Roberta Taylor as Gloria Fonteyn in Shakespeare and Hathaway
Roberta Taylor appeared in a BBC daytime detective show alongside Jo Joyner in her last role before her tragic death aged 76. She played Gloria Fonteyn, a costume shop owner, in Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigator from 2018 until 2022.
The acclaimed actress who was famously recognised for roles such as Inspector Gina Gold in The Bill, and Irene Raymond in EastEnders, died after she suffered a fall that led to an infection.
Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated, resulting in pneumonia, as confirmed by the Guardian. This latest news saw the collective outpouring of grief over social media platforms where her admirers expressed their heartfelt condolences.
Among them, actor Nicholas Pegg shared: "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."
EastEnders' story producer Kyri Zindilis has expressed his sorrow following the death of Roberta Taylor, who was beloved for her role as Irene Raymond on the show. "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." he shared, reports the Daily Star.
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Stuart Antony, a former co-star from The Bill, also paid tribute: "Sad to hear lovely Roberta Taylor has passed away. She was a joy to work with and always great fun when I saw her - RIP x".
Reflecting on her departure from EastEnders in 2000, Roberta Taylor spoke to the Mirror about the demands of the show: "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."
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She also delved into her character's complexities and her on-screen partnership: "I didn't want to do things at half-cock [...] 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 at our characters. People thought we were comical but actually there was a lot of sarcasm."
Roberta leaves behind her son Elliott, granddaughter Ellis, and stepbrothers Lionel and Brian, along with her partner Peter.
