Brenda Fricker

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Brenda Fricker

Holding her Academy Award in 1990
Born February 17, 1945 (1945-02-17) (age 67)
Dublin, Ireland
Occupation Actress
Years active 1964–present
Spouse Barry Davies

Brenda Fricker (born February 17, 1945) is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1989, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for My Left Foot.

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[edit] Early life

Fricker was born in Dublin.[1] Her mother, "Bina" (nee Murphy), was a teacher at Stratford College, and her father, Desmond Frederick Fricker, was an officer in the Department of Agriculture and a journalist for The Irish Times.[2] In her teens, she aspired to follow her parent's footsteps into journalism.[3] Fricker has an older sister, Nora Ann Grania Fricker.[citation needed]

Before becoming an actress, Fricker was assistant to the art editor of the Irish Times, with hopes to become a reporter. At age 19, she became an actress "by chance",[3] her feature film career began with a small uncredited part in the 1964 film Of Human Bondage, based on the 1915 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. She also appeared in Tolka Row, Ireland's first ever soap opera.

[edit] Career

Fricker first came to wider public attention in the United Kingdom for her role as Megan Roach in the BBC One television drama series Casualty. She played this role from the series' first episode in September 1986, continuing until 1990 on a regular basis, with some additional return guest appearances. Fricker's last appearance as Megan was in August 2010, when the character took a lethal cocktail of drugs to end her life.

Fricker then acted in several films. She won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Christy Brown's mother in My Left Foot; among others, she thanked Christy Brown in her acceptance speech, simply for "being alive" and also dedicated the Oscar to Mrs. Brown, Christy's mother saying, "Anyone who gave birth twenty-one times would deserve one of these." She next co-starred in the 1990 film The Field alongside Richard Harris.

She acted in a string of successful films, and continued her television work during this period. She starred in Australian produced short series Brides of Christ (1991). She then co-starred in the 1992 TV miniseries Seekers alongside Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson. Key film appearances include roles in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (as the Central Park Pigeon Lady), and So I Married an Axe Murderer, as a Weekly World News-obsessed Scottish immigrant. In 2003, she played Bernie Guerin, mother of Veronica Guerin (played by Cate Blanchett) in the film of the same name. She then played nurse Eileen in the film Inside I'm Dancing. In 2007, she starred in How About You the film based on a short story about people living in a residential nursing home written by Maeve Binchy, playing Heather Nightangle. Other important roles were Omagh in 2004 as police Ombudsman Nuala O' Loan, as Graiine McFadden in the TV docudrama No Tears about the women treated with the blood product Anti D in the seventies been contaminated with Hepatitis C, Aunt Maeve in Durango in 1999 based on the novel from John B Keane.

She left Casualty because she believed her character had "started off with a wonderful sense of humour, [but] lost it all and all she ever seemed to do was push a trolley around and offer tea and sympathy".[3] Fricker bowed out as Megan in December 1990, after playing the character in 65 episodes. Then in February 1998 she was in two episodes, where Megan attended the wedding of her former colleagues Charlie Fairhead and Barbara 'Baz' Samuels. In 2007, she returned for a single episode for Red Nose Day. The episode was written by Richard Curtis.[4]

Most recently, Fricker has appeared in Closing the Ring, Richard Attenborough's post World War II drama, also starring Shirley Maclaine, Christopher Plummer and Mischa Barton.

On 4 October 2009, it was announced that Fricker would make another return to Casualty as Megan for four episodes, before her character was killed off. These episodes were aired on August 7, 2010.[clarification needed]

[edit] Personal life

Fricker currently lives in The Liberties in Dublin. She was previously married to director Barry Davies. She says that her loves include her pet dogs, drinking Guinness, reading poetry and playing snooker. (She once stated that she had taken on the whole crew of My Left Foot. "I played pool against 17 of them, and beat them all," Brenda said).[3]

Fricker has been reported to be difficult to work with, and has been called "too reclusive for her own good sometimes."[2] She is also known for her outspoken views on a variety of matters.[2][5]

[edit] Quotes

  • If you're doing a scene and you think you're doing it wrong, just swear in the middle of it and then the director can't use it. It's an arrogant way of doing it, but unfortunately it's the only way of self-protection. You have to be a bit anarchic sometimes.
  • When you are lying drunk at the airport you're Irish. When you win an Oscar you're British.
  • (on her character in Casualty) Megan was the mother we all want, full of love and understanding, I'm none of that, I'm not a mother and never will be and I wasn't even a very good wife, I'm not even a good nurse to my father now he's old and frail. I'm much more rebellious that Megan. I couldn't do her job ever. Just go down to the hospital and watch what they do for an eighth of the salary I earned pretending to be a nurse. It makes you blush. You break your heart with people being kicked in the teeth by life. I couldn't handle it, I'd be reduced to tears.[3]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1964 Of Human Bondage bit part uncredited
1969 Sinful Davey uncredited
1978-79 Quatermass Alison Thorpe Television series
1979 Bloody Kids Nurse
1982 Ballroom of Romance, TheThe Ballroom of Romance Bridie
1985 Woman Who Married Clark Gable, TheThe Woman Who Married Clark Gable Mary
1986-2010 Casualty Megan Roach Television series
1989 My Left Foot Mrs. Brown
1990 Field, TheThe Field Maggie McCabe
1991 Brides of Christ Sister Agnes
1992 Sound and the Silence, TheThe Sound and the Silence Eliza Television series
1992 Utz Marta
1992 Seekers Stella Hazard Television series
1992 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Central Park Pigeon Woman
1993 So I Married an Axe Murderer May Mackenzie
1993 Benny and Joon Supporting Actress
1993 Deadly Advice Iris Greenwood
1994 Man of No Importance, AA Man of No Importance Lily Byrne
1994 Angels in the Outfield Maggie Nelson
1995 Journey Lottie Television film
1996 Moll Flanders Mrs. Mazzawatti
1996 Time to Kill, AA Time to Kill Ethel Twitty
1996 Swann Rose Hindmarch
1997 Masterminds Principal Claire Maloney
1998 Painted Angels Annie Ryan
1998 Resurrection Man Dorcas Kelly
1998 Pete's Meteor Lily
1999 Resurrection Clare's mother Television remake of 1980 original
1999 Durango Aunt Maeve
2000 Cupid & Cate Willie Hendley
2001 War Bride, TheThe War Bride Betty
2002 Intended, TheThe Intended Mrs. Jones
2003 Conspiracy of Silence Annie McLaughlin
2003 Veronica Guerin Bernie Guerin
2003 Watermelon Teresa Ryan
2004 Trauma Petra
2004 Omagh Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan Television film
2004 Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss Madame Alex Television film
2004 Inside I'm Dancing Eileen
2004 Razor Fish Molly
2005 Milk Nan
2005 Tara Road Mona
2007 How About You
2007 Closing the Ring Grandma Reilly
2008 Stone of Destiny
2008 Beautiful People Narg Episode: "How I Got My Beads"
2010 Locked In Joan
2011 Cloudburst Dot
2011 Albert Nobbs Polly

[edit] Selected theatre work

  • At the National Theatre
    • The Plough and the Stars
    • Lavender Blue
  • At the Royal Court Theatre
    • Within Two Shadows
    • A Pagan's Place
  • At the Geffen Playhouse
    • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
  • Other[3]
    • Typhad Mary
    • Macbeth
    • Outskirts
    • TV Times
    • The Accrington Pals
    • The Irish Play
    • Lost World
    • The Weeping of Angels

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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