Does James Martin have down syndrome? Netizens melt as audience sings Happy Birthday to An Irish Goodbye star at Oscars

The star of An Irish Goodbye and Oscar-winning actor James Martin was wished a happy birthday in a heart-warming moment on stage by his co-stars after they bagged an Oscar for the best short film at the 95th Academy awards ceremony on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Following the announcement of their win, co-director Tom Berkeley told the audience that it was the 31-year-old actor's birthday and expressed that they would be using their time on stage to sing for him, stating:

"This award is actually the second most important thing about today because it's (James Martin's) birthday. He's out here in Hollywood wearing a leopard-print suit jacket. We would love to use the rest of our time up here to sing to James."

Martin, who has down syndrome, looked visibly touched as he gripped his award. The audience too joined in singing to the Marcella actor.

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"That was so nice": Netizens touched as audience sings happy birthday to James Martin

Internet users were clearly touched by the gesture from James Martin's co-stars, and they took to twitter to express themselves:

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James Martin, who started his career working at Starbucks, returned to work at his day job

According to the Daily Mail, Martin, who hails from Northern Ireland, also works as a chef at an Italian restaurant called Scalini's in Belfast. He stated:

"I've been doing that a long time. It's nice... I can make garlic bread, meatballs, salads and mussels, chips and stuff like that."

Martin has previously starred in the BBC show Ups and Downs and ITV's Marcella.

An Irish Goodbye, a black comedy, follows two estranged brothers who reunite following the death of their mother. In the short film, Martin plays Lorcan, who lives and works at a farm in Northern Ireland, and the brothers discover their mother's unfulfilled bucket list.

When asked about how his condition affects his acting, James Martin asserted, "Anybody can act," before adding:

"It doesn’t matter if you have Down syndrome. I always say to people never judge a book by its cover."

Speaking about the night, Martin had previously told the Daily Mail that he hopes to party with fellow Irish actor Colin Farrell and his hero Robert De Niro after the ceremony.

Colin Farrell sending a Thumbs-up to James Martin (image via Twitter/@nowthisnews)

Martin was seen giving a thumbs-up gesture to the audience at the Oscar ceremony before the camera panned to In Bruges actor Farell, who mirrored the motion.

An Irish Goodbye is directed by Ross White and Tom Berkeley and stars Seamus O'Hara as Martin's Brother.