Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker, known for her role as ‘Pigeon Woman’ in ‘Home Alone 2,’ dies at 81

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Published: Jul. 17, 2026 at 10:40 AM EDT|Updated: 3 hours ago

(Gray News) — Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker has died at age 81.

Fricker won the best supporting actress Oscar in 1990 for her role in “My Left Foot.” She played Daniel Day-Lewis’ mother.

Fricker was also known for her role as the Central Park pigeon woman in “Home Alone 2.”

FILE - "My Left Foot" stars Brenda Fricker, winner of Oscar for best supporting actress, and...
FILE - "My Left Foot" stars Brenda Fricker, winner of Oscar for best supporting actress, and Daniel Day Lewis, winner of Oscar for best actor, at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, March 26, 1990.(AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)

Her agent confirmed her death to the BBC and TMZ.

She had several other acting credits, including movies like “Angels in the Outfield” and “A Time to Kill.”

Fricker also had roles in television, including in the BBC’s long-running medical drama “Casualty” in the 1980s.

She was born in Dublin, Ireland. The BBC said her Oscar win in 1990 was historic, as she became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar. She beat out major Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston.

Fricker’s cause of death was not revealed.