Georgina Cates, the English actress who starred in the 1995 film An Awfully Big Adventure, has died at the age of 51. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she died on May 6, 2026, and her death was announced by her daughter, Naiia, in a tribute on Instagram. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed, Just Jared reported.
What happened
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Cates, who was born Clare Elaine Woodgate, died on May 6, 2026. Her daughter Naiia shared the news in an Instagram tribute to her mother.
The news did not reach a wide audience right away. According to Deadline, it drew broader attention after Andrew Marshall, the creator of the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children, posted about her death on X on October 17, 2026. That was roughly five months after she died.
“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,” Marshall wrote, as reported by Deadline.
The Hollywood Reporter published its obituary on October 18, and Just Jared followed on October 19. Just Jared noted that no cause of death has been made public.
Who was Georgina Cates?
Cates was born Clare Elaine Woodgate on April 4, 1975, in Colchester, Essex, England, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She started acting as a teenager. At 16, working under her birth name, she was cast as Jenny Porter in 2point4 Children, the BBC sitcom created by Marshall. Deadline reported that she played the role beginning in 1991. She appeared on the show from 1991 to 1992 and was the first actress to play Jenny, which is why Marshall described her as “our 1st Jenny” in his post.
A few years later, she took on a new professional identity. Working as Georgina Cates, she dyed her hair red and adopted a Liverpool accent to win the lead role of Stella Bradshaw in An Awfully Big Adventure. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the 1995 film was directed by Mike Newell. Cates shared the screen with Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, and the part remains the role she is best remembered for.
Her film work continued through the late 1990s. She appeared in Frankie Starlight (1995), as well as Clay Pigeons (1998) alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn, and Illuminata (1998). Years later, she also appeared in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013).
Her family
Cates was married to actor Skeet Ulrich, known for Scream and Riverdale, from 1997 until their divorce in 2005, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The couple had twins, Naiia and Jakob, born in 2001.
Deadline reported that Cates is survived by both of her children, whom she shared with Ulrich.
Tributes from her daughter and Skeet Ulrich
In her Instagram tribute, Naiia wrote about her mother’s spirit and the difficulties she faced.
“My beautiful, free-spirited mom lived a hard life and still found ways to make herself and others laugh and smile,” Naiia wrote, as reported by Just Jared.
She also thanked her mother directly. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Naiia wrote, “I love you, thank you for your creativity, curiosity and your bravery to always be true to yourself,” and added that her mother stayed true to herself no matter what.
Ulrich responded to his daughter’s post in the comments, Just Jared reported. “I love you more than words can say sweetheart,” he wrote.
Marshall’s post on X brought the news to many fans who knew Cates from her early television work. Others knew her from her film career in the mid-1990s. For many viewers, her story connects two very different chapters: a teenage actress on a popular British sitcom, and a young film lead who reinvented herself to land a starring role opposite some of the best-known actors of the era.
Cates is survived by her children, Naiia and Jakob.
