Dame Diana Rigg, who played the iconic Emma Peel on The Avengers and later had a memorable supporting role on Game of Thrones as Olenna Tyrell, has passed away at the age of 82.
Rigg was an acclaimed theater actress, as well, winning a Tony Award for Best Actress in 1994 for her role in Medea. She was also well known for her role in the 1969 James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, where she played James Bond's wife, Countess Teresa di Vicenzo. She was the only "Bond Girl" who actually married Bond in the films.
Rigg got her start as an actress in the British theatre in the 1950s. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (where she was classmates with acting legends like Glenda Jackson and Sian Phillips) before becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959. Her theatre work led to her being cast on The Avengers in 1965. Patrick Macnee's John Steed was first partnered with Ian Hendry's Dr David Keel on the ITV spy series, but after Henry left the series folliwing the first season for a film career, Honor Blackman joined the show as Cathy Gale, Steed's new partner. Blackman was a sensation and she, too, left after two seasons for a film career as the love interest in the James Bond film, Goldfinger (Blackman also passed away this year, back in April). After Blackman's success, casting Steed's new partner was a big deal, and initially, actress Elizabeth Shepherd was cast as Emma Peel. However, midway through filming her second episode, the show decided to fire her and hire Rigg instead (the Shepherd episodes never aired). Rigg was an instant star in the role. She became an international sex symbol and received two Emmy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Drama Series. However, the instant loss of privacy that came with her stardom was always a double-edged sword for Rigg.
Rigg's outfits on the show were iconic and were a major influence on the world of comics. Her standard outfit inspired Mike Sewkowksy re-designing Wonder Woman in the mold of Emma Peel (Rigg was such a big deal that The Avengers first aired on American TV beginning with the Emma Peel seasons)....
and her undercover outfit in "A Touch of Brimstone" led John Byrne to design the outfits of the Hellfire Club in a similar fashion (with Emma Frost being the most famous character to wear the Hellfire Club costume). The Hellfire Club in general was based on that episode, as both Byrne and Chris Claremont were big fans of the show.
After two seasons on The Avengers, Rigg left the series, as well, following in Blackman's footsteps by also becoming a "Bond Girl." She had a long film and television career (her role as Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper in 1981 is particularly well remembered by Muppets fans), but also returned to her career in the theater in the 1970s, being nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Abelard and Heloise in 1971 and The Misantrope in 1975 before eventually winning the award in 1994, as noted earlier.
In recent years, she was best known for her recurring role in Game of Thrones as the crafty and witty Olenna Tyrell. Rigg was nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys four times for the role.
Rigg was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for services to drama.
Via Deadline