Brenda Fricker was one of Ireland's finest actors, and these TV shows prove it

Academy Award-winning actress Brenda Fricker needs no introduction. Her career spanned over six decades, and she appeared in over 30 television shows and films.

Born on February 17, 1945, in Dublin, Ireland, to Desmond Frederick Fricker and Bina, Brenda began her career as an assistant art editor at The Irish Times. At the age of 19, she stepped into the world of acting with a small role in the 1964 feature film Of Human Bondage. She was also a part of the first Irish soap opera, Tolka Row.

In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the biopic My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown, directed by Jim Sheridan. She played the role of Christy Brown's mother in the film.

Brenda Fricker passed away at the age of 81 on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Dublin. On Friday, her agent confirmed the actress's death to the BBC, and the statement read,

"We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her. I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over."

Fricker has appeared in several projects, including A Time to Kill, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, to name a few.

Here are some TV shows that prove that Brenda Fricker is one of Ireland's finest actors.

Brenda Fricker's TV shows that are a must-watch

Casualty (1986-2011)

BBC One's long-running medical drama, Casualty, was created by Paul Unwin and Jeremy Brock. Set in fictional Holby City Hospital, this series delves into the lives of the medical professionals and patients of the Emergency Department. The series garnered popularity among British viewers because of the accurate depiction of the NHS. Brenda Fricker played the role of Megan Roach, a state-enrolled nurse at Holby City Hospital.

Holding (2022)

ITV's four-part crime drama, Holding, is directed by Katie Burke. It is based on Graham Norton's novel. The series premiered on ITV on March 14, 2022, and on Virgin Media More in Ireland on April 12, 2022. Set in the quiet Cork village of Duneen, the series follows the life of Garda sergeant PJ Collins, whose peaceful life is disrupted when a male skeleton is found at a building site of the Flynn brothers. Cork city-based detective Linus Dunne joins the investigation.

Brenda Fricker plays Lizzie Meaney in Holding. She is close to PJ but is secretly battling her own demons. In the series, PJ tries his best to unearth Lizzie's secrets.

The Catch (2023)

If you're in the mood for a thriller, The Catch, directed by Robin Quinn, should be on your watchlist. Based on T. M Logan's novel starring Jason Watkins, Poppy Gilbert, and Aneurin Barnard, the series is set in the West of England and follows the life of a local fisherman, Ed Colier.

When Ed's daughter, Abbie, introduces her new boyfriend, Ryan, to him, he gets suspicious. Ed teams up with Abbie's ex, George, to investigate Ryan's history, and they find some dark secrets that leave them startled. He finds Ryan at a red light area; however, when he confronts him in front of the family, Ryan defends himself, and Ed's family instead turns against him.

Brenda Fricker plays Phyllis Doyle. Phyllis is Ed's mother-in-law and Abbie's grandmother, who lives with them due to her health problems. Here's the trailer of the series:

No Tears (2002)

No Tears is a miniseries that is based on the Irish blood bank scandal of the 1990s, where it was found out that women treated with the blood product of Anti D in the 1970s were contaminated with Hepatitis C.

Brenda Fricker stars as Grainne McFadden, a woman who is unknowingly infected with a potentially fatal disease and fights against the medical authorities for justice. The series also features Maria Doyle Kennedy, Ian McElhinney, and Tina Kellegher, to name a few.

Brides of Christ (1991)

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Brides of Christ is an Australian television miniseries created by Penny Chapman. It delves into the lives of Roman catholic nuns and young students of a Sydney catholic school. The series deals with their struggle to adapt to the social changes both within the church and the outside world in the 1960s. Brenda Fricker plays Sister Agnes in the series.

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