Home · Entertainment · Oct 18 archive
Georgina Cates, Actress Known for 'Clay Pigeons,' Dies at 51
Confirmed
In Short: Georgina Cates, an actress known for her roles in 'Clay Pigeons' and the BBC sitcom '2point4 Children,' has died at the age of 51.
![Clay Pigeons (1998) Original Trailer [FHD]](../../../../media/2026-10-18-georgina-cates-actress-known-for-clay-pigeons-dies-at-51-full.webp)
Fans and colleagues are mourning the loss of Georgina Cates, an actress who made a memorable transition from British sitcoms to Hollywood films in the 1990s.
Cates, born Claire Elaine Woodgate on April 4, 1975, in Colchester, Essex, England, rose to prominence playing Jenny Porter in the BBC sitcom '2point4 Children' when she was just 16 years old.
Her breakout role in 'Clay Pigeons' in 1998, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn, earned her critical acclaim.
In 2007, Cates won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her performance in the film 'Sinner' at the 41st Brooklyn Arts Council International Film & Video Festival.
Cates' career spanned a variety of projects, including 'An Awfully Big Adventure,' 'Frankie Starlight,' and 'A Soldier's Sweetheart,' among others.
She was married to actor Skeet Ulrich from 1997 to 2005, and they had twins, Naiia and Jakob.
Cates' passing was announced on May 6 by the show's creator, Andrew Marshall, on X.
In a touching tribute, her daughter wrote on Instagram, 'My beautiful, free-spirited mom lived a hard life and still found ways to make herself and others laugh and smile <3 now she can rest easy.'
Cates was known for her creativity, curiosity, and bravery in staying true to herself, as noted by one of her admirers.
Her life and career were marked by a blend of humor and resilience, as she once told The New York Times, 'I couldn’t see the point of spending every day just being me.'
Background
Clay Pigeons is a 1998 black comedy film written by Matt Healy and directed by David Dobkin, and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Vince Vaughn and Janeane Garofalo.
What's confirmed
- "Love you more than words can say sweetheart."
What's still developing
- Now the news that fans and colleagues have been absorbing is that Cates has died.
- After that, Cates appeared in ‘Frankie Starlight’, ‘Stiff Upper Lips’, ‘Illuminata’ and ‘A Soldier’s Sweetheart’.
- Born Claire Elaine Woodgate on April 4, 1975 in Colchester, Essex, England, Cates broke out in the first two seasons of 2point4, before appearing in such shows as The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, The Bill and Chris Cross, in addition to roles in movies like An Exchange of Fire (1993), Au Pair (1994), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), Frankie Starlight (1995), Big City Blues (1997) and A Soldier’s Sweetheart (1998).
- Celebrity Traitors star shares funny gift after iconic scene EastEnders releases extra scenes for Linda, Honey and more Netflix is removing Cillian Murphy's Irish drama very soon Emmerdale first look as Belle receives alarming Tom news Daddy Issues star teases "complicated and moving" finale 6 of the best TV shows coming this week First look at Sydney Sweeney in sequel to The Housemaid Coronation Street reveals upsetting Ronnie and Debbie scene Lupin star reveals season 4 is "bigger" than ever We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
- "I have no other details than on IMDb. Sympathies to her family and children. If anyone has further details to share, please do."
- “She was very bushy-tailed, eager, romantic, soulful, tough, very much like the character,” Newell said in a 1995 interview with The New York Times.
- In An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), adapted from Beryl Bainbridge’s 1990 novel of the same name, Cates sparkled as the impressionable Stella Bradshaw, who gets a job as an assistant at a Liverpool repertory theater troupe post-World War II and falls for director Meredith Potter (Hugh Grant) while actor P.L.
- “I’d pretend to be American and have millionaire parents or pretend to be French and be very exotic or pretend to be deaf,” she told the Times.
- After initially being rejected for the part after auditioning as Clare Woodgate — she had starred on the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children using her birth name — she tried again as Cates, creating the persona of a working-class teen from Liverpool, just like Stella.
- 14, 1975 in Colchester, England, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
- She also appeared in 1998’s “Clay Pigeons” with Joaquin Phoenix, Vince Vaughn and Janaene Garofalo, in addition to “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” and “Everlasting,” among other projects.
- She went on to appear in TV shows including “Casualty,” “An Exchange of Fire,” “Chris Cross,” “Crimewatch File” and “The Bill” through the early 1990s before making her feature film debut in “Au Pair” in 1994, which followed a young Welsh woman as she leaves her quiet country for Germany in search of adventure.