Maura Tierney, the two-time Emmy nominee now starring as Lieutenant Jessica Brady on NBC’s Law & Order, has been announced as the first honoree at the 2026 Oscar Wilde Awards, which is all set to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The event, organized by the US-Ireland Alliance, will take place March 12 — in its traditional evening spot three days before the Academy Awards — at the historic Ebell theater in Los Angeles for a second straight year. A “party with a purpose,” it celebrates the work of those from Ireland — and some who are not — who contribute to film, television and music.
“We look forward to honoring Maura this year,” US-Ireland Alliance founder and president Trina Vargo said in a statement. “She has had an incredible and enviable career in film, television and theater. She has always been proud of her Irish heritage and starred in Yasmina Reza’s award-winning God of Carnage at the prestigious Gate Theatre in Dublin.”
The Boston-born Tierney recently appeared on the big screen in the A24 family wrestling drama The Iron Claw (2023) and in the Universal-Warner Bros. disaster sequel Twisters (2024).
She received an Emmy nomination in 2001 for her turn as Dr. Abby Lockhart on NBC’s ER — she spent eight seasons on that show from 1999-2009 — and landed another Emmy nom and a Golden Globe in 2016 for portraying Helen Solloway on Showtime’s The Affair.
She also spent five seasons on the NBC comedy NewsRadio and recurred on CBS’ The Good Wife and FX’s Rescue Me.
Her film résumé includes Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia (2002), Liar Liar (1997), Mike Nichols’ Primary Colors (1998), Baby Mama (2008), Semi-Pro (2008), Beautiful Boy (2018) and The Report (2019), and she appeared opposite Tom Hanks on Broadway in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy in 2013.
Meanwhile, Irish singer Dave Lofts, whose sound has been described as reminiscent of Van Morrison and Paolo Nutini, will perform at the Ebell. His covers of “Running Up That Hill” (Kate Bush) and “Seventeen Going Under” (Sam Fender) have received millions of streams, and some of his original songs — “Tell Me,” “Let Me Go Home” and especially “Just a Man” — deal with such issues as mental health and anxiety.
Other Oscar Wilde honorees will be announced in the coming weeks. John C. Reilly, Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall and Éanna Hardwicke were feted last year.
Honorees since the event’s start in 2006 also have included Morrison, Norman Lear, Jim Sheridan, Eve Hewson, Catherine O’Hara, Hylda Queally, Glenn Close, Ruth Negga, Saoirse Ronan, Martin Short, Kenneth Branagh, Jessie Buckley, Carrie Fisher, Jamie Dornan, Pierce Brosnan, Brendan Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Terry George, Michelle Williams, Neil Jordan and late THR writer-editor Steve Brennan.
“It’s hard to believe that the March event will mark our 20th anniversary,” Vargo said. “From the outset, this was always a party with a purpose, and it has resulted in everything from J.J. Abrams filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Ireland, to a special episode of The Simpsons premiering in Ireland after we honored James L. Brooks, to several other movies being filmed there, as recently as this year. We are also delighted to bring attention to the amazing artistic talent of artists, from Oscar winners to those just getting their start.
“We know that creative collaborations have been formed from this event and several artists have gotten agents, contracts and other opportunities as a result.”
Northern Ireland Screen is among the sponsors.
