Roberta Taylor has been hailed as “subversive, fun, warm and witty”.
Roberta Taylor has been hailed as ‘subversive, fun, warm and witty’
The actress, best known for playing Irene Raymond in ‘EastEnders’ from 1997 to 2000 and tough Inspector Gina Gold on ITV’s ‘The Bill’ – died on 6 July aged 76 from an “infection caused by a fall two months prior, agitating her underlying health problems with pneumonia”, according to an obituary published in The Guardian.
Her agent Roxane Vacca said in a tribute: “She was a hugely talented actress with a fierce intelligence, great humanity and unflinching integrity.
“Her subversive streak brought originality to every part she played.
“To her many friends she was wonderful company. Fun, warm, witty, loyal. She was an exceptional woman.”
Her agent’s tribute was one of many paid by friends and fans, including actor Nicholas Pegg, who said she was a “mighty raconteur, a demon at Scrabble and a dear friend”.
Roberta is survived by her veteran TV actor husband Peter Guinness, 73, whose film credits include ‘Alien 3’, as well as her son Elliott, a granddaughter and two stepbrothers.
Her final appearance on the small screen was in the BBC’s private eye comedy ‘Shakespeare and Hathaway’.
Roberta’s career spanned decades and she started on ‘EastEnders’ in 1997 as the head of the Hills family.
After three years, she decided to leave the soap.
She told the Daily Mirror about her move: “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’s other major TV roles in ‘Silent Witness’ and ‘Inspector Morse’.
After splitting from her first husband Victor Taylor – with whom she had her son – in 1975, she got hitched to her second spouse Peter in 1996.
Fans have filled social media with their devastation she is gone.
Before going into acting, Roberta trained to be a dental nurse while training at drama school.
Her TV career took off after she starred in a string of plays Oscar Wilde’s ‘An Ideal Husband’.