EastEnders star Roberta Taylor, who was best known for playing the role of Irene Raymond on the soap, has died at the age of 76.
The actress is said to have died from an infection caused by a fall two months prior. It is said the incident agitated her underlying health problems with pneumonia.
The star, also known for her role as Inspector Gina Gold in long-running ITV crime soap drama The Bill, leaves behind her actor husband Peter Guinness, her son Elliott, a granddaughter and two stepbrothers. Her last major TV series appearance came on the private investigators comedy Shakespeare & Hathaway.
Beth Cordingly, Diane Parish, Lisa Maxwell, Moya Brady and Roberta Taylor on The Bill (
PA)
Roberta’s time on the Walford cobbles began in 1997 and lasted until 2000. She was introduced as the matriarch of the Hills family who stopped by to visit her estranged kids Sarah (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and Tony (Mark Homer).
She held several love interests during her time on the soap, including a dalliance with Terry Raymond (Gavin Richards). She also engaged in an affair with her lodger Troy Harvey (Jamie Jarvis) in a drama-filled stint on the London-based soap.
Describing her exit from the show, Roberta told the Mirror at the time: “I was always thinking, ‘When can I learn my lines?’ I gave over much of my life to the show and if I was to carry on at such a pace I’d have to continue to put my life on hold.
Roberta with members of The Bill cast (
PA)
“I didn’t want to do things at half-cock […] I had a lot of fun playing Irene, and Gavin, who plays my screen husband Terry, and I got on brilliantly. Irene was a complicated lady. I never knew what was going to happen next, but that’s what life is like. We worked hard at our characters. People thought we were comical but actually there was a lot of sarcasm.”
Roberta Taylor and EastEnders co-star Jamie Jarvis (
BBC)
Away from the two popular soaps, Roberta’s impressive CV saw her star on the likes of Silent Witness, Inspector Morse and Doctors. Her last acting job came in 2019, where she played a role on crime drama series Luther.
Following the news of her death, fans took to social media to share emotional tributes. Taking to Twitter/X, former co-star on The Bill, Stuart Antony penned: “Sad to hear lovely Roberta Taylor has passed away. She was a joy to work with and always great fun when I saw her – RIP x”
One fan of the actress wrote: “Sad news about the passing of Roberta Taylor. Gina Gold was one of my favourite TV characters growing up and I still think of her one liners, some well needed comic relief in what could be a pretty heavy episode.”
And a third added: “Heartbreaking news. RIP Roberta Taylor, one of the finest actors this country has ever seen. Thinking about her family, friends and fellow fans.”
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Source: USA Today
