Brenda Fricker, Oscar-Winning Irish Actress, Dies at 81

Brenda Fricker, the Dublin-born actress who became the first Irish to win an Academy Award for My Left Foot, died at 81 after a period of ill health. She was also beloved by ’90s kids as the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2 and had a long career across film and TV, including roles in Coronation Street, Casualty, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Angels in the Outfield, and Albert Nobbs. Fricker publicly rejected being defined by the “first Irish” label, a sentiment she expressed years earlier.