Georgina Cates, the English actress known for An Awfully Big Adventure and Clay Pigeons, has died. She was 51.
Cates died on May 6, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her death received wider coverage in October. No cause has been publicly disclosed.
Born Clare Elaine Woodgate in Essex, she began acting as a teenager and originated the role of Jenny Porter on the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children. She appeared in its first two seasons, in 1991 and 1992.
Cates was married to Scream and Riverdale actor Skeet Ulrich from 1997 until their divorce in 2005. They welcomed twins Naiia and Jakob in 2001.
Her Daughter and Andrew Marshall Shared Tributes
Sympathies to her family and children.
— Andrew Marshall (@AndrewM2p4c) October 17, 2026
Naiia had remembered her mother in a June Instagram post, according to PEOPLE. The family photographs included an image of Cates holding her daughter as a baby. Naiia described her as “beautiful” and “free-spirited,” recalling how she continued to make people laugh through difficult times.
Her memories included oversized sunglasses, loose clothing and her mother’s habit of doodling while talking. She thanked Cates for her creativity and determination to remain herself. Ulrich responded with a message of love for their daughter, who has also worked as an actress in films including Due Date and My Fiona.
On Oct. 17, 2point4 Children creator Andrew Marshall wrote that he had only just learned of Cates’ death. He remembered her as “lovely and talented,” offered condolences to her family and said he had no further information beyond her IMDb listing.
She Reinvented Herself to Win An Awfully Big Adventure
After television appearances including The Bill and Ghosts, documented by Entertainment Weekly, Cates pursued the part of Stella in Mike Newell’s 1995 film. Initially unsuccessful, she tried again with a different name, appearance and personal history.
A 1995 New York Times profile, recounted by Parade, described how she wrote to the casting director and signed her letter with the character’s name, Stella Bradshaw. She then presented herself as Georgina Cates, an inexperienced 17-year-old from Liverpool, complete with red hair, pin curls, knee socks and a Merseyside accent.
She won the role opposite Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. Adapted from Beryl Bainbridge’s novel, the film follows a teenager who joins a Liverpool theater company after World War II. Cates retained her new professional name after filming.
In the same profile, she recalled inventing identities long before the audition. “I couldn’t see the point of spending every day just being me,” she said.
Her Film Roles Included Clay Pigeons and Bad Grandpa
In David Dobkin’s 1998 dark comedy Clay Pigeons, Cates played Amanda, a married woman having an affair with her husband’s friend, Clay, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Vince Vaughn portrayed the stranger who befriends Clay as a series of deaths draws police attention to him, while Janeane Garofalo played an FBI agent.
Her other films included Frankie Starlight, Big City Blues and John Turturro’s Illuminata. She also appeared alongside Ulrich in the 1998 Vietnam War drama A Soldier’s Sweetheart.
Cates later worked on The Closer and appeared in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa and Everlasting. In the Johnny Knoxville comedy, she played the mother of Billy, the boy accompanying his grandfather on the road.
She Also Built a Career Behind the Camera
Cates pursued fine-art photography in Los Angeles. Her WrapWomen biography described work spanning celebrity portraits, advertising campaigns and exhibitions, along with an interest in brief, easily overlooked moments.
Her “I See You” portrait sessions were offered to women and men of different ages and backgrounds. “I don’t take photographs of people. WE simply spend time together with my heart and my camera as witnesses,” she said.