-elon-musks-deluded-trolls-called-a-crazy-liberal-b-28895183\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">I praised The Odyssey \u2013 Elon Musk\u2019s deluded trolls called me a crazy liberal b****<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/16\/young-sylvester-stallone-play-rocky-uncanny-much-29151216\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The young Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky is \u2018uncanny\u2019 \u2013 but is it too much?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/07\/16\/sam-neills-cause-death-aged-78-confirmed-pneumonia-29133051\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Sam Neill\u2019s cause of death aged 78 confirmed after undergoing \u2018new therapy\u2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker has died aged 81 (Picture: Century Fox\/Kobal\/Shutterstock) Oscar-winning actor Brenda Fricker has died aged 81 after a period of ill health, her agent has confirmed. The actor, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, became an international star after her roles in films like My Left Foot and The Field. However, she\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305519322-949f_1784295262.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}