Roberta Alexandra Mary Taylor(néeRoberts;[1]26 February 1948 – 6 July 2024) was an English actress and author. She was known for her roles ofIrene RaymondinEastEnders(1997–2000) andInspector Gina GoldinThe Bill(2002–2008).
Roberta Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Taylor asIrene RaymondinEastEnders | |
| Born | Roberta Alexandra Mary Roberts 26 February 1948 West Ham,Essex, England |
| Died | 6 July 2024(aged 76) London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1972–2024 |
| Television | EastEnders(1997–2000) The Bill(2002-2008) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editTaylor worked in the theatre and appeared at theGlasgow Citizens Theatrefrom 1980 to 1992.[2]During that period, she played La Duchesse de Guermantes in a stage adaptation ofMarcel Proust'sA la recherche du temps perdu(Remembrance of Things Past) entitledA Waste of Time,in whichRupert EverettandGary Oldmanwere also in the cast. She was also seen inNoël Coward'sDesign for Living,Oscar Wilde'sA Woman of No ImportanceandAn Ideal Husband.She was the Princess Kosmonopolis inTennessee Williams'Sweet Bird of Youthin 1992, and in 1995 played the Nurse inShakespeare'sRomeo and Julietat theLyric Hammersmith.[3]
She also appeared in episodes of the television seriesDoctors,Sharman,Holby City,Silent Witness,Shakespeare and Hathaway andInspector Morse.She has appeared as a guest onThe Paul O'Grady Showand in the filmsThe Witches(1990) andTom & Viv(1994).[4]She has also appeared as herself onLily Savage's Blankety Blank.[5]
In 2005 she played Mrs Pardiggle in theBBC's drama serial adaptation ofCharles Dickens'Bleak House.[6]In 2009, she starred as the long-suffering Phoebe Rice inJohn Osborne's playThe Entertainerat theRoyal Exchange Theatrein Manchester. In 2011 she appeared in the West End revival ofPygmalion,alongsideRupert Everett,Kara TointonandDiana Rigg.[7]In September 2017, Taylor made a guest appearance inCasualty.[8]
Books
editAlongside her acting career, Taylor was an author. Her first book,Too Many Mothers,a memoir of her childhood, was published in October 2005. She was criticised by two cousins for some of the content in the book, with one of the cousins claiming that she was "too flippant about traumatic events in his difficult past". She refused to remove any of the content prior to publication, and later walked away from one of them at a book signing.[9]Her first novel,The Reinvention of Ivy Brown,was published in November 2008.[10]
Personal life and death
editBorn out of wedlock to Robert Alexander Archer, an already married bus conductor, Taylor was brought up by her mother Winifred Roberts, aunts, and grandmother.[9][4][11]
She married Victor Taylor on 1 April 1966.[12][1]The couple had a son but divorced in 1975.[13]Taylor met actorPeter Guinnesswhile working with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. They married in September 1996 after having been together for twenty years. Guinness appeared in a few episodes ofThe Billas her character’s lover in 2007.[13]
Taylor died ofpneumoniafollowing a fall, on 6 July 2024, at the age of 76. Taylor had suffered fromemphysemadue to being a "dedicated smoker".[14]
Filmography
edit- Lady Killers– Roberta Martin (1980)
- Wolcott– Mrs Godden (1981)
- Inspector Morse– Sheila Williams (1987)
- One Way Out– Athene (1989)
- The Bill– Angie Purser (1990)
- The Witches– Chef Witch (1990)
- Minder– Pat Norris (1991)
- In Suspicious Circumstances– Violette Kaye (1994)
- Tom and Viv– Ottoline Morrell (1994)
- The Turnaround– Aggie (1995)
- Dangerfield– Mrs Weatherall (1995)
- Sharman– Aggie (1996)
- Silent Witness– Dr de Groot (1997)
- The Knock– Ms Gardiner (1997)
- EastEnders– Irene Raymond (1997–2000; 292 episodes)
- The Passion– Jane (1999)
- Doctors– Rachel Whiting (2001)
- Holby City– Karen Lake (2002)
- The Bill– InspectorGina Gold(2002–2008)
- Murder Investigation Team– Inspector Gina Gold (2003)
- Bleak House– Mrs Pardiggle (2005)
- Father Brown– Sister Paul (2013)
- Viceroy's House– Miss Reading (2017)
- Casualty– Margie Mogford (2017)
- The Foreigner– Mrs Taylor (2017)
- Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators– Gloria Fonteyn (2018–2022)
- Luther– Celia Lavender (2019)[15]
References
edit- ^abTaylor, Roberta (1 May 2009).Too Many Mothers - Roberta Taylor - Google Books.Atlantic Books.ISBN9781848872561.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^Dibdin, Thom (21 May 2014)."Glasgow Citizens announces autumn season | News".The Stage.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"Roberta Taylor".TVGuide.Retrieved23 July2024.
- ^ab"TalkTalk".TalkTalk.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.13 May 2001.ITV.
- ^"Roberta Taylor: Biography".Hellomagazine.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"Pygmalion".Exeunt Magazine.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"BBC One - Casualty, Series 32, Episode 5".BBC.Retrieved23 July2024.
- ^ab"Exclusive: Eastenders star causes heartache for family with misery memoir".Daily Record. 22 November 2009.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"The Reinvention of Ivy Brown".Atlantic Books.Retrieved23 July2024.
- ^"Fighting shy of fame".Birmingham Post.31 October 2005.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"Findmypast.co.uk".Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2014.Retrieved2 September2014.
- ^ab"Interview: Why I'm pleased to be leaving EastEnders; Roberta Taylor talks about her unusual past and why she is quitting Albert Square".Thefreelibrary.Retrieved31 August2018.
- ^"Roberta Taylor obituary | Television | The Guardian".The Guardian.Retrieved23 July2024.
- ^"BBC One - Luther, Series 5, Episode 3".BBC.Retrieved25 July2024.