The US-Ireland Alliance will honour actress Maura Tierney at the 2026 Oscar Wilde Awards.
The annual awards ceremony is held by the US-Ireland Alliance to celebrate the contribution Ireland makes to film, television, and music. It takes place during the build-up to the Oscars.
It has also been announced that Irish singer Dave Lofts will perform at what will be the 20th anniversary of event.
Boston-born, Irish-American actress Tierney is the first honouree announced for next year's ceremony, which will be held at the Ebell of Los Angeles on 12 March. The Academy Awards take place on 15 March, 2026.
Tierney is well known to audiences for her work across film, television and theatre.
Her work on the series The Affair won her a Golden Globe and earned both Emmy and Critics Choice Television Award nominations.
Tierney, who can currently be seen starring as Lt. Jessica Brady in the primetime classic Law and Order, recently starred in the summer blockbuster Twisters.
Possibly her best-known role is playing Abby Lockhart across eight seasons of ER, while she also starred in two seasons of The Good Wife.
US-Ireland Alliance president Trina Vargo said: "We look forward to honoring Maura this year. She has an incredible and enviable career in film, television, and theater.
"She has always been proud of her Irish heritage and starred in Yasmina Reza's award-winning God of Carnage at the prestigious Gate Theater in Dublin."
Vargo added that it's "hard to believe" they are set to mark 20 years of the Oscar Wilde Awards, saying: "From the outset, this was always a party with a purpose, and it has resulted in everything from J.J. Abrams filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Ireland, to a special episode of The Simpsons premiering in Ireland after we honored James L. Brooks, to several other movies be filmed there, as recently as this year.
"We are also delighted to bring attention to the amazing artistic talent of artists from Oscar winners to those just getting their start. We know that creative collaborations have been formed from this event and several artists have gotten agents, contracts, and other opportunities as a result."
Northern Ireland Screen is among the event’s major sponsors.
