British actress Roberta Taylor, best known as matriarch Irene Raymond on EastEnders and Inspector Gina Gold on The Bill, died on July 6, her family has announced. She was 76. Taylor had an impressive stage career, starting with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, over the decades appearing in such shows as Remembrance of Things Past, Design for Living, Sweet Bird of Youth, and Romeo and Juliet. On the large and small screens, she was seen in The Witches, Inspector Morse, Tom & Viv, Bleak House, Father Brown, and Holby City. Taylor is survived by her longtime husband, actor Peter Guinness (“He is very supportive and it is easier that he is an actor too as he understands my work. I can never understand acting couples who get jealous of each other. He can’t play female roles and I can’t play male parts. Whoever is working benefits both of us.”). On leaving EastEnders, she said, “We worked hard at our characters. People thought we were comical but actually there was a lot of sarcasm. What annoys me is that there is so much snobbery with soaps. People say, ‘So how can I be in EastEnders?’ They just want to be famous. That is so not why I did EastEnders. You really have to think on your feet, improvise, and it is great for learning and improving your craft.”
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