Roberta Taylor, known for her roles in EastEnders and The Bill, has died.
In a statement, her agent Roxane Vacaa said: “Sadly I can confirm that Roberta died on July 6. She was 76 years old.”
The London-born actress was popular with TV audiences for playing Irene Raymond in EastEnders between 1997 and 2000.
Her character was the matriarch of the Hills family and came with a series of compelling stories.
After leaving Albert Square, Taylor returned to TV in 2002 as Inspector Gina Gold in ITV’s The Bill – a role she played for six years.
Taylor was also known for appearances in Luther, Casualty and Inspector Morse.
She also appeared in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, as one of the malevolent practitioners of magic, and in the 2005 BBC period drama Bleak House.
Taylor had a distinguished theatrical career, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Roberta Taylor pictured in 2017. Photo: Alan Davidson / Shutterstock
Her last show was the musical Dusty in 2018, while she appeared in her last TV role as Gloria Fonteyn in the comedy Shakespeare & Hathaway for four years until 2022.
In 2005, the actress published her childhood memoir Too Many Mothers: An East End Childhood, in which she explored her family’s complex life.
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Taylor at the BAFTA TV Awards in 1998 with EastEnders co-stars Patsy Palmer, left, and Gillian Taylforth. Photo: PA
She previously told TV Times magazine how she grew up in a “quirky family” in which she and her brothers and cousins were “switched” between her mother’s brothers and sisters.
EastEnders producer Kyri Zindilis posted a photo on X of Taylor with Pam St Clement and Barbara Windsor filming an episode of the soap in Spain.
He wrote: “Devastated to hear this – I loved Irene Raymond. We have this photo printed and hanging on the wall in the Story Department, and it always makes me smile. RIP Robert Taylor. #EastEnders.”
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At the time of her death, Taylor was married to her second husband, Peter Guinness, also an actor. She has a son, Elliot, with her ex-husband, Victor Taylor.
Taylor suffered from emphysema and suffered a fall two months ago, which led to worsening health and pneumonia, according to The Guardian.
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