Kathy Beale
| Kathy Beale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Gillian Taylforth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–2000, 2015– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1 19 February 1985 |
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| Created by | Julia Smith and Tony Holland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Julia Smith (1985) Matthew Robinson (1999) Dominic Treadwell-Collins (2015) |
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| Spin-off appearances |
Dimensions in Time (1993) The Ghosts of Ian Beale (2014) |
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| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other names | Kathy Mitchell Kathy Sullivan |
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| Occupation | Barmaid Launderette assistant Market trader (fruit & veg/clothing) Samaritans volunteer Café owner |
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| Family | Beale/Mitchell |
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| Father | Dennis Hills |
| Mother | Brenda Hills |
| Brothers |
Ted Hills Colin Hills Jonathan Hills |
| Sisters | Stephanie Hills |
| Husband |
Pete Beale (until 1991) Phil Mitchell (1995–1999) Gavin Sullivan (2001–) |
| Sons |
Ian Beale Ben Mitchell |
| Daughters | Donna Ludlow |
| Grandsons |
Peter Beale Bobby Beale |
| Granddaughters | Lucy Beale |
| Nephews | Tony Hills |
| Nieces | Sarah Hills |
| Other relatives | Louie Beale |
Katherine "Kathy" Beale (also Sullivan and Mitchell) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Taylforth between 1985 and 2000, and from 2015 onwards. Kathy is one of the serial's original characters, appearing in the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985. One of the longest-running original characters, Kathy remained in a prominent role, covering issues such as rape and domestic violence until April 1998, when Taylforth quit. A year later, in 1999, Taylforth returned for a temporary stint to aid the departure of actor Ross Kemp who played her brother-in-law Grant Mitchell, and later in December 1999 for the wedding of her screen son Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), departing again on 6 January 2000. Despite various rumours of a possible return for Kathy in the press, this did not occur and the character was apparently killed off-screen in a road accident on 20 February 2006 in a storyline to facilitate the return of her son Ben Mitchell to his father Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).
Kathy appears in the November 2014 special, The Ghosts of Ian Beale, part of that year's Children in Need broadcast, in which a knock to the head causes Ian to hallucinate figures from his past. After an absence spanning over 15 years, Taylforth made a shock return as Kathy on 19 February 2015 during a live segment of the 30th anniversary episode. The BBC confirmed that she would reprise the role of Kathy permanently and, after another guest appearance on 19 May, she returned on 17 August. Kathy's storylines since her return have included her marriage to Gavin Sullivan (Paul Nicholas), reuniting with Ian and Ben, plus her affair with Buster Briggs (Karl Howman) and being involved with a car crash into the chip shop.
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