James Martin, a 31-year-old former barista from Belfast, has become an Oscar-winning actor, taking home the award for best live action short film for An Irish Goodbye. The film, which also won a Bafta, was shot in locations including Londonderry, Templepatrick, and Saintfield. Martin celebrated his birthday at the 95th Academy Awards, where he partied with Sir Elton John at the Los Angeles After Party.
Martin was born with Down's syndrome, and his father, broadcaster Ivan Martin, was told he might never speak. However, James has defied expectations, with his father noting, 'James not only speaks, once he started speaking he hasn't shut up since.' Martin got his start in acting with the Belfast-based Babosh theatre company, which works with children with learning disabilities, and later landed a lead role in the BBC drama Ups and Downs.
In An Irish Goodbye, Martin plays Lorcan, a young man with Down's syndrome, alongside Seamus O'Hara as his older brother. The black comedy, directed by Ross White and Tom Berkeley, follows two estranged brothers reuniting after their mother's death. Martin's father praised the film, saying it won an Oscar 'not because James has Down's Syndrome - it's a damn good film.'
Martin, who is also a Mencap ambassador, said of his achievements, 'It doesn't matter if you have Down's syndrome, as long as you're doing what you do.' His girlfriend, Barbara Norris, called his Oscar win 'the icing on his birthday cake' and highlighted how it shows that people with disabilities can achieve as much as anyone else.
