Born in Dublin, Fricker began her acting career with parts and in TV and the theatre, before appearing in soap opera Coronation Street in 1977, and Licking Hitler, a Play For Today written by David Hare, in 1978.
She was in the cast of the first episode of long-running BBC medical drama Casualty in 1986, remaining a fixture until 1990 and returning regularly in the subsequent years.
She made history in 1990 when she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, beating Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts and Anjelica Huston.
My Left Foot told the true story of an Irish man named Christy Brown, played by Day-Lewis, who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot. The actor also won an Oscar for his starring role.
Another memorable role came two years later when Fricker was cast as the homeless bird lady befriended by Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin in Home Alone 2.
