Third Oscar for Richard

Richard Baneham won his third Oscar as the ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ team picked up the gong for Best Visual Effects at Sunday night’s ceremony.

Baneham from Old Bawn in Tallaght added his latest Academy Award to the two he had won in 2010 and 2023 for his work on the previous entries in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ series.

The Visual Effects Supervisor picked up the award as part of a quartet alongside Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett.

In his acceptance speech, Baneham thanked those close to the quartet for their “love and support.”

“First and foremost, thank you to our families. Honestly, the love and support, our wives, our partners.

“There’s 2,200 artists, this is a massive, massive collaboration on the VFX side. We also overlap with everybody on the movie, so to all our families, this is everything – truly, truly everything.”

He also said “go raibh mile maith agat” to James Cameron for his work and support of theirs through making the film.

Baneham adds his latest Oscar to a shelf to one that also includes three BAFTA’s for his work on the same film series entries.

The Tallaght man received praise from several political figures in the country following his latest milestone.

President Catherine Connolly noted that this win reflected Baneham’s position as one of the leading people in his field.

President Connolly said: ‘The award of a third Oscar to Richard Baneham for Visual Effects is a truly remarkable achievement following his previous Oscars in 2010 and 2023 and reflects his standing as one of the outstanding technicians in his field.’

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD congratulated Baneham on his win.

The Minister complimented his work on ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is an example of “world-class” offering Irish artists have given the world.

Minister O’Donovan said: ‘Richard Baneham’s win tonight, his third, is a testament to his extraordinary expertise and his leadership in one of the most technically advanced areas of global filmmaking.

“His work on Avatar: Fire and Ash demonstrates the world‑class contribution Irish artists are making to major international productions.”