Brenda Fricker, the first Irish actress to win an Oscar for playing the determined mother of disabled artist Christy Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot”, has died at the age of 81 after a period of ill health, her agent said.

Fricker, described as among the most respected Irish actors of her generation, won the best supporting actress prize for the Irish-made drama that also landed Daniel Day-Lewis the first of his record three best actor Oscars.

She also starred in another renowned Irish film of that era, “The Field”, and went on to play supporting roles in 1990s U.S. films including “So I Married an Axe Murderer”, “A Time to Kill” and “Home Alone 2”, where she played the kindly “Pigeon Lady” opposite Macaulay Culkin.

“She was an amazing actress, amazing character, a forceful personality,” “My Left Foot” director Jim Sheridan told a popular lunchtime phone-in show on national broadcaster RTE that was dedicated to Fricker’s career.

The success of “My Left Foot” was also a turning point for the now booming Irish film industry.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.