EastEnders and The Bill Star Passes Away at Age 76

Roberta Taylor, the acclaimed actress known for her memorable roles in The Bill and EastEnders, has passed away at 76.

Taylor battled lung disease emphysema and tragically succumbed on July 6, following a fall two months prior that led to an infection. Her condition deteriorated further with a bout of pneumonia, reported The Guardian.

Taylor’s journey in the arts began after working as a dental nurse. She took drama classes in her spare time and, in 1973, was encouraged by a friend to audition for drama school. She successfully gained admission to the Central School alongside Peter Guinness, who would later become her second husband.

From 1980 to 1992, Taylor showcased her talent at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. She performed in various notable plays, including Noel Coward’s Private Lives, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, and Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage. During this period, she also starred in a stage adaptation of Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past) titled A Waste of Time, alongside Rupert Everett and Gary Oldman.

Taylor’s television career took off in 1997 with her role as Irene Raymond on BBC’s EastEnders. Playing the matriarch of the Hills family, Taylor’s character Irene had several memorable romances, including relationships with Terry Raymond (played by Gavin Richards) and her young lodger Troy Harvey (played by Jamie Jarvis).

Taylor continued playing Irene until 2000. Upon her departure, she explained that the demands of filming a soap opera left her with little personal 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,” she shared with The Mirror.

“I didn’t want to do things half-cocked. 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 on our characters. People thought we were comical, but actually, there was a lot of sarcasm.”

After EastEnders, Taylor took on the role of Inspector Gina Gold in the ITV series The Bill.

Her television presence extended further with appearances in shows such as Casualty, Doctors, Sharman, Holby City, Silent Witness, and Inspector Morse. On the big screen, she featured in films including The Witches in 1990 and Tom & Viv in 1994.

One of her recent television roles was in the series Shakespeare & Hathaway in 2022.

Beyond acting, Taylor authored a memoir about her childhood titled Too Many Mothers in 2005, followed by a novel, The Reinvention of Ivy Brown, in 2008.

News of Taylor’s death led to an outpouring of tributes.

Actor Nicholas Pegg shared on X, “Beautiful, brilliant Roberta Taylor. Adored by millions for her roles in The Bill and EastEnders. Outstanding in Shakespeare, Inspector Morse, and all points in between. A mighty raconteur, a demon at Scrabble, and a dear friend. Thoughts are with her family and her beloved Pete.”

Kyri Zindilis, story producer on EastEnders, solemnly noted, “Devastated to hear this – I adored Irene Raymond. We have this picture printed out and up on the wall in the Story Department, and it always makes me smile. RIP Roberta Taylor.”

Source: The Guardian, The Mirror