British actress Georgina Cates dies aged 51
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English actress Georgina Cates, who starred alongside A-list actors in films like Clay Pigeons and An Awfully Big Adventure, has died aged 51.
Cates passed away on May 6, but her death went unreported for months. Her cause of death has not been made public.
Georgina Cates has died at aged 51. Pictured in 2014/ Getty
Cates’ daughter Naiia revealed her mother had passed in an emotional Instagram post shared on June 11, more than a month after Cates died.
“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,” Naiia wrote.
“I will always see you in black and white photos, Virginia slims, baggy clothes, no bras, big sunglasses, doodling while talking, pleasers, and flip flops and everything in between.
“I love you, thank you for your creativity, curiosity and your bravery to always be true to yourself - no matter what.”
Born Clare Woodgate, she started acting in small TV roles when she was just 16 and starred in a string of sitcoms and other programs as a teen.
She made her film debut at age 20, when she landed the role of Stella in the film An Awfully Big Adventure alongside Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.
Getting the part required a bit of trickery.
She initially auditioned under her government name and missed out on the role, so she dyed her hair red, changed her accent and tried again as ‘Georgina Cates’, a 17-year-old who had zero acting experience.
Cates starred opposite Hugh Grant in An Awfully Big Adventure. 20th Century Studios/Fine Line Features
Somehow, it worked.
Cates landed the role and went on to star in a number of films under her new name, including Clay Pigeons in 1998, where she shared the screen with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix.
Around the same time, she met and married American actor Skeet Ulrich of Scream fame, and they had two children: twins Jakob Ulrich and Naiia Rose Ulrich, born in 2001.
Georgina Cates shared the screen with none other than Vince Vaughn in Clay Pigeons. Gramercy Pictures
She took some time off from acting while raising the children but returned to film after she and Ulrich divorced in 2005.
Her last film credit was Everlasting, in 2016, and Cates had been working as a photographer before her death.
Ulrich has not publicly commented on Cates’ death.
