Gillian Taylforth
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Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as
Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original ...
on the BBC soap opera ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'', and has also appeared as Jackie Pascoe/Webb on ITV's ''
Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...
'' (2002–2006), and as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV's ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...
'' (2006–2008). She has also appeared in film during her early career, has presented on ITV's ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' and appeared as a celebrity contestant on ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...
'' in 2008. In January 2013, she was a contestant in ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
''. From May 2013 she played Sandy Roscoe on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
soap opera ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera '' Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a ...
'', but left in Summer 2014, and returned in December to again leave with
Joe Roscoe ''Hollyoaks'' is a British television soap opera that was first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the serial in 2013, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the sho ...
in January 2015. Despite her ''EastEnders'' character being presumed dead after being killed off-screen in 2006, Taylforth made a shock return to the show in February 2015 as part of the 30th anniversary episode. The BBC later confirmed that she would reprise the role of Kathy permanently later in the year and she appeared again regularly from August 2015.


Early life and career

Taylforth attended William Tyndale Junior School,
Barnsbury Barnsbury is an area of north London in the London Borough of Islington, within the N1 and N7 postal districts. The name is a syncopated form of ''Bernersbury'' (1274), being so called after the Berners family: powerful medieval manorial ...
Secondary School for Girls, Kingsway College of Further Education and the
Anna Scher Theatre School The Anna Scher Theatre is an independent and co-educational performing arts school based in Islington, Greater London. It was founded in 1968 by Anna Scher. It is considered among the first schools of its kind geared towards working class studen ...
in London. She started her acting career in the 1970s and before securing her big break she worked as a secretary between minor roles. Early television appearances include roles in the BBC comedy ''
Hi-de-Hi! ''Hi-de-Hi!'' is a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988. Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote '' Dad's Army'' an ...
'', '' Shelley'', ''
Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...
'', '' On Safari'', ''
Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'', '' Sink or Swim'' and '' The Rag Trade''. She played the role of Sherry in the 1980 gangster film '' The Long Good Friday''.


''EastEnders''

On 19 February 1985, Taylforth appeared as
Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original ...
in the first episode of the
BBC's #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
new soap opera ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
''. This role earned her huge popularity and public recognition on British television. Taylforth was in the show until 1998, when she opted to leave. During her time on the show, Taylforth’s character covered an array of serious issues including
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
,
domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...
,
teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period be ...
,
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...
,
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...
and
meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
. Kathy is one of the longest running characters to feature in the soap. She made a brief return in 1999 for the storyline to aid the departure of her brother-in-law
Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...
, played by actor
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
. Kathy left Albert Square again on 6 January 2000. In 2005, press rumours suggested that Taylforth was returning to the show.KAFFY COME HOME
, ''Sunday Mirror''. URL last accessed on 2006-10-16. However, this did not occur and the character of Kathy died off-screen in February 2006 in a car crash in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. Taylforth later commented: "I was a bit upset at first because it was 13 years of my life and I didn't like the thought of being killed off. I thought she might come back to see Ian (her on-screen son) and have some illness. But that's the way it goes." In 2013, Taylforth said it was a mistake to 'kill off' her character and expressed an interest in coming ‘back from the dead’. She also revealed that former producers had wanted Kathy back in ''EastEnders''. At the time, an ''EastEnders'' spokesman said that producers had no plans to bring back Kathy Beale. However on 14 November 2014, Taylforth reprised the role of Kathy for a Children In Need special in which Ian knocks his head and sees visions of the deceased women in his life. On 19 February 2015, Taylforth made a surprise appearance as Kathy Beale in a live segment of the 30th anniversary episode. It was revealed that she had not died but instead faked her own death in South Africa in 2006. The BBC then confirmed Taylforth would be reprising the role of Kathy permanently. Kathy then made another guest appearance in May before returning in August on a regular basis. The BBC revealed the screen age of the character Kathy Beale, as 70 years old, in a 2020 Eastenders episode.


Other work and roles

After leaving ''EastEnders'' in 1998, Taylforth was cast as Jackie Pascoe-Webb in ITV's television drama, ''
Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...
''. In a
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
poll for the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments, a time where she ends up having sex on top of a snooker table with
Cristian Solimeno Cristian David Solimeno (born 27 April 1975) is a British actor, writer and director. Personal life Solimeno was born in Hammersmith, London, England. He grew up in Paris and is of English and Italian descent via his father Ambrogio. Career ...
was placed at number 49. She played the role for all five series, which made her the only cast member to appear in every series without taking a break. (
Zöe Lucker Zöe Elizabeth Lucker (born 11 April 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Sonya Leach in ''Coronation Street'' Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, ''Footballers' Wives''; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap o ...
also appeared in all five series, but left midway through the 4th series before returning towards the end of the final one.) She also appeared on ''
Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' in 2001. In 2006, she played the role of Mandy Searle in the comedy/drama '' Jane Hall'' and she also has appeared as a recurring panellist on ITV's topical chat-show ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' (2000, 2006 and 2008). She had a regular part in ITV's police drama ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...
'' playing Sergeant Nikki Wright, and made her first screen appearance on 8 November 2006.Gillian Taylforth joins 'The Bill'
, ''Digital Spy''. URL last accessed on 2006-10-16. Taylforth left the role in 2008. In 2010, Taylforth took over in the theatre tour of ''
Mum's The Word Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in ''Henry VI, Part 2''. The word "mum" is an alteration of momme, which was used between 1350 and 1400 in Middle English with very close to the ...
'' from
Bernie Nolan Bernadette Therese Nolan (17 October 1960 – 4 July 2013) was an Irish actress, singer and television personality, formerly lead vocalist of the girl group the Nolans. She was the second youngest of sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda and ...
after she left when her cancer was diagnosed for a second time. The tour also starred ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...
'' actresses Tracy Shaw and
Sally Ann Matthews Sally Ann Matthews (born 19 September 1970) is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jenny Bradley in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Matthews was born in Oldham, Lancashire. She played Jenny ...
and was directed by Taylforth's
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
colleague Andrew Lynford. She also made several pantomime appearances around this time. In January 2013, she became a housemate on the eleventh series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
''. She was the fourth person to be evicted from the house after fifteen days. In February 2013, it was announced that she had joined the cast of British soap opera, ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera '' Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a ...
'', as matriarch of the Roscoe family, Sandy Roscoe. After just over a year in the role, Taylforth announced her decision to leave the role of Sandy to spend more time with her family. She departed on-screen on 22 August 2014. Taylforth briefly reprised the role of Sandy in December 2014, but she departed again shortly afterwards.


''Strictly Come Dancing''

Taylforth was partnered with Anton Du Beke in the sixth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...
'' in 2008, but was voted off in Week 2 after a dance-off with
Jodie Kidd Jodie Elizabeth Kidd (born 25 September 1978) is an English fashion model, racing driver, and television personality. Early life Kidd was born in 1978 and is the daughter of the businessman and former showjumper Johnny Kidd. She is the grandda ...
. It later emerged that Taylforth had suffered torn knee
ligaments A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal ...
whilst in training for the live shows, but chose to dance regardless.


Personal life

Taylforth is the sister of actress
Kim Taylforth Kim Taylforth is an English actress. She is the sister of ''EastEnders'' actress Gillian Taylforth. She trained in acting at the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington. Her earliest TV appearance was in the BBC sitcom, ''Steptoe and Son'', when ...
. During her time in ''EastEnders'', she dated her fellow castmate
Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in '' Heartbeat'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart sin ...
, who played Simon Wicks. She began a relationship with Geoff Knights in the late 1980s. The couple lived in
Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 I ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...
and later in Arrington,
Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to t ...
. She gave birth to their daughter in 1992. In 1996 she suffered a
miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemica ...
, and less than a year later doctors told her that the baby she was carrying had severe abnormalities and she was advised to terminate the pregnancy." In 1999, she became a mother for a second time. Knights and Taylforth had an extensive tabloid media history. In January 1994, Taylforth was involved in a high-profile court case when she sued '' The Sun'' newspaper for
libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...
after they ran a story claiming she and Knights had performed sexual acts on a slip road on the A1 in their
Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...
. Taylforth claimed that her partner had suffered an acute attack of
pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. There are two main types: acute pancreatitis, and chronic p ...
and she was merely massaging his stomach to soothe his abdominal pain; however, a police officer claimed that she was performing
fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotu ...
instead. During the court case, ''The Suns defence counsel,
George Carman George Alfred Carman, QC (6 October 1929 – 2 January 2001) was an English leading barrister during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1979, he successfully defended the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe after he was charged with conspiracy to murde ...
QC, entered into evidence a 35-minute home video of Taylforth "suggestively posing with a large sausage ..graphically simulating masturbation with a wine bottle" and boasting to the camera, "I give very good head". The jury returned a 10-2 majority verdict in favour of ''The Sun'', after which Taylforth collapsed and was taken away by an ambulance. In 1995, Taylforth wrote an autobiography entitled ''Kathy and Me'' in which she describes her childhood, her teenage years, her first forays into acting and her lifestyle.


TV and filmography


Theatre Credits


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* *
''Gillian Taylforth biography''
at biogs.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylforth, Gillian 1955 births Living people English television actresses English soap opera actresses Actresses from London People from Islington (district) Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School Actresses from Hertfordshire People from Broxbourne 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses