Culture

Oscar Winner James Martin Is Having The Birthday Of His Life

by Merryana Salem  13 March 2023
james-martin-an-irish-goodbye-star-gets sung happy birthday

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Directors Ross White and Tom Berkeley, the winners of Best Short Film at the Oscars for An Irish Goodbye, used their thank you speech to sing happy birthday to their co-star and it was all very wholesome.

As if it isn’t iconic enough to win an Oscar on your birthday, try having an entire theatre of A-listers sing happy birthday to you. Star of An Irish Goodbye, James Martin, is 31 and an Oscar winner today, after the film won the Best Short Film category.

“This award is actually the second most important thing about today because it’s this man’s birthday,” said co-directors Ross White and Tom Berkeley. “He’s having it here in Hollywood wearing a leopard print suit jacket and we’d love to use the rest of our time up here to sing for James!”

The pair start singing and immediately the whole theatre joined in. Everyone from Colin Farrell to Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay filled the theatre with birthday trilling. Not bad, considering star musicians Rihanna and Lady Gaga are also in the audience.

In An Irish Goodbye, birthday boy James Martin portrays Lorcan, a young man with Down syndrome who is estranged from his older brother. But the two brothers’ are reunited after their mother dies, unexpectedly.

The film joins The Banshees of Inishiren, The Quiet Girl, and Aftersun in a record amount of Irish nominees at the Oscars. Watch the wholesome moment below. And check out our full list of winners here.