Georgina Cates, the actress best known for playing Jenny Porter in the first two series of the BBC sitcom 2Point4 Children, has died aged 51.
The show's creator, Andrew Marshall, announced the news on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. He wrote: "I'm very sad to report, I have just discovered, that lovely and talented Claire Woodgate aka Georgina Cates, our 1st Jenny in 2p4 died last May."
Tribute from show creator
Extending his sympathies to Georgina's family, Marshall added: "I have no other details than on IMDb. Sympathies to her family and children. If anyone has further details to share, please do."
Fans responded to the post with condolences, with one writing: "Wow! I know she was living not far from me, but I had no idea she had passed….very sad." Another added: "Sorry to hear. Was great in first two series, I knew recently she was living locally running a business but did not know. Thoughts with friends and family."
Early career and reinvention
Georgina, then known as Clare Woodgate, was just 16 when she landed the role of Jenny in 2Point4Children, which ran from 1991 to 1992. It was her first TV role.
Three years later she auditioned for the role of Stella in the film An Awfully Big Adventure but was not cast. However, on returning home, she dyed her hair red and reinvented herself as a 17-year-old Scouse called Georgina Cates. When she re-applied for the same role, the casting director hired her.
Film career and later work
Georgina went on to appear in films including Frankie Starlight (1995), Iluminata (1998), and A Soldier's Sweetheart (1998). She received critical acclaim for her role as Amanda in Clay Pigeons (1998) with Vince Vaughan and Joaquin Phoenix.
Following a seven-year break from the industry, Georgina returned to the spotlight in 2007 with the indie film Sinner, bagging a Best Actress gong at the Brooklyn Arts Council International Film & Video Festival. Her final on-screen appearance was in a short called Save Me From The Sound Of The Siren in 2016 where she played Madeleine. The cause of Georgina's death has not yet been made public.
