July 17, 2026, 4:01 p.mJuly 17, 2026, 4:01 p.m
Millions of German viewers know Brenda Fricker as the kind-hearted woman with the pigeons in “Kevin – Alone in New York”. In Ireland, the Oscar winner was one of the “most respected actresses of her generation,” as the Irish Times wrote. Fricker has now died at the age of 81. Her agent announced this in a statement to the British news agency PA and the broadcaster RTÉ.
Brenda Fricker played a woman who gathers pigeons around her in the film “Kevin – Alone in New York”.Image: www.imago-images.de
In 1990, Fricker was the first Irish actress to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama “My Left Foot”. The broadcaster RTÉ recalled her acceptance speech on Friday, in which she dedicated the award to “all the people of Ireland”.
She became known for her supporting role in the second part of the film series. Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, met the supposedly homeless “pigeon lady” in the park – initially a moment of shock, but then the two became friends.
Fricker recently published her memoirs entitled “She Died Young”. At the beginning of the year, the city of Dublin announced that it would award it the “Freedom of the City of Dublin” award. (hkl/sda/dpa)