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 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 ‘from an infection caused by a fall two months prior, agitating her underlying health problems with pneumonia.’
She leaves behind her actor husband Peter Guinness, her son Elliott, a granddaughter and two stepbrothers.
Roberta’s last TV appearance came on the BBC private investigators comedy Shakespeare & Hathaway.
Her EastEnders stint 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-year stint on the soap, Roberta’s character Irene had a string of love interests, including Terry Raymond (Gavin Richards), as well as a steamy affair with her lodger Troy Harvey (Jamie Jarvis).
After three years in EastEnders, Roberta decided to leave the soap, and 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.
‘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 also had roles in dramas Silent Witness, Inspector Morse and Doctors.
She split from her first husband in 1975 and set up home in Pimlico, central London, and then Vauxhall, with her second husband Peter, 20 years ago, after they married in 1996.
News of Roberta’s death sparked a spring of tributes from fans, with posts on X including: ‘ Such sad news about Roberta Taylor she was fantastic in EastEnders and The Bill. Rest in peace;’
‘Such sad news. I loved The Bill… Gina Gold was a brilliantly written character expertly played by Roberta Taylor;’
‘Real ones know Roberta Taylor by Gina Gold, not from EastEnders, RIP, what an actress;’
‘I’ve been watching old eps of The Bill, Roberta Taylor was amazing! I’m sorry to hear she died, may she rest in peace;’
‘I’m really sad to hear that Roberta Taylor has passed away. A wonderful character actress, RIP; RIP to the iconic Roberta Taylor… a wonderful actress and EastEnders legend… great lady;’
Roberta grew up on the Isle of Dogs and originally trained to be a dental nurse whilst taking drama classes.
She married Victor Taylor 1966, with whom she had a son Elliott.
After graduating from drama school, Roberta starred in a number of 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.
