EastEnders star Roberta Taylor has died at the age of 76.
The actress was best known for her role as Irene Raymond in the BBC soap opera from 1997 to 2000, before joining the cast of The Bill as Inspector Gina Gold.
According to Roberta’s obituary published in The Guardian, the star died on July 6 “from an infection caused by a fall two months earlier, aggravating her underlying health problems with pneumonia.”
She is survived by her actor husband Peter Guinness, her son Elliott, a granddaughter and two stepbrothers.
Roberta’s last television appearance was in the BBC private eye comedy Shakespeare & Hathaway.
EastEnders and The Bill star Roberta Taylor has died aged 76, following an infection caused by a fall (pictured in the ITV drama as Inspector Gina Gold)
According to Roberta’s obituary, the star (pictured in 2017) died on July 6 “from an infection caused by a fall two months earlier, aggravating her underlying health problems with pneumonia.”
Her time in EastEnders began in 1997, when she arrived in Walford as the matriarch of the Hills family, visiting her children Sarah (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and Tony (Mark Homer).
During her three years on the soap, Roberta’s character Irene had a number of love interests, including Terry Raymond (Gavin Richards), as well as a passionate romance with his tenant Troy Harvey (Jamie Jarvis).
After three years on EastEnders, Roberta decided to leave the soap, telling The Mirror at the time: “I was always thinking: ‘When will I get to learn my lines?’ I gave so much of my life to the show and if I was going to continue at that pace, I would have to keep putting my life on hold.
‘I didn’t want to do things halfway (…) I had a lot of fun playing Irene, and Gavin, who plays my on-screen husband Terry, and I got along great.
‘Irene was a complicated woman. I never knew what was going to happen next, but that’s life. We worked hard on our characters. People thought we were funny, but there was actually a lot of sarcasm.’
Roberta also had roles in the dramas Silent Witness, Inspector Morse and Doctors.
She separated from her first husband in 1975 and settled in Pimlico, central London, and then in Vauxhall, with her second husband, Peter, 20 years ago, after marrying in 1996.
News of Roberta’s death sparked a wave of tributes from fans, with posts on X including: ‘ What sad news about Roberta Taylor. She was fantastic in EastEnders and The Bill. Rest in peace.
The actress was best known for her role as Irene Raymond in the BBC soap opera from 1997 to 2000 (pictured), before joining the cast of The Bill.
During her three-year run on the soap, Roberta’s character Irene had a number of love interests, including Terry Raymond (played here by Gavin Richards).
After graduating from drama school, Roberta starred in several plays including Noel Coward’s Private Lives and Brecht’s Mother Courage (photographed at Crown Court in 1979).
Roberta also had roles in dramas Silent Witness, Inspector Morse (pictured) and Doctors.
The news of Roberta’s death sparked a wave of tributes from fans.
“What sad news. I loved The Bill… Gina Gold was a brilliantly written character and played by Roberta Taylor.”
‘Real people know Roberta Taylor as Gina Gold, not EastEnders, RIP, what an actress’;
“I’ve been watching old episodes of The Bill. Roberta Taylor was amazing! I’m sorry to hear she passed away. May she rest in peace.”
“I’m so sad to hear that Roberta Taylor has passed away. A wonderful character actress, RIP; RIP the iconic Roberta Taylor… a wonderful actress and EastEnders legend… a great woman.”
Roberta grew up on the Isle of Dogs and originally trained to be a dental nurse whilst taking drama classes.
She married Victor Taylor in 1966, with whom she had a son, Elliott.
After graduating from drama school, Roberta starred in several plays including Noel Coward’s Private Lives, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband and Brecht’s Mother Courage.
She divorced her first husband in 1975 before marrying Peter, best known for his roles in Jack Ryan, Merlin, Official Secrets and Alien 3, in 1996.