When James Martin was born, doctors told his parents that he might never speak. However, he did not only learn to speak, but 31 years later, on his birthday, he walked on Hollywood’s biggest stage to collect his Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film, An Irish Goodbye. James became the first actor with Down syndrome to win an Academy Award. And, as icing on the cake, the entire audience sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
James Martin never let his condition hold him back.
James Martin’s father, Ivan Martin, is very proud of his son and revealed that he does everything with great gusto, and he’s very glad that his efforts have paid off.
“He has spent his life pushing the envelope. People are very good at saying, ’You can’t do this, and you can’t do that’… He’s done it, and he does it consistently,” he said.
Martin is the first person with Down syndrome to win not just a BAFTA but an Oscar too, and he’s very proud of himself. “It doesn’t matter if you have Down syndrome, as long as you’re doing what you do. I do what I can to be funny,” he said.
His girlfriend also supports him and says the win was a magical moment. “It shows to everyone that it’s changing your mindset on how people with disabilities can achieve as much as everyone else can,” she declared.
For the past 10 years, Martin has been working at Starbucks.
His co-workers and manager at Starbucks are very proud of Martin and his acting success, and to support him, good-luck posters were placed in the coffee chain’s city stores.
However, Martin’s dad revealed that despite the fame, he doesn’t see his son quitting his job as a barista anytime soon.
Martin caught the acting bug after he joined the Belfast-based Babosh theatre company for children with learning disabilities.
There, Martin did all types of shows, and he enjoyed every moment spent there. This was a stepping stone for him, as he later managed to land the lead role in Ups and Downs, starring alongside actress Susan Lynch.
Martin then went on to land a role in the series, Marcella, but his role in An Irish Goodbye, which won him both a BAFTA and an Oscar, is his most high-profile role to date.
Preview photo credit MICHAEL TRAN/AFP/East News, An Irish Goodbye / First Flights and co-producers
Urgent Call for Prayers – Ed Sheeran Faces Inoperable Tumor And Unfolds Urgent Situation
A first-look at the documentary on Ed Sheeran’s life shows the emotional moment he breaks down in tears while opening up about his wife Cherry Seaborn’s health struggles.
Earlier this month, the singer took to Instagram to share the news that Seaborn, who he’s been married to since 2019, was diagnosed with a tumour while pregnant with their second child last year.
Within the same month, the singer’s best friend, Jamal Edwards, tragically passed away.
These difficult life events changed the course of Sheeran’s upcoming Disney+ docu-series The Sum of It All, something that he discusses in the trailer.
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“Cherry’s health, it was really bad, and then suddenly my best friend Jamal dies,” he explains.
“You guys said, ‘Do you want to make a documentary?’ And I went, ‘Yeah, it should be me in the studio and we’ll play the gig.’
“That’s not what the documentary is.”
The camera then cuts to the ‘Shape of You’ singer in a car as he bursts into tears.
And hundreds of people have offered words of support, with one writing in the trailer’s YouTube comments: “This doc series just proves that even when fans thinks he’s a super figure… he’s just a human with ups and downs just like the rest of us.
“So much respect for Ed and Cherry!”
Another wrote: “I’m so excited for this, he deserves every bit of success and good things in his life.
“You can always see the passion he has for music and expressing himself, that has never changed.”
“Real life comes to all of us, no matter where we’re at,” added a third. “I’m hoping you Cherry and the girls are doing well.”
The upcoming documentary, which also coincides with Sheeran’s sixth studio album release ‘Subtract’, is said to take viewers on a journey into how an ‘unlikely child with a stutter rose to fame to become one of the biggest global music superstars’.
Per the official synopsis: “For the first time, global superstar Ed Sheeran opens the doors to a definitive and searingly honest view into his private life as he explores the universal themes that inspire his music.
“This series follows Ed after he learns of life-changing news and reveals his hardships and triumphs during the most challenging period of his life.”
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