Irish Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, known for her roles in My Left Foot, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and TV’s Casualty, has passed away at the age of 81.

The veteran actress’s agent, Phil Belfield, confirmed her death on Thursday, saying she had died following a period of illness.

“We will never see her like again, and the world is lesser for the lack of her,” Mr Belfield said. He added, “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.”

She was born in 1945 in Dublin, Ireland. She began her career as an assistant at The Irish Times before moving into acting on Irish theatre stages in the 1960s and later into British television.

Her breakthrough came in 1989, when she gained global recognition for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in My Left Foot. That role also earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1990, making her the first Irish actress to win an Oscar.

The actress made her Hollywood debut in 1992, joining the cast of the Christmas classic Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as the Pigeon Lady.

She appeared in more than 80 other films and television shows before her final appearance in 2024 in The Swallow.

In 2025, she published her memoir, She Died Young: A Life in Fragments.

She was honoured with one of the Irish capital’s highest civic honours in February, receiving the Freedom of the City of Dublin for her contributions to the arts.