Georgina Elaine Cates (born Clare Elaine Woodgate; 14 January 1975) is an English film and television actress.

Life and career

Born Clare Elaine Woodgate in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, Cates attended Colchester County High School for Girls and broke into television acting when she was 16 years old, playing the role of Jenny Porter on the BBC's ''

2point4 Children ''2point4 Children'' is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and ...

''. After two series, she left the show to concentrate on acting in television dramas such as '' Casualty'' and ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' and in low-budget films. In 1995, Cates (then still known as Clare Woodgate) auditioned for the role of Stella in the film ''

An Awfully Big Adventure ''An Awfully Big Adventure'' is a 1995 British coming-of-age film directed by Mike Newell. The story concerns a teenage girl who joins a local repertory theatre troupe in Liverpool. During a winter production of ''Peter Pan'', the play quickly ...

'' but was not cast. On returning home, she dyed her hair red and reinvented herself as a 17-year-old

Liverpudlian Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

girl called Georgina Cates who had no previous acting experience. When she re-applied for the same role, the casting director hired her. She went on to appear in such films as '' Frankie Starlight'' (1995), '' Illuminata'' (1998), and '' A Soldier's Sweetheart'' (1998). She received critical acclaim for her role as Amanda in '' Clay Pigeons'' (1998) with

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Swingers''. He has appeared in ...

and

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...

. After a seven-year break from the movie industry, Cates returned to the independent film genre to co-star in '' Sinner'', for which she won a Best Actress award at the Brooklyn Arts Council International Film & Video Festival.

Personal life

In 1997, Cates married her second husband, American actor

Skeet Ulrich Skeet Ulrich (; born Bryan Ray Trout on January 20, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in popular 1990s films, including Billy Loomis in '' Scream'' (1996), Chris Hooker in '' The Craft'' (1996) and Vincent Lopiano in '' ...

, with whom she had twins. The couple separated in 2004 and divorced in 2005, citing irreconcilable differences.

Awards

*Best Actress in a Leading Role, '' Sinner'', 41st Annual Brooklyn Arts Council International Film & Video Festival *Actress of the Year (Nominee), ''An Awfully Big Adventure'', 1996 London Critics Circle Film Awards

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cates, Georgina 1975 births English film actresses English television actresses Living people People from Colchester People educated at Colchester County High School