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
Sir Tom Jones Tear-jerking Performance Joins D-Day Commemorations
The Normandy Landings, popularly referred to as “D-Day,” were a part of the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II, and were celebrated for the eightieth time in June 2024. Numerous memorial services have been held in the weeks that have followed, leading up to a major event on June 6th at the British Normandy memorial in Ver-sur-Mer. Along with many other well-known people and politicians, Welsh singing icon Sir Tom Jones participated in the celebrations by passionately performing “I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall.”
Even though it was performed as a tribute to Tom’s late wife Linda, the song turned out to be perfect for the D-Day event, giving the celebrations a heartfelt and somber tone. Tom sung of the “honor” he felt to be asked to perform at the event, and his passionate voice gave the song a lot of fire and emotion. “It is a momentous occasion that reminds us of the limitless sacrifices of that campaign,” he wrote on social media amid the beauty.
It was very breathtaking. And King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted the twenty-three D-Day veterans in attendance. A military piper played on Gold Beach earlier in the day at precisely 7:26 a.m. to signal the start of the commemorations and the beginning of the invasions. Together with Tom Jones’s poignant vocal performance, all of these elements contributed to a powerful ceremony that honored the veterans of the Normandy Landings.
Before the D-Day commemorative ceremony, Tom sang this particular song live and brought many to tears in the audience. In 2022, he spontaneously performed “I Won’t Crumble When You Fall” during an episode of The Voice UK, in response to numerous enthusiastic requests from the audience. Tom’s strong voice reverberated throughout the room as he performed, bringing fellow judge and vocalist Anne-Marie to tears with only the piano providing accompaniment.
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