Roberta Taylor, Star of “The Bill” and “EastEnders,” Dies at 76

British actress Roberta Taylor has passed away at the age of 76, her agent has confirmed.

The star, best known for her roles as tough Inspector Gina Gold in The Bill and amorous Irene Raymond in EastEnders, died earlier this month. A statement from Roxane Vacaa confirmed: “Sadly I can confirm that Roberta died on July 6th. She was 76.”

Taylor was also known for her appearances in Luther, Casualty, and Inspector Morse. Additionally, she featured in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches as one of the malevolent magic practitioners, and the BBC period drama Bleak House in 2005.

In EastEnders from 1997, Taylor’s character was involved in storylines such as cheating on her husband Terry Raymond (played by Gavin Richards) and dealing with her children from her former husband, Ted Hills (Brian Croucher). She left the show in 2000 when her character, Irene, appeared to head off to travel the world.

Two years after leaving EastEnders, she was cast in The Bill as the new inspector at Sun Hill police station. Her character, Gina Gold, was a chain-smoking whisky drinker with a sarcastic manner and a filthy temper, drawing comparisons with her EastEnders character. Taylor stayed with The Bill until she left the soap in 2008.

In 2005, Roberta Taylor published her childhood memoirs, Too Many Mothers: An East End Childhood, in which she explored her family’s complex lives. She previously recalled to TV Times magazine that she grew up in a “peculiar family” where she and her siblings and cousins were “swapped” between her mother’s brothers and sisters. Taylor mentioned that she had not seen her father since she was a child and did not wish to meet him.

She shared, “My book is the story of the love of my mum’s life, a married man she met when she was 18, my father. At the time it was very difficult – my birth stopped her being free for the rest of her life. It’s a gritty story and ultimately it’s one of personal triumph. But it’s also a story that says ‘If you trust too much, you’re dead.’”

Taylor was married to her second husband, Peter Guinness, who is also an actor, and had one son, Elliot, with her former spouse, Victor Taylor.

EastEnders producer Kyri Zindilis posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter, of Taylor with Pat Butcher (Pat St Clement) and Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) filming an episode of the soap set in Spain. He wrote: “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. #EastEnders.”

Source: The Guardian, BBC, TV Times