Rigg, Diana

From New World Encyclopedia
 
(36 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
'''Currently working on''' —[[User:Jennifer Tanabe|Jennifer Tanabe]] March 2021.
+
{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{Copyedited}}
  
 
{{epname|Rigg, Diana}}
 
{{epname|Rigg, Diana}}
Line 20: Line 20:
 
| yearsactive        = 1957–2020
 
| yearsactive        = 1957–2020
 
}}
 
}}
−
'''Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg''' DBE, known as '''Diana Rigg''', (July 20, 1938 - September 10, 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her career in film, television, and the theatre was wide-ranging. On the stage she had roles in the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and other well-known theater companies in England, as well as performing in [[Broadway]] musicals. In television and film her notable roles included starring as [[Emma Peel]] in the TV series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1965–1968); Countess [[Tracy Bond|Teresa di Vicenzo]], wife of [[James Bond]], in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969); [[Olenna Tyrell]] in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' (2013–2017), and in her performance as ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' on Broadway and in the UK.   
+
'''Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg''' DBE, known as '''Diana Rigg''', (July 20, 1938 - September 10, 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her career in [[film]], [[television]], and the theatre was wide-ranging. On the stage she had roles in the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and other well-known theater companies in England, as well as performing in [[Broadway]] musicals. Notable screen roles included starring as [[Emma Peel]] in the British TV series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1965–1968); Countess [[Tracy Bond|Teresa di Vicenzo]], wife of [[James Bond]], in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969); and as [[Olenna Tyrell]] in the American TV series ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' (2013–2017).   
−
+
{{toc}}
−
She was made a [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in 1988 and a [[Order of the British Empire|Dame]] in 1994 for services to drama.
+
Rigg received recognition as one of the greatest dramatic actors, being made a [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in 1988 and a [[Order of the British Empire|Dame]] in 1994 for her services to [[drama]]. Although regarded as an iconic sex symbol, Rigg was an intelligent woman with strong opinions who fought for recognition of the value of women actors as early as the 1960s. She is remembered as a legend of stage and screen, an iconic sex symbol who preferred to fight for gender equality, and an empowered woman who used her talent and sharp wit to successfully entertain her audiences throughout her long career.
 
    
 
    
 
==Life==
 
==Life==
−
Diana Rigg was born in [[Doncaster]], then in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]] (now in [[South Yorkshire]]),<ref name="bbc">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/sense_of_place/sy_people/diana_rigg.shtml Meet...Dame Diana Rigg] ''BBC'', September 24, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> in 1938 to Louis and Beryl Hilda Rigg (née Helliwell). Her father was born in [[Yorkshire]], worked in [[engineering]], and moved to [[India]] to work for the railway to take advantage of the career opportunities there.<ref name=Tracy>Kathleen Tracy, ''Diana Rigg: The Biography'' (BenBella Books, 2004, ISBN 978-1932100273).</ref> Her mother moved back to England for Rigg's birth because she felt she had a bad experience at a military hospital during her first child's birth in India. Between the ages of two months and eight years, Rigg lived in [[Bikaner]], [[Rajasthan]], India,<ref name="bbc"/> where her father worked his way up to a railway executive in the [[Bikaner State Railway]].<ref name=Tracy/> She spoke [[Hindi]] as her [[second language]] in those years.<ref name="BBC obit">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Dame Diana Rigg|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27986272|date=10 September 2020|access-date=10 September 2020|work=BBC News}}</ref>
+
Diana Rigg was born in [[Doncaster]], then in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]] (now in [[South Yorkshire]]),<ref name="bbc">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/sense_of_place/sy_people/diana_rigg.shtml Meet...Dame Diana Rigg] ''BBC'', September 24, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> in 1938 to Louis and Beryl Hilda Rigg (née Helliwell). Her father was born in [[Yorkshire]], worked in [[engineering]], and moved to [[India]] to work for the railway to take advantage of the career opportunities there.<ref name=Tracy>Kathleen Tracy, ''Diana Rigg: The Biography'' (BenBella Books, 2004, ISBN 978-1932100273).</ref> Her mother moved back to England for Rigg's birth because she felt she had a bad experience at a military hospital during her first child's birth in India. Between the ages of two months and eight years, Rigg lived in [[Bikaner]], [[Rajasthan]], India,<ref name="bbc"/> where her father worked his way up to a railway executive in the [[Bikaner State Railway]].<ref name=Tracy/> She spoke [[Hindi]] as her [[second language]] in those years.<ref name="BBC obit">[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27986272 Obituary: Dame Diana Rigg] ''BBC'', September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
She was later sent back to England to attend a boarding school, Fulneck Girls School, in a [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] settlement near [[Pudsey]].<ref name=Tracy/> Rigg hated her boarding school where she felt like a fish out of water, but believed that Yorkshire played a greater part in shaping her character than India did.<ref name="icon" /> From 1955 to 1957, she trained as an actress at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]],<ref name="farndale">Nigel Farndale, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3555923/Diana-Rigg-her-story.html Diana Rigg: her story] ''The Daily Telegraph'', August 17, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> where her classmates included [[Glenda Jackson]] and [[Siân Phillips]].<ref name=Tracy/>
+
She was later sent back to England to attend a [[boarding school]], Fulneck Girls School, in a [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] settlement near [[Pudsey]].<ref name=Tracy/> Rigg felt like a fish out of water at the school, but believed that [[Yorkshire]] played a greater part in shaping her character than India did.<ref name="icon" /> From 1955 to 1957, she trained as an actress at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]],<ref name="farndale">Nigel Farndale, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3555923/Diana-Rigg-her-story.html Diana Rigg: her story] ''The Daily Telegraph'', August 17, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> where her classmates included [[Glenda Jackson]] and [[Siân Phillips]].<ref name=Tracy/>
  
−
[[File:Diana Rigg signing an autograph in 2011.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Rigg in 2011]]
+
[[File:Diana Rigg signing an autograph in 2011.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Rigg in 2011]]
−
In the 1960s, Rigg lived for eight years with director [[Philip Saville]], gaining attention in the tabloid press when she disclaimed interest in marrying the older and already-married Saville, saying that she had no desire "to be respectable."<ref name=Tracy/> She was married to [[Menachem Gueffen]], an Israeli painter, from 1973 until their divorce in 1976,<ref name=Hauptfuhrer>Fred Hauptfuhrer, [https://people.com/archive/being-mr-diana-rigg-was-too-much-for-gueffen-vol-2-no-3/ Being Mr. Diana Rigg Was Too Much for Gueffen] ''People'', July 15, 1974. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> and to [[Archibald Stirling]], a theatrical producer and former officer in the [[Scots Guards]], from March 25, 1982 until their divorce in 1990 after his affair with the actress [[Joely Richardson]].<ref name="farndale" />  
+
In the 1960s, Rigg lived for eight years with director [[Philip Saville]], gaining attention in the tabloid press when she disclaimed interest in marrying the older and already-married Saville, saying that she had no desire "to be respectable."<ref name=Tracy/> She was married to [[Menachem Gueffen]], an Israeli painter, from 1973 until their divorce in 1976,<ref name=Hauptfuhrer>Fred Hauptfuhrer, [https://people.com/archive/being-mr-diana-rigg-was-too-much-for-gueffen-vol-2-no-3/ Being Mr. Diana Rigg Was Too Much for Gueffen] ''People'', July 15, 1974. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> and to [[Archibald Stirling]], a theatrical producer and former officer in the [[Scots Guards]], from March 25, 1982 until their divorce in 1990 after his affair with the actress [[Joely Richardson]].<ref name="farndale" />  
  
−
With Stirling, Rigg had a daughter, actress [[Rachael Stirling]], born May 30, 1977.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110610080109/http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/faces/rachael_stirling.shtml Drama Faces:Rachael Stirling] ''BBC'', June 10, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2021. </ref> Rigg's grandson was born in April 2017 to Rachael Stirling and [[Elbow (band)|Elbow]] frontman [[Guy Garvey]].<ref>Nick Curtis, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/rachel-stirling-life-diana-riggs-daughter-whirlwind-romance/ Rachel Stirling on life as Diana Rigg's daughter and her whirlwind romance with Elbow's Guy Garvey] ''The Telegraph'', April 8, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref>
+
Rigg had a daughter with Stirling, actress [[Rachael Stirling]], born May 30, 1977.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110610080109/http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/faces/rachael_stirling.shtml Drama Faces:Rachael Stirling] ''BBC'', June 10, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref> Rigg's grandson was born in April 2017 to Rachael Stirling and [[Elbow (band)|Elbow]] frontman [[Guy Garvey]].<ref>Nick Curtis, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/rachel-stirling-life-diana-riggs-daughter-whirlwind-romance/ Rachel Stirling on life as Diana Rigg's daughter and her whirlwind romance with Elbow's Guy Garvey] ''The Telegraph'', April 8, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
A smoker from the age of 18, Rigg was still smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) a day in 2009.<ref>Laura Potter, [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/19/diana-rigg-body-soul My body & soul] ''The Guardian'', April 18, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> By December 2017, she had stopped smoking after serious illness led to heart surgery, a [[Catheter ablation|cardiac ablation]], two months earlier. She joked later, "My heart had stopped ticking during the procedure, so I was up there and the good Lord must have said, 'Send the old bag down again, I'm not having her yet!'"<ref>Francesca Gosling, [https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/my-heart-stopped-ticking-during-operation-dame-diana-rigg-36435161.html My heart stopped ticking during operation – Dame Diana Rigg] ''Press Association'', December 24, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref>
+
A smoker from the age of 18, Rigg was still smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) a day in 2009.<ref>Laura Potter, [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/19/diana-rigg-body-soul My body & soul] ''The Guardian'', April 18, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> By December 2017, she had stopped smoking after serious illness led to heart surgery, a [[Catheter ablation|cardiac ablation]]. She joked later, "My heart had stopped ticking during the procedure, so I was up there and the good Lord must have said, 'Send the old bag down again, I'm not having her yet!'"<ref>Francesca Gosling, [https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/my-heart-stopped-ticking-during-operation-dame-diana-rigg-36435161.html My heart stopped ticking during operation – Dame Diana Rigg] ''Press Association'', December 24, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
Diana Rigg died at her [[London]] home on September 10, 2020, aged 82.<ref name="BBC death">[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54106509 Dame Diana Rigg: Avengers, Bond and Game of Thrones actress dies at 82] ''BBC'', September 10, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> Her daughter, Rachael Stirling, said that the cause of death was [[lung cancer]], which had been diagnosed in March.<ref> Ash Percival, [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/diana-rigg-dead-dies-aged-82-cancer_uk_5f5a2ce0c5b62874bc194c39 Dame Diana Rigg Dies, Aged 82] ''Huffington Post'', September 10, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref>
+
Diana Rigg died at her [[London]] home on September 10, 2020, aged 82.<ref name="BBC death">[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54106509 Dame Diana Rigg: Avengers, Bond and Game of Thrones actress dies at 82] ''BBC'', September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> Her daughter, Rachael Stirling, said that the cause of death was [[lung cancer]], which had been diagnosed in March.<ref> Ash Percival, [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/diana-rigg-dead-dies-aged-82-cancer_uk_5f5a2ce0c5b62874bc194c39 Dame Diana Rigg Dies, Aged 82] ''Huffington Post'', September 10, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
 
==Theatre career==
 
==Theatre career==
−
Rigg had a successful career and life in theatre, making her professional stage debut in 1957 as Natasha Abashwilli in the RADA production of ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]'' at the York Festival in 1957. She join the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in 1959, where she took on the roles of Cordelia in ''King Lear'' and Viola in ''Twelfth Night''.
+
Rigg had a successful career and life in theatre, making her professional stage debut in 1957 as Natasha Abashwilli in the RADA production of ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]'' at the York Festival in 1957. She joined the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in 1959, where she took on the roles of Cordelia in ''King Lear'' and Viola in ''Twelfth Night''.
  
−
She returned to the stage in the [[Ronald Millar]] play ''Abelard and Heloïse'' in London in 1970 and made her [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut with the play in 1971, in which she appeared nude with [[Keith Michell]]. She earned the first of three [[Tony Award]] nominations for [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play|Best Actress in a Play]]. She received her second nomination in 1975, for ''[[The Misanthrope]]''. A member of the [[National Theatre Company]] at the [[Old Vic]] from 1972 to 1975, Rigg took leading roles in premiere productions of two [[Tom Stoppard]] plays, Dorothy Moore in ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'' (National Theatre, 1972) and Ruth Carson in ''[[Night and Day (play)|Night and Day]]'' (Phoenix Theatre, 1978).<ref>Tim Brassell, ''Tom Stoppard: An Assessment'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1985, ISBN 978-0312808884).</ref>
+
She returned to the stage in the [[Ronald Millar]] play ''Abelard and Heloïse'' in London in 1970 and made her [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut with the play in 1971. She earned the first of three [[Tony Award]] nominations for [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play|Best Actress in a Play]]. She received her second nomination in 1975, for ''[[The Misanthrope]]''. A member of the [[National Theatre Company]] at the [[Old Vic]] from 1972 to 1975, Rigg took leading roles in premiere productions of two [[Tom Stoppard]] plays, Dorothy Moore in ''[[Jumpers (play)|Jumpers]]'' (National Theatre, 1972) and Ruth Carson in ''[[Night and Day (play)|Night and Day]]'' (Phoenix Theatre, 1978).<ref>Tim Brassell, ''Tom Stoppard: An Assessment'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1985, ISBN 978-0312808884).</ref>
  
−
In 1982, she appeared in the musical ''Colette'', based on the life of the [[Colette|French writer]] and created by [[Tom Jones (writer)|Tom Jones]] and [[Harvey Schmidt]], but it closed during an American tour en route to Broadway. In 1987, she took a leading role in the West End production of [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s musical ''[[Follies]]''. In the 1990s, she had triumphs with roles at the [[Almeida Theatre]] in [[Islington]], including ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' in 1992 (which transferred to the [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in 1993 and then Broadway in 1994, for which she received the [[Tony Award]] for Best Actress), ''[[Mother Courage]]'' at the National Theatre in 1995 and ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' at the Almeida Theatre in 1996 (which transferred to the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in October 1996).
+
In 1982, she appeared in the musical ''Colette'', based on the life of the [[Colette|French writer]] and created by [[Tom Jones (writer)|Tom Jones]] and [[Harvey Schmidt]], but it closed during an American tour en route to Broadway. In 1987, she took a leading role in the West End production of [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s musical ''[[Follies]]''. In the 1990s, she had triumphs with roles at the [[Almeida Theatre]] in [[Islington]], including ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' in 1992 (which transferred to the [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in 1993 and then Broadway in 1994, for which she received the [[Tony Award]] for Best Actress), ''[[Mother Courage]]'' at the National Theatre in 1995, and ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' at the Almeida Theatre in 1996 (which transferred to the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in October 1996).
  
−
In 2004, she appeared as Violet Venable in [[Sheffield Theatres]]' production of [[Tennessee Williams]]'s play ''[[Suddenly Last Summer]]'', which transferred to the [[Noël Coward Theatre|Albery Theatre]]. In 2006, she appeared at the [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in London's West End in a drama entitled ''[[Honour (Murray-Smith play)|Honour]]'' which had a limited but successful run. In 2007, she appeared as Huma Rojo in the Old Vic's production of ''[[All About My Mother]]'', adapted by [[Samuel Adamson]] and based on the film of the same title directed by [[Pedro Almodóvar]].<ref>[https://www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2007/all-about-my-mother All About My Mother] ''The Old Vic''. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref>
+
In 2004, she appeared as Violet Venable in [[Sheffield Theatres]]' production of [[Tennessee Williams]]'s play ''[[Suddenly Last Summer]]'', which transferred to the [[Noël Coward Theatre|Albery Theatre]]. In 2006, she appeared at the [[Wyndham's Theatre]] in London's West End in a drama entitled ''[[Honour (Murray-Smith play)|Honour]]'' which had a limited but successful run. In 2007, she appeared as Huma Rojo in the Old Vic's production of ''[[All About My Mother]]'', adapted by [[Samuel Adamson]] and based on the film of the same title directed by [[Pedro Almodóvar]].<ref>John Nathan, [https://playbill.com/article/old-vic-world-premiere-of-all-about-my-mother-based-on-almodovar-film-begins-aug-27-com-143188 Old Vic World Premiere of All About My Mother, Based on Almodóvar Film, Begins Aug. 27] ''Playbill'', August 27, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
She appeared in 2008 in ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'' at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]], returning there in 2009 to star in [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Hay Fever (play)|Hay Fever]]''. In 2011, she played Mrs Higgins in ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]'' at the [[Garrick Theatre]], opposite [[Rupert Everett]] and [[Kara Tointon]], having played Eliza Doolittle 37 years earlier at the [[Albery Theatre]].<ref>[https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/dame-diana-rigg-returns-to-the-west-end-in-pygmalion Dame Diana Rigg Returns to the West End in Pygmalion] ''London Theatre Direct'', March 28, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref>
+
She appeared in 2008 in ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'' at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]], returning there in 2009 to star in [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Hay Fever (play)|Hay Fever]]''. In 2011, she played Mrs Higgins in ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]'' at the [[Garrick Theatre]], opposite [[Rupert Everett]] and [[Kara Tointon]], having played Eliza Doolittle 37 years earlier at the [[Albery Theatre]].<ref>[https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/dame-diana-rigg-returns-to-the-west-end-in-pygmalion Dame Diana Rigg Returns to the West End in Pygmalion] ''London Theatre Direct'', March 28, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
In February 2018, she returned to Broadway in the non-singing role of Mrs Higgins in ''[[My Fair Lady]]''. She commented, "I think it's so special. When I was offered Mrs Higgins, I thought it was just such a lovely idea."<ref>Beth Stevens, [https://www.broadway.com/buzz/191217/my-fair-ladys-diana-rigg-on-broadway-memories-and-sharing-the-bubbly/ My Fair Lady's Diana Rigg on Broadway Memories and Sharing the Bubbly] ''Broadway Buzz'', February 19, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref> She received her fourth Tony nomination for the role.<ref>Andy Lefkowitz, [https://www.broadway.com/buzz/192824/diana-rigg-to-exit-broadway-revival-of-my-fair-lady/ Diana Rigg to Exit Broadway Revival of My Fair Lady] ''Broadway Buzz'', July 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref>
+
In February 2018, she returned to Broadway in the non-singing role of Mrs Higgins in ''[[My Fair Lady]]''. She commented, "I think it's so special. When I was offered Mrs Higgins, I thought it was just such a lovely idea."<ref>Beth Stevens, [https://www.broadway.com/buzz/191217/my-fair-ladys-diana-rigg-on-broadway-memories-and-sharing-the-bubbly/ My Fair Lady's Diana Rigg on Broadway Memories and Sharing the Bubbly] ''Broadway Buzz'', February 19, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> She received her fourth Tony nomination for the role.<ref>Andy Lefkowitz, [https://www.broadway.com/buzz/192824/diana-rigg-to-exit-broadway-revival-of-my-fair-lady/ Diana Rigg to Exit Broadway Revival of My Fair Lady] ''Broadway Buzz'', July 18, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
 
==Film and television career==
 
==Film and television career==
 
===Television===
 
===Television===
 
;''The Avengers''
 
;''The Avengers''
−
[[File:Avengersplate.jpg|thumb|250px|Cast marker plate that was presented by ABC television in 1965 to mark the location where Diana Rigg was tied to the track during filming of the "Grave Diggers" episode of "The Avengers"]]
+
[[File:Avengersplate.jpg|thumb|400px|Cast marker plate that was presented by ABC television in 1965 to mark the location where Diana Rigg was tied to the track during filming of the "Grave Diggers" episode of "The Avengers"]]
−
From 1965 to 1968, Rigg appeared in 51 episodes of the British 1960s television series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1961–1969) opposite [[Patrick Macnee]] as [[John Steed]]. Rigg played the secret agent [[Emma Peel]]. She replaced [[Elizabeth Shepherd]] at very short notice when Shepherd was dropped from the role after filming two episodes. Rigg auditioned for the role on a whim, without ever having seen the program.  
+
From 1965 to 1968, Rigg appeared in 51 episodes of the British 1960s television series ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1961–1969) opposite [[Patrick Macnee]] as [[John Steed]]. Rigg played the secret agent [[Emma Peel]], replacing [[Elizabeth Shepherd]] at very short notice when Shepherd was dropped from the role after filming two episodes. Rigg auditioned for the role on a whim, without ever having seen the program.  
  
−
Rigg's character, Emma Peel, was a lady [[spy]] adventurer and expert in [[martial arts]]. Peel was a strong heroine, rarely defeated in fights and capable of rescuing Steed if he was in trouble. A certified genius, she specialized in chemistry and other sciences. She drove a convertible Lotus Elan at high speeds, and convincingly portrayed any series of undercover roles, from nurse to nanny. She became a feminist role model around the world and is considered an icon of [[British popular culture]]. Regarded as a 1960s fashion icon and [[sex symbol]], the character is often remembered for the leather [[catsuit]] sometimes worn by Rigg in the first series.<ref>Priya Elan, [https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/sep/11/diana-rigg-emma-peel-the-avengers-swinging-sixties-style-icon-fashion Dressed to kill: how Diana Rigg became a 60s style icon] ''The Guardian'', September 11, 2021.</ref>
+
Rigg's character, Emma Peel, was a lady [[spy]] adventurer and expert in [[martial arts]]. A strong heroine, she was rarely defeated in fights and capable of rescuing Steed if he was in trouble. A certified genius, she specialized in chemistry and other sciences. Peel drove a convertible Lotus Elan at high speeds, and convincingly portrayed any series of undercover roles, from nurse to nanny. She became a feminist role model around the world and is considered an icon of [[British popular culture]]. Regarded as a 1960s fashion icon and [[sex symbol]], the character is often remembered for the leather [[catsuit]] sometimes worn by Rigg in the first series.<ref>Priya Elan, [https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/sep/11/diana-rigg-emma-peel-the-avengers-swinging-sixties-style-icon-fashion Dressed to kill: how Diana Rigg became a 60s style icon] ''The Guardian'', September 11, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
Although she was hugely successful in the series, Rigg disliked the lack of privacy that it brought. She particularly was not comfortable in her position as a sex symbol.<ref>Fiachra Gibbons, [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/aug/07/fiachragibbons Diana Rigg: Is she the sexiest TV star of all time?] ''The Guardian'', August 7, 1999. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2019, Rigg stated that "becoming a sex symbol overnight had shocked" her.<ref name="icon">Ruth Huntman, [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/30/diana-rigg-becoming-a-sex-symbol-overnight-shocked-me- Diana Rigg: 'Becoming a sex symbol overnight shocked me'] ''The Guardian'', March 30, 2019. </ref> She also did not like the way that she was treated by production company [[Associated British Corporation]] (ABC).
+
Although she was hugely successful in the series, Rigg disliked the lack of privacy that it brought. In particular, she was not comfortable in her position as a sex symbol.<ref>Fiachra Gibbons, [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/aug/07/fiachragibbons Diana Rigg: Is she the sexiest TV star of all time?] ''The Guardian'', August 7, 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2019, Rigg stated that "becoming a sex symbol overnight had shocked" her.<ref name="icon">Ruth Huntman, [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/30/diana-rigg-becoming-a-sex-symbol-overnight-shocked-me- Diana Rigg: 'Becoming a sex symbol overnight shocked me'] ''The Guardian'', March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> She also did not like the way that she was treated by production company [[Associated British Corporation]] (ABC).
  
 
In a June 2015 interview with the website ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Rigg talked about her chemistry with [[Patrick Macnee]] on ''The Avengers'' despite their 16-year age difference:  
 
In a June 2015 interview with the website ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Rigg talked about her chemistry with [[Patrick Macnee]] on ''The Avengers'' despite their 16-year age difference:  
−
<blockquote>I sort of vaguely knew Patrick Macnee, and he looked kindly on me and sort of husbanded me through the first couple of episodes. After that we became equal, and loved each other and sparked off each other. And we’d then improvise, write our own lines. They trusted us. Particularly our scenes when we were finding a dead body—I mean, another dead body. How do you get ’round that one? They allowed us to do it.<ref name=Bowie>Stephen Bowie, [https://tv.avclub.com/diana-rigg-on-the-avengers-mrs-peel-game-of-thrones-1798281429 Diana Rigg on The Avengers’ Mrs. Peel, Game Of Thrones, and matchmaking for Vincent Price] ''AV Club'', June 23, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> </blockquote>  
+
<blockquote>I sort of vaguely knew Patrick Macnee, and he looked kindly on me and sort of husbanded me through the first couple of episodes. After that we became equal, and loved each other and sparked off each other. And we’d then improvise, write our own lines. They trusted us. Particularly our scenes when we were finding a dead body—I mean, another dead body. How do you get ’round that one? They allowed us to do it.<ref name=Bowie>Stephen Bowie, [https://tv.avclub.com/diana-rigg-on-the-avengers-mrs-peel-game-of-thrones-1798281429 Diana Rigg on The Avengers’ Mrs. Peel, Game Of Thrones, and matchmaking for Vincent Price] ''AV Club'', June 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> </blockquote>  
 
Asked if she had stayed in touch with Macnee (the interview was published two days before Macnee's death and decades after they were reunited on her short-lived American series ''Diana''): <blockquote>You’ll always be close to somebody that you worked with very intimately for so long, and you become really fond of each other. But we haven’t seen each other for a very, very long time.<ref name=Bowie/></blockquote>
 
Asked if she had stayed in touch with Macnee (the interview was published two days before Macnee's death and decades after they were reunited on her short-lived American series ''Diana''): <blockquote>You’ll always be close to somebody that you worked with very intimately for so long, and you become really fond of each other. But we haven’t seen each other for a very, very long time.<ref name=Bowie/></blockquote>
  
−
For her second series she held out for a pay rise from £150 a week to £450.<ref>Dave Rogers, ''The Complete Avengers'' (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0312031879).</ref> The £150 a week was less than the pay received by the cameraman.<ref name=Lane>J.G. Lane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315175057/http://www.uktheatresonline.co.uk/spotlight/dianarigg/bio.html Dame Diana Rigg Biography] ''UK Theatres Online'', March 15, 2012}. Retrieved March 17, 2021.</ref> In 2019—when gender pay inequality was very much in the news—she said:  
+
For her second series she held out for a pay rise from £150 a week to £450.<ref>Dave Rogers, ''The Complete Avengers'' (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0312031879).</ref> The £150 a week was less than the pay received by a cameraman.<ref name=Lane>J.G. Lane, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120315175057/http://www.uktheatresonline.co.uk/spotlight/dianarigg/bio.html Dame Diana Rigg Biography] ''UK Theatres Online'', March 15, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> In 2019—when gender pay inequality was very much in the news—she said:  
 
<blockquote>Not one woman in the industry supported me ... Neither did Patrick [Macnee, her co-star]... But I was painted as this mercenary creature by the press when all I wanted was equality. It's so depressing that we are still talking about the gender pay gap.<ref name="icon" /></blockquote>  
 
<blockquote>Not one woman in the industry supported me ... Neither did Patrick [Macnee, her co-star]... But I was painted as this mercenary creature by the press when all I wanted was equality. It's so depressing that we are still talking about the gender pay gap.<ref name="icon" /></blockquote>  
 
She did not stay for a third year. For the role of Emma Peel, she received two Emmy Award nominations as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1967 and 1968.<ref name=Lane/>
 
She did not stay for a third year. For the role of Emma Peel, she received two Emmy Award nominations as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1967 and 1968.<ref name=Lane/>
  
 
;Other television roles
 
;Other television roles
−
Rigg appeared in numerous TV series. In 1973–1974, she starred in a short-lived US sitcom called ''[[Diana (American TV series)|Diana]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Diana {{!}} TV Guide|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/diana/200907|website=TVGuide.com|language=en|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016222357/http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/diana/200907/|archive-date=16 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
+
Rigg appeared in numerous TV series. In 1973–1974, she starred in a short-lived US sitcom called ''[[Diana (American TV series)|Diana]]''. She appeared as the title character in ''The Marquise'' (1980), a television adaptation of a play by [[Noël Coward]], and in the title role in the [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]] production of [[Henrik Ibsen|Ibsen]]'s ''[[Hedda Gabler]]'' (1981).  
−
She appeared as the title character in ''The Marquise'' (1980), a television adaptation of a play by [[Noël Coward]]. She appeared in the [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]] production of [[Henrik Ibsen|Ibsen]]'s ''[[Hedda Gabler]]'' (1981) in the title role.  
 
  
−
She appeared as Regan, the king's treacherous second daughter, in a [[Granada Television]] production of ''[[King Lear (1983 TV drama)|King Lear]]'' (1983) which starred [[Laurence Olivier]] in the title role. As Lady Dedlock, she co-starred with [[Denholm Elliott]] in a television version of [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]]' ''[[Bleak House (1985 TV serial)|Bleak House]]'' (BBC, 1985). In 1989, she played Helena Vesey in ''[[Mother Love (TV series)|Mother Love]]'' for the [[BBC]]; her portrayal of an obsessive mother who was prepared to do anything, even murder, to keep control of her son won Rigg the 1990 [[BAFTA]] for Best Television Actress.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1990 Television Actress {{!}} BAFTA Awards|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/television/actress|website=awards.bafta.org|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404191533/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/television/actress|archive-date=4 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
+
She appeared as Regan, the king's treacherous second daughter, in a [[Granada Television]] production of ''[[King Lear (1983 TV drama)|King Lear]]'' (1983) which starred [[Laurence Olivier]] in the title role. As Lady Dedlock, she co-starred with [[Denholm Elliott]] in a television version of [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]]' ''[[Bleak House (1985 TV serial)|Bleak House]]'' (BBC, 1985). In 1989, she played Helena Vesey in ''[[Mother Love (TV series)|Mother Love]]'' for the [[BBC]]. Her portrayal of an obsessive mother who was prepared to do anything, even murder, to keep control of her son won Rigg the 1990 [[BAFTA]] for Best Television Actress.<ref name=BAFTA>[http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/television/actress 1990 Television Actress] ''BAFTA Awards'', April 4, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
In 1995, she appeared in a film adaptation for television based on [[Danielle Steel]]'s ''[[Zoya (novel)|Zoya]]'' as Evgenia, the main character's grandmother.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rosenfeld|first=Megan|date=16 September 1995|title=Zoya': Russian Through the Steel Mill|work=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/09/16/zoya-russian-through-the-steel-mill/fa25ecf7-1bcc-40c7-a3a0-6a40bb9b430e/|access-date=27 May 2020}}</ref>
+
In 1995, she appeared in a film adaptation for television based on [[Danielle Steel]]'s ''[[Zoya (novel)|Zoya]]'' as Evgenia, the main character's grandmother.<ref>Megan Rosenfeld, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/09/16/zoya-russian-through-the-steel-mill/fa25ecf7-1bcc-40c7-a3a0-6a40bb9b430e/ Zoya': Russian Through the Steel Mill] ''The Washington Post'', September 16, 1995. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
She appeared on television as Mrs Danvers in ''[[Rebecca (miniseries)|Rebecca]]'' (1997), winning an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]], as well as the PBS production ''Moll Flanders'', and as the amateur detective Mrs Bradley in ''[[The Mrs Bradley Mysteries]]''. In this BBC series, first aired in 2000, she played [[Gladys Mitchell]]'s detective, Dame Beatrice Adela Le Strange Bradley, an eccentric old woman who worked for [[Scotland Yard]] as a pathologist. The series was not a critical success and did not return for a second season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Flashback: The Mrs Bradley Mysteries|url=https://www.atvtoday.co.uk/p3616-bbc/|date=7 February 2011|access-date=10 September 2020|publisher=ATV Today}}</ref>
+
She won an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] for her portrayal as Mrs Danvers in ''[[Rebecca (miniseries)|Rebecca]]'' (1997). She also appeared in the PBS production ''Moll Flanders'', and as the amateur detective Mrs Bradley in ''[[The Mrs Bradley Mysteries]]''.  
  
−
She won the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress]] for the [[BBC]] miniseries ''[[Mother Love (TV series)|Mother Love]]'' (1989) and an [[Emmy Award]] for her role as [[Mrs. Danvers]] in an adaptation of ''[[Rebecca (1997 miniseries)|Rebecca]]'' (1997). Her other television credits include ''[[You, Me and the Apocalypse]]'' (2015), ''[[Detectorists]]'' (2015), the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[The Crimson Horror]]" (2013) with her daughter, [[Rachael Stirling]] and playing Mrs Pumphrey in ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]'' (2020).
+
From 1989 until 2003, she hosted the [[PBS]] television series ''[[Mystery!]]'', shown in the United States by [[PBS]],<ref>Susanne Simpson, [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/masterpiece-on-the-passing-of-diana-rigg/ MASTERPIECE on the Passing of Diana Rigg] ''PBS'', September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> taking over from [[Vincent Price]], her co-star in ''Theatre of Blood''.
  
−
From 1989 until 2003, she hosted the [[PBS]] television series ''[[Mystery!]]'', shown in the United States by [[PBS]] broadcaster [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]], taking over from [[Vincent Price]],<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about-masterpiece/hosts-producers/ ''Mystery!'' Hosts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022031932/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/about-masterpiece/hosts-producers/ |date=22 October 2016 }} at pbs.org (Retrieved 1 July 2016)</ref> her co-star in ''Theatre of Blood''.
+
In 2013, she appeared in an episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in a Victorian-era based story called "[[The Crimson Horror]]" alongside her daughter [[Rachael Stirling]], [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]], and [[Jenna-Louise Coleman]]. The episode had been specially written for her and her daughter by [[Mark Gatiss]] and aired as part of [[Doctor Who (series 7)|series 7]].<ref> Kevin Wicks, [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-18675589 Diana Rigg and daughter Rachael Stirling to star in Doctor Who] ''BBC'', July 2, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref> It was not the first time mother and daughter had appeared in the same production – that was in the 2000 [[NBC]] film ''[[In the Beginning (2000 film)|In the Beginning]]'' where they played the same character at different ages – but the first time she had worked ''with'' her daughter and the first time in her career her roots were accessed to find a Doncaster, Yorkshire accent.<ref name="BBC obit"/>
  
−
She also appeared in the second series of [[Ricky Gervais]]'s comedy ''[[Extras (TV series)|Extras]]'', alongside ''[[Harry Potter]]'' star [[Daniel Radcliffe]].  
+
The same year, Rigg was cast in a recurring role in the [[Game of Thrones (season 3)|third season]] of the HBO series ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', portraying [[Olenna Tyrell|Lady Olenna Tyrell]], a witty and sarcastic political mastermind popularly known as the Queen of Thorns, the paternal grandmother of regular character [[Margaery Tyrell]].<ref>
 +
Oliver Lyttelton, [https://www.indiewire.com/2012/07/dame-diana-rigg-joins-season-3-of-hbos-game-of-thrones-108487/ Dame Diana Rigg Joins Season 3 of HBO's 'Game of Thrones'] ''Indie Wire'', July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref> Her performance was well received by critics and audiences alike, and earned her an Emmy nomination for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]] for the [[65th Primetime Emmy Awards]] in 2013. She reprised her role in [[Game of Thrones (season 4)|season four]] of ''Game of Thrones'', and in July 2014 received another Guest Actress Emmy nomination. In 2015 and 2016, she again reprised the role in [[Game of Thrones (season 5)|seasons five]] and [[Game of Thrones (season 6)|six]] in an expanded role from the books. In 2015 and 2018, she received two additional Guest Actress Emmy nominations. The character was killed off in the [[Game of Thrones (season 7)|seventh season]], with Rigg's final performance receiving wide critical acclaim.<ref>Glen Weldon, [https://www.npr.org/2017/07/31/539483319/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-3-ive-brought-ice-and-fire-together 'Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 3: 'I've Brought Ice And Fire Together'] ''NPR'', July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> In April 2019, Rigg said she had never watched ''Game of Thrones'' and "hadn't got a clue" about what was happening on the show. Rigg said her death scene was "just wonderful. ... She does it with dignity and wit, and wit is not often in final death scenes."<ref>Emma Jones, [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47870837 Why Diana Rigg 'loves being disliked'] ''BBC'', April 10, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
−
In 2013, she appeared in an episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in a Victorian-era based story called "[[The Crimson Horror]]" alongside her daughter [[Rachael Stirling]], [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]] and [[Jenna-Louise Coleman]]. The episode had been specially written for her and her daughter by [[Mark Gatiss]] and aired as part of [[Doctor Who (series 7)|series 7]].<ref>Doctor Who, "[https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/ Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling to Star in New Series!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122051048/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho |date=22 November 2019 }}". Retrieved 3 July 2012.</ref> It was not the first time mother and daughter had appeared in the same production – that was in the 2000 [[NBC]] film ''[[In the Beginning (2000 film)|In the Beginning]]'' – but the first time she had worked ''with'' her daughter and the first time in her career her roots were accessed to find a Doncaster, Yorkshire, accent.<ref name="BBC obit"/>
+
During autumn 2019, Rigg was filming the role of Mrs Pumphrey at [[Broughton Hall, North Yorkshire|Broughton Hall]], near Skipton, for ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''.<ref>Flora Carr, [https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/all-creatures-great-and-small-filming-locations/ Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed?] ''Radio Times'', November 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> Rigg passed away after filming of the first season had been completed.
−
 
 
−
The same year, Rigg was cast in a recurring role in the [[Game of Thrones (season 3)|third season]] of the HBO series ''[[Game of Thrones]]'', portraying [[Olenna Tyrell|Lady Olenna Tyrell]], a witty and sarcastic political mastermind popularly known as the Queen of Thorns, the paternal grandmother of regular character [[Margaery Tyrell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/dame-diana-rigg-joins-season-3-of-hbos-game-of-thrones-20120713 |title=Dame Diana Rigg Joins Season 3 of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' &#124; The Playlist |publisher=Blogs.indiewire.com |access-date=28 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605060953/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/dame-diana-rigg-joins-season-3-of-hbos-game-of-thrones-20120713 |archive-date=5 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Her performance was well received by critics and audiences alike, and earned her an Emmy nomination for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]] for the [[65th Primetime Emmy Awards]] in 2013.<ref name="huffpost 2013–07">{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/emmy-nominees-full-list_n_3616535.html |title=Emmy Nominees Full List: ''Breaking Bad'', ''Homeland'', ''Downton Abbey'' Dominate 2013 Awards |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=18 July 2013 |access-date=10 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114161949/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/emmy-nominees-full-list_n_3616535.html |archive-date=14 January 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> She reprised her role in [[Game of Thrones (season 4)|season four]] of ''Game of Thrones'', and in July 2014 received another Guest Actress Emmy nomination.<ref name="huffpost 2014–07">{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/emmy-nominations-2014_n_5571555.html? |title=Emmy Nominations 2014: ''Breaking Bad'', ''Orange Is The New Black'' Among Top Nominees |first=Matthew |last=Jacobs |work=The Huffington Post |date=10 July 2014 |access-date=10 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711205825/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/emmy-nominations-2014_n_5571555.html |archive-date=11 July 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="latimes 2014–07">{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2014-list-story.html#page=1|title=Emmys 2014: Complete list of nominees|first=Tracy|last=Brown|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=10 July 2014|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710211240/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2014-list-story.html#page=1|archive-date=10 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015 and 2016, she again reprised the role in [[Game of Thrones (season 5)|seasons five]] and [[Game of Thrones (season 6)|six]] in an expanded role from the books. In 2015 and 2018, she received two additional Guest Actress Emmy nominations. The character was killed off in the [[Game of Thrones (season 7)|seventh season]], with Rigg's final performance receiving wide critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/07/31/539483319/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-3-ive-brought-ice-and-fire-together|title='Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 3: 'I've Brought Ice And Fire Together'|first=Glen|last=Weldon|author-link=Glen Weldon|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=31 July 2017|access-date=31 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404022627/https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/07/31/539483319/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-3-ive-brought-ice-and-fire-together|archive-date=4 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2019 Rigg said she had never watched ''Game of Thrones'', before or after her time on the show.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47870837|title=Why Diana Rigg 'loves being disliked'|first=Emma|last=Jones|date=10 April 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410115654/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47870837|archive-date=10 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
During autumn 2019, Rigg was filming the role of Mrs Pumphrey at [[Broughton Hall, North Yorkshire|Broughton Hall]], near Skipton, for ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (2020 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/all-creatures-great-and-small-filming-locations/ |title=Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed?l |date=27 November 2020 |work=Radio Times |access-date=26 February 2021 |quote=Channel 5 utilised the property for the home of wealthy local resident Mrs Pumphrey (played by Dame Diana Rigg), whose spoilt dog Tricki-Woo demands only the utmost attention from James Herriot.}}</ref> Rigg passed away after filming of the first season had been completed.
 
−
 
 
−
She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC miniseries Mother Love (1989) and an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in an adaptation of Rebecca (1997).
 
  
 
===Movies===
 
===Movies===
−
[[File:On Her Majesty's Secret Service (8).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rigg with Lazenby while filming ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' in 1969]]
+
[[File:On Her Majesty's Secret Service (8).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Rigg with Lazenby while filming ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' in 1969]]
−
On the big screen, she became a [[Bond girl]] in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969), playing [[Tracy Bond]], [[James Bond]]'s only wife, opposite [[George Lazenby]]. She said she took the role with the hope that she would become better known in the United States.<ref> Jeff Jarvis, [https://people.com/archive/cover-story-bonds-beauties-vol-20-no-3/ Bond's Beauties] ''People'', July 18, 1983. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref>  
+
On the big screen, she became a [[Bond girl]] in ''[[On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)|On Her Majesty's Secret Service]]'' (1969), playing [[Tracy Bond]], [[James Bond]]'s only wife, opposite [[George Lazenby]]. She said she took the role with the hope that she would become better known in the United States.<ref> Jeff Jarvis, [https://people.com/archive/cover-story-bonds-beauties-vol-20-no-3/ Bond's Beauties] ''People'', July 18, 1983. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>  
  
 
Her other films from this period include ''[[The Assassination Bureau]]'' (1969), ''[[Julius Caesar (1970 film)|Julius Caesar]]'' (1970), ''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971), ''[[Theatre of Blood]]'' (1973), ''[[In This House of Brede]]'' (1975), based on the book by [[Rumer Godden]], and ''[[A Little Night Music (film)|A Little Night Music]]'' (1977).
 
Her other films from this period include ''[[The Assassination Bureau]]'' (1969), ''[[Julius Caesar (1970 film)|Julius Caesar]]'' (1970), ''[[The Hospital]]'' (1971), ''[[Theatre of Blood]]'' (1973), ''[[In This House of Brede]]'' (1975), based on the book by [[Rumer Godden]], and ''[[A Little Night Music (film)|A Little Night Music]]'' (1977).
  
−
She also played Lady Holiday in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' (1981); Arlena Marshall in ''[[Evil Under the Sun (1982 film)|Evil Under the Sun]]'' (1982); and the [[Queen (Snow White)|Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother]], in the Cannon Movie Tales's film adaptation of ''[[Snow White (1987 film)|Snow White]]'' (1987).
+
She received acclaim for her performance as Arlena Marshall in the film adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Evil Under the Sun (1982 film)|Evil Under the Sun]]'', sharing barbs with her character's old rival, played by [[Maggie Smith]].<ref>Vincent Canby, [https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/05/movies/evil-under-sun-new-christie.html 'Evil Under Sun,' New Christie] ''The New York Times'', March 5, 1982. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 +
 
 +
She also played Lady Holiday in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' (1981) and the [[Queen (Snow White)|Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother]], in the Cannon Movie Tales's film adaptation of ''[[Snow White (1987 film)|Snow White]]'' (1987).
  
−
Her later film appearances include the 2006 film ''[[The Painted Veil (2006 film)|The Painted Veil]]'' where she played a nun,<ref>Manohla|last=Dargis, [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/movies/20veil.html A Plague Infects the Land, as Passion Vexes Hearts] ''The New York Times'', December 20, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref> and the 2017 biographical drama ''Breathe'' directed by Andy Serkis.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5716464/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast Breathe] ''IMDb'', Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref> Her last role was in the psychological horror film, ''Last Night in Soho'' (2021), released posthumously.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9639470/ Last Night in Soho] ''IMDb''. Retrieved March 18, 2021.</ref>
+
Her later film appearances include the 2006 film ''[[The Painted Veil (2006 film)|The Painted Veil]]'' where she played a nun,<ref>Manohla Dargis, [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/movies/20veil.html A Plague Infects the Land, as Passion Vexes Hearts] ''The New York Times'', December 20, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> and the 2017 biographical drama ''Breathe'' directed by Andy Serkis.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5716464/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast Breathe] ''IMDb'', Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> Her last role was in the psychological horror film, ''Last Night in Soho'' (2021), released posthumously.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9639470/ Last Night in Soho] ''IMDb''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
 
==Public positions==
 
==Public positions==
 
Rigg held a number of positions in educational and charitable organizations.
 
Rigg held a number of positions in educational and charitable organizations.
  
−
She was a a long-standing patron of [[International Care & Relief]] and was for many years the public face of the charity's child sponsorship scheme. She was also [[Chancellor (education)|chancellor]] of the [[University of Stirling]], a ceremonial rather than executive role,<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 September 2020|title=University pays tribute to former Chancellor Dame Diana Rigg {{!}} About|url=https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/news-archive/../2020/09/university-pays-tribute-to-former-chancellor-dame-diana-rigg/|access-date=11 September 2020|website=University of Stirling|language=en}}</ref><ref name="farndale" /> and was succeeded by [[James Naughtie]] when her 10-year term of office ended on 31 July 2008.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/diana-rigg-gets-new-star-role-as-stirling-s-chancellor-1.368518| title=Diana Rigg gets new star role as Stirling's chancellor|date=22 November 1997|newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|Daily Herald]]|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>
+
She was a long-standing patron of [[International Care & Relief]] and was for many years the public face of the charity's child sponsorship scheme. She was also [[Chancellor (education)|chancellor]] of the [[University of Stirling]], a ceremonial rather than executive role.<ref name="farndale" />  
−
She also held teaching positions at the [[University of Oxford]], as Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre, University of Oxford (1999–2000),<ref>{{cite news|date=16 November 1998|title=Diana Rigg to be new drama don|work=[[Oxford Mail]]|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/6637719.diana-rigg-new-drama-don/|access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref> and Oxford Fellow at St. Catherine's College, Oxford (1999-2020).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Diana Rigg|url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/person/rigg/|access-date=10 September 2020|publisher=St Catherine's College, Oxford}}</ref>
+
 
 +
She also held positions at the [[University of Oxford]], as Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre, University of Oxford (1999–2000),<ref>[https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/6637719.diana-rigg-new-drama-don/ Diana Rigg to be new drama don] ''Oxford Mail'', November 16, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref> and Emeritus Fellow at St. Catherine's College Oxford from 2000.<ref>[https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/dame-diana-rigg-1938-2020/ Dame Diana Rigg (1938 – 2020)] ''St. Catherine's College Oxford''. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref>
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
−
Diana Rigg had a long and successful career, spanning six decades, on stage and screen. Her ability to perform a wide range of characters made her well known to a wide audience. For example, the popular British [[television]] series "The Avengers" in which she starred in the 1960s, brought her to the attention of the British public and her role in the [[James Bond]] movie ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' garnered her international recognition. On the other hand, her roots in classical theatre provided a legendary stage career, a flawless interpreter of classical stage work, she took on roles from Shakespeare to contemporary musicals.
+
Diana Rigg had a long and successful career, spanning six decades, on stage and screen. Her ability to perform a wide range of characters made her well known to a wide audience. For example, the popular British [[television]] series "The Avengers" in which she starred in the 1960s, brought her to the attention of the British public and her role in the [[James Bond]] movie ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' garnered her international recognition, as did her role as Olenna Tyrell in "Game of Thrones." On the other hand, her roots in classical theatre provided a legendary stage career. A flawless interpreter of classical stage work, she took on roles from [[Shakespeare]] to contemporary musicals, winning accolades and awards for her performances.
  
−
[[Michael Parkinson]], who first interviewed Rigg in 1972, described her as the most desirable woman he ever met and who "radiated a lustrous beauty."<ref name="Parkinson2010">{{cite book|last=Parkinson|first=Michael|title=Parky's People|url=https://archive.org/details/parkyspeopleinte0000park|url-access=registration|access-date=12 April 2012|date=14 October 2010|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-1-84894-696-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/parkyspeopleinte0000park/page/316 316]}}</ref>  
+
[[Michael Parkinson]], who first interviewed Rigg in 1972, described her as the most desirable woman he ever met and who "radiated a lustrous beauty."<ref>Michael Parkinson, ''Parky's People'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 2012, ISBN 978-1444700411).</ref> Despite her success as Emma Peel in ''The Avengers'' and later playing a "Bond girl" in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', Rigg was uncomfortable in her position as a sex symbol.
  
−
Rigg was ahead of her time in her attitude to the role and value of women. Despite her success as Emma Peel in ''The Avengers'' and later playing a "Bond girl" in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', Rigg was uncomfortable in her position as a sex symbol. Her efforts to gain recognition for female actors as valuable members of the cast, gender equality evidenced by equal pay, were not well received at the time (the 1960s). It was decades before the issue was seriously considered and remained unresolved even at the end of Rigg's life.
+
Throughout her long career she displayed not only legendary acting talent but also intelligence and strong opinions. A groundbreaking empowered woman, ahead of her time in her attitude to the role and value of women, Rigg did not consider herself a [[feminist]]. Her efforts to gain recognition for female actors as valuable members of the cast, evidenced by equal pay, were not well received at the time (the 1960s). It was decades before the issue was seriously considered and remained unresolved even at the end of Rigg's life.
  
 
===Awards and Honors===
 
===Awards and Honors===
 
In addition to being nominated for, and winning, several awards for her acting performances on stage and screen (see below), Rigg also received many other honors.
 
In addition to being nominated for, and winning, several awards for her acting performances on stage and screen (see below), Rigg also received many other honors.
  
−
She was awarded both Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1988)<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=10 September 2020|title=Actress Diana Rigg of 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Avengers' dies at 82|url=https://www.kxxv.com/entertainment/actress-diana-rigg-of-game-of-thrones-and-the-avengers-dies-at-82|access-date=11 September 2020|website=KXXV|language=en}}</ref> and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) (1994) for her services to drama.<ref name=":1"/>
+
She was awarded both Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1988) and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) (1994) for her services to drama.<ref>Kyle Hicks, [https://www.kxxv.com/entertainment/actress-diana-rigg-of-game-of-thrones-and-the-avengers-dies-at-82 Actress Diana Rigg of 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Avengers' dies at 82] ''KXXV'', September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
  
 
Rigg was also awarded several honorary degrees including:
 
Rigg was also awarded several honorary degrees including:
−
*University of Stirling, Doctor of the University (D.Univ) (1988)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honorary Graduates Archive {{!}} 1988–1997|url=https://www.stir.ac.uk/events/graduation/honorary-graduates/archive/1988---1997/|access-date=10 September 2020|publisher=University of Stirling}}</ref>
+
* University of Stirling, Doctor of the University (D.Univ) (1988)
−
* University of Leeds, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt)(1992)<ref>Download. {{cite web|title=Honorary Graduates 1904–2019|url=https://www.leeds.ac.uk/download/77/honorary_graduates|access-date=10 September 2020|publisher=University of Leeds}}</ref>
+
* University of Leeds, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt)(1992)
−
* University of Nottingham, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1995)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Honorary Graduates of the University of Nottingham|url=https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/registrar/documents/hon-deg-list-feb2020.pdf|access-date=11 September 2020}}</ref>
+
* University of Nottingham, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1995)
−
* London South Bank University, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1996)<ref>{{Cite web|last=University|first=London South Bank|date=26 October 2017|title=Honorary Awards Ceremony|url=https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/people/honorary-awards-ceremony|access-date=10 September 2020|publisher=London South Bank University}}</ref>
+
* London South Bank University, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1996)
−
 
 
−
In 2014, Rigg received the Will Award, presented by the [[Shakespeare Theatre Company]], along with [[Stacy Keach]] and [[John Hurt]].<ref>[http://www.bennettawards.com/projects/2015/4/7/stacy-keach-john-hurt-dame-diana-rigg-receive-bennett-recognition-awards Bennettawards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016222523/http://www.bennettawards.com/projects/2015/4/7/stacy-keach-john-hurt-dame-diana-rigg-receive-bennett-recognition-awards |date=16 October 2015 }} Retrieved 15 October 2015.</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
On 25 October 2015, to mark 50 years of Emma Peel, the [[British Film Institute]] screened an episode of ''The Avengers'' followed by an onstage interview with Rigg about her time in the television series.<ref>[http://artandhue.com/bfi/ BFI Interview with Dame Diana Rigg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302215217/http://artandhue.com/bfi/ |date=2 March 2016 }} Retrieved 18 February 2016.</ref>
 
  
 +
In 2014, Rigg received the Will Award, presented by the [[Shakespeare Theatre Company]], along with [[Stacy Keach]] and [[John Hurt]].<ref>[https://www.bennettawards.com/projects/2015/4/7/stacy-keach-john-hurt-dame-diana-rigg-receive-bennett-recognition-awards Stacy Keach, John Hurt, Dame Diana Rigg Receive Bennett Recognition Awards] ''Bennett Awards'', April 7, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref>
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 146: Line 140:
 
|rowspan=2| ''[[The Avengers (TV programme)|The Avengers]]''
 
|rowspan=2| ''[[The Avengers (TV programme)|The Avengers]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
| rowspan="2" |<ref name="Emmys">{{cite web|title=Diana Rigg - Emmy Awards|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/diana-rigg|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Emmys.com}}</ref>
+
| rowspan="2" |<ref name="Emmys">[https://www.emmys.com/bios/diana-rigg Diana Rigg - Emmy Awards] ''Television Academy''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|1968
 
|1968
Line 156: Line 150:
 
|''[[The Assassination Bureau]]''
 
|''[[The Assassination Bureau]]''
 
|''10th place''
 
|''10th place''
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Laurel Awards (1970)|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000394/1970/1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718060914/https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000394/1970/1/|archive-date=18 July 2020}}</ref>
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|1971
 
|1971
Line 163: Line 157:
 
|''[[Ronald Millar|Abelard and Heloise]]''
 
|''[[Ronald Millar|Abelard and Heloise]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref name="playbill">{{cite web|title=Diana Rigg Playbill|url=https://www.playbill.com/person/diana-rigg-vault-0000074791|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Playbill}}</ref>
+
|<ref name="playbill">[https://www.playbill.com/person/diana-rigg-vault-0000074791 Diana Rigg] ''Playbill''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|1972
 
|1972
Line 170: Line 164:
 
|''[[The Hospital]]''
 
|''[[The Hospital]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Diana Rigg Golden Globes|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/diana-rigg|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Golden Globes}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/diana-rigg Diana Rigg] ''Golden Globe Awards''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=3|1975
 
|rowspan=3|1975
Line 194: Line 188:
 
|rowspan=2|''[[Mother Love (TV series)|Mother Love]]''
 
|rowspan=2|''[[Mother Love (TV series)|Mother Love]]''
 
|{{Won}}
 
|{{Won}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=1990 Television Actress|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1990/television/actress|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=BAFTA}}</ref>
+
|<ref name=BAFTA/>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Broadcasting Press Guild|Broadcasting Press Guild Award]]
 
|[[Broadcasting Press Guild|Broadcasting Press Guild Award]]
 
|Best Actress
 
|Best Actress
 
|{{Won}}
 
|{{Won}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=1990|url=http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpg-awards/1989-2/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=BPG}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpg-awards/1989-2/ 1990] ''Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|1992
 
|1992
Line 206: Line 200:
 
|rowspan=4|''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]''
 
|rowspan=4|''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]''
 
|{{Won}}
 
|{{Won}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1992|url=https://www.westendtheatre.com/11773/awards/evening-standard-theatre-awards-1992/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=WestEndTheatre.com}}</ref>
+
|<ref name=EveningStandard>[https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/evening-standard-theatre-awards-19552000-7303274.html Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1955-2000] ''Evening Standard'', April 10, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=3|1994
 
|rowspan=3|1994
Line 212: Line 206:
 
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
 
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Olivia Winners 1994|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1994/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Official London Theatre}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1994/ Olivier Winners 1994] ''Official London Theatre''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Drama Desk Award]]
 
|[[Drama Desk Award]]
Line 229: Line 223:
 
|''[[Screen Two]]'' (Episode: "Genghis Cohn")
 
|''[[Screen Two]]'' (Episode: "Genghis Cohn")
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=It's HBO Agaian at CableACEs|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/it-s-hbo-again-at-cableaces-99129112/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Variety}}</ref>
+
|<ref>John Dempsey, [https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/it-s-hbo-again-at-cableaces-99129112/ It's HBO Agaian at CableACEs] ''Variety'', September 25, 1995. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=2|1996
 
|rowspan=2|1996
Line 236: Line 230:
 
|''[[Mother Courage]]''
 
|''[[Mother Courage]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Olivia Winners 1996|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1996/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Official London Theatre}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1996/ Olivier Winners 1996] ''Official London Theatre''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Evening Standard Theatre Awards|Evening Standard Theatre Award]]
 
|[[Evening Standard Theatre Awards|Evening Standard Theatre Award]]
Line 242: Line 236:
 
|''[[Mother Courage]]'' and ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf]]''
 
|''[[Mother Courage]]'' and ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf]]''
 
|{{Won}}
 
|{{Won}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1955-2000|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/evening-standard-theatre-awards-1955-2000-7303274.html|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Standard}}</ref>
+
|<ref name=EveningStandard/>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|rowspan=2|1997
 
|rowspan=2|1997
Line 249: Line 243:
 
|''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf]]''
 
|''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Olivia Winners 1997|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1997/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Official London Theatre}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1997/ Olivier Winners 1997] ''Official London Theatre''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
Line 262: Line 256:
 
|''[[Britannicus (play)|Britannicus]]'' and ''[[Phèdre]]''
 
|''[[Britannicus (play)|Britannicus]]'' and ''[[Phèdre]]''
 
|{{Nom}}
 
|{{Nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Olivia Winners 1999|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1999/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Official London Theatre}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1999/ Olivier Winners 1999] ''Official London Theatre''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|2000
 
|2000
Line 269: Line 263:
 
|''[[The Avengers (TV programme)|The Avengers]]'' (<small>and ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]''</small>)
 
|''[[The Avengers (TV programme)|The Avengers]]'' (<small>and ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]''</small>)
 
|align="center"| Awarded
 
|align="center"| Awarded
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Special BAFTA Award|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/special,2365,BA.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031025654/http://www.bafta.org/awards/special,2365,BA.html|archive-date=31 October 2012}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://www.bafta.org/heritage/in-memory-of/dame-diana-rigg-dbe Dame Diana Rigg DBE] ''BAFTA''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|2002
 
|2002
Line 283: Line 277:
 
|rowspan=5|''[[Game of Thrones]]''
 
|rowspan=5|''[[Game of Thrones]]''
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO, FX Lead Critics' Choice TV Awards — But Where Are 'Mad Men', 'Modern Family'?|url=https://deadline.com/2013/05/hbo-fx-lead-critics-choice-tv-awards-but-where-are-mad-men-modern-family-505822/|access-date=11 September 2020|publisher=Deadline}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://deadline.com/2013/05/hbo-fx-lead-critics-choice-tv-awards-but-where-are-mad-men-modern-family-505822/ HBO, FX Lead Critics' Choice TV Awards — But Where Are 'Mad Men', 'Modern Family'?] ''Deadline'', May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
Line 294: Line 288:
 
|[[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series|Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series]]
 
|[[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series|Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series]]
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=20 June 2014|title=Critics' Choice TV Awards: Complete list of winners and nominees|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-critics-choice-tv-awards-nominees-winners-20140619-story.html|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-critics-choice-tv-awards-nominees-winners-20140619-story.html Critics' Choice TV Awards: Complete list of winners and nominees] ''Los Angeles Time'', June 20, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
 
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]]
 
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]]
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2014|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2014/outstanding-guest-actress-in-a-drama-series|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Television Academy|language=en}}</ref>
+
|<ref name="Emmys" />
 
|-
 
|-
 
| rowspan=1|2015
 
| rowspan=1|2015
Line 305: Line 299:
 
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]]
 
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series]]
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2015|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2015/outstanding-guest-actress-in-a-drama-series|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Television Academy|language=en}}</ref>
+
|<ref name="Emmys" />
 
|-
 
|-
 
| rowspan=3|2018
 
| rowspan=3|2018
Line 312: Line 306:
 
|rowspan=2|''[[My Fair Lady]]''
 
|rowspan=2|''[[My Fair Lady]]''
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Gordon|date=26 April 2018|title='Carousel,' 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Lead 2018 Drama Desk Nominations (Full List)|url=https://variety.com/2018/legit/news/drama-desk-awards-nominations-2018-full-list-1202788443/|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref>
+
|<ref>Gordon Cox, [https://variety.com/2018/legit/news/drama-desk-awards-nominations-2018-full-list-1202788443/ 'Carousel,' 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Lead 2018 Drama Desk Nominations (Full List)] ''Variety'', April 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022. </ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Tony Award]]
 
|[[Tony Award]]
 
|[[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]]
 
|[[Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]]
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tony Awards 2018: After 'Game of Thrones,' Diana Rigg Makes a Celebrated Return to Broadway (Exclusive)|url=https://www.etonline.com/tonys-2018-after-game-of-thrones-diana-rigg-makes-a-celebrated-return-to-broadway-exclusive-102912|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Entertainment Tonight|language=en-US}}</ref>
+
|<ref> Elysa Gardner‍, [https://www.etonline.com/tonys-2018-after-game-of-thrones-diana-rigg-makes-a-celebrated-return-to-broadway-exclusive-102912 After 'Game of Thrones,' Diana Rigg Makes a Celebrated Return to Broadway] ''Entertainment Tonight'', May 24, 2018. August 25, 2022. </ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
 
|[[Emmy Award]]
Line 323: Line 317:
 
|''[[Game of Thrones]]''
 
|''[[Game of Thrones]]''
 
|{{nom}}
 
|{{nom}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Of Thrones|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/game-thrones|access-date=11 September 2020|website=Television Academy|language=en}}</ref>
+
|<ref name="Emmys" />
 
|-
 
|-
 
|2019
 
|2019
Line 330: Line 324:
 
|{{n/a}}
 
|{{n/a}}
 
|{{won}}
 
|{{won}}
−
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Variety Icon Award for CANNESERIES Presented to Dame Diana Rigg|url=https://fg-art-lifestyle.com/variety-icon-award-for-canneseriespresented-to-dame-diana-rigg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422170917/https://fg-art-lifestyle.com/variety-icon-award-for-canneseriespresented-to-dame-diana-rigg|archive-date=22 April 2020}}</ref>
+
|<ref>[https://fg-art-lifestyle.com/variety-icon-award-for-canneseriespresented-to-dame-diana-rigg Variety Icon Award for CANNESERIES Presented to Dame Diana Rigg] ''FG Art & Lifestyle''. Retrieved August 25, 2022.</ref>
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 340: Line 334:
 
*Brassell, Tim. ''Tom Stoppard: An Assessment''. Palgrave Macmillan, 1985. ISBN 978-0312808884
 
*Brassell, Tim. ''Tom Stoppard: An Assessment''. Palgrave Macmillan, 1985. ISBN 978-0312808884
 
*Macnee, Patrick. ''The Avengers and Me''. TV Books, 1998. ISBN 978-1575000596
 
*Macnee, Patrick. ''The Avengers and Me''. TV Books, 1998. ISBN 978-1575000596
 +
*Parkinson, Michael. ''Parky's People''. Hodder & Stoughton, 2012. ISBN 978-1444700411
 
*Rogers, Dave. ''The Complete Avengers''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0312031879
 
*Rogers, Dave. ''The Complete Avengers''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0312031879
 
*Tracy, Kathleen. ''Diana Rigg: The Biography''. BenBella Books, 2004. ISBN 978-1932100273
 
*Tracy, Kathleen. ''Diana Rigg: The Biography''. BenBella Books, 2004. ISBN 978-1932100273
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
All links retrieved  
+
All links retrieved January 29, 2024.
−
* [https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f164584 Diana Rigg] ''British Film Institute''
+
 
 
* [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/diana-rigg-57810 Diana Rigg] ''IBDb''
 
* [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/diana-rigg-57810 Diana Rigg] ''IBDb''
 
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001671/ Diana Rigg] ''IMDb''
 
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001671/ Diana Rigg] ''IMDb''
Line 356: Line 351:
 
[[Category:Film]]
 
[[Category:Film]]
 
[[Category:Performing arts]]
 
[[Category:Performing arts]]
 +
[[Category:Drama]]
 +
[[Category:Actors and playwrights]]

Latest revision as of 11:54, 29 January 2024


Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg 1973 Cropped.jpg
Rigg in Diana in 1973
BornEnid Diana Elizabeth Rigg
July 20 1938(1938-07-20)
Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
DiedSeptember 10 2020 (aged 82)
London, England
OccupationActress
Spouse(s)Menachem Gueffen
(m. 1973; div. 1976)​
Archie Stirling
(m. 1982; div. 1990)
ChildrenRachael Stirling

Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg DBE, known as Diana Rigg, (July 20, 1938 - September 10, 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her career in film, television, and the theatre was wide-ranging. On the stage she had roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company and other well-known theater companies in England, as well as performing in Broadway musicals. Notable screen roles included starring as Emma Peel in the British TV series The Avengers (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969); and as Olenna Tyrell in the American TV series Game of Thrones (2013–2017).

Rigg received recognition as one of the greatest dramatic actors, being made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for her services to drama. Although regarded as an iconic sex symbol, Rigg was an intelligent woman with strong opinions who fought for recognition of the value of women actors as early as the 1960s. She is remembered as a legend of stage and screen, an iconic sex symbol who preferred to fight for gender equality, and an empowered woman who used her talent and sharp wit to successfully entertain her audiences throughout her long career.

Life

Diana Rigg was born in Doncaster, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire (now in South Yorkshire),[1] in 1938 to Louis and Beryl Hilda Rigg (née Helliwell). Her father was born in Yorkshire, worked in engineering, and moved to India to work for the railway to take advantage of the career opportunities there.[2] Her mother moved back to England for Rigg's birth because she felt she had a bad experience at a military hospital during her first child's birth in India. Between the ages of two months and eight years, Rigg lived in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India,[1] where her father worked his way up to a railway executive in the Bikaner State Railway.[2] She spoke Hindi as her second language in those years.[3]

She was later sent back to England to attend a boarding school, Fulneck Girls School, in a Moravian settlement near Pudsey.[2] Rigg felt like a fish out of water at the school, but believed that Yorkshire played a greater part in shaping her character than India did.[4] From 1955 to 1957, she trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art,[5] where her classmates included Glenda Jackson and Siân Phillips.[2]

Rigg in 2011

In the 1960s, Rigg lived for eight years with director Philip Saville, gaining attention in the tabloid press when she disclaimed interest in marrying the older and already-married Saville, saying that she had no desire "to be respectable."[2] She was married to Menachem Gueffen, an Israeli painter, from 1973 until their divorce in 1976,[6] and to Archibald Stirling, a theatrical producer and former officer in the Scots Guards, from March 25, 1982 until their divorce in 1990 after his affair with the actress Joely Richardson.[5]

Rigg had a daughter with Stirling, actress Rachael Stirling, born May 30, 1977.[7] Rigg's grandson was born in April 2017 to Rachael Stirling and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey.[8]

A smoker from the age of 18, Rigg was still smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) a day in 2009.[9] By December 2017, she had stopped smoking after serious illness led to heart surgery, a cardiac ablation. She joked later, "My heart had stopped ticking during the procedure, so I was up there and the good Lord must have said, 'Send the old bag down again, I'm not having her yet!'"[10]

Diana Rigg died at her London home on September 10, 2020, aged 82.[11] Her daughter, Rachael Stirling, said that the cause of death was lung cancer, which had been diagnosed in March.[12]

Theatre career

Rigg had a successful career and life in theatre, making her professional stage debut in 1957 as Natasha Abashwilli in the RADA production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the York Festival in 1957. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959, where she took on the roles of Cordelia in King Lear and Viola in Twelfth Night.

She returned to the stage in the Ronald Millar play Abelard and Heloïse in London in 1970 and made her Broadway debut with the play in 1971. She earned the first of three Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Play. She received her second nomination in 1975, for The Misanthrope. A member of the National Theatre Company at the Old Vic from 1972 to 1975, Rigg took leading roles in premiere productions of two Tom Stoppard plays, Dorothy Moore in Jumpers (National Theatre, 1972) and Ruth Carson in Night and Day (Phoenix Theatre, 1978).[13]

In 1982, she appeared in the musical Colette, based on the life of the French writer and created by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, but it closed during an American tour en route to Broadway. In 1987, she took a leading role in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies. In the 1990s, she had triumphs with roles at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, including Medea in 1992 (which transferred to the Wyndham's Theatre in 1993 and then Broadway in 1994, for which she received the Tony Award for Best Actress), Mother Courage at the National Theatre in 1995, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Almeida Theatre in 1996 (which transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in October 1996).

In 2004, she appeared as Violet Venable in Sheffield Theatres' production of Tennessee Williams's play Suddenly Last Summer, which transferred to the Albery Theatre. In 2006, she appeared at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End in a drama entitled Honour which had a limited but successful run. In 2007, she appeared as Huma Rojo in the Old Vic's production of All About My Mother, adapted by Samuel Adamson and based on the film of the same title directed by Pedro Almodóvar.[14]

She appeared in 2008 in The Cherry Orchard at the Chichester Festival Theatre, returning there in 2009 to star in Noël Coward's Hay Fever. In 2011, she played Mrs Higgins in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, opposite Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon, having played Eliza Doolittle 37 years earlier at the Albery Theatre.[15]

In February 2018, she returned to Broadway in the non-singing role of Mrs Higgins in My Fair Lady. She commented, "I think it's so special. When I was offered Mrs Higgins, I thought it was just such a lovely idea."[16] She received her fourth Tony nomination for the role.[17]

Film and television career

Television

The Avengers
Cast marker plate that was presented by ABC television in 1965 to mark the location where Diana Rigg was tied to the track during filming of the "Grave Diggers" episode of "The Avengers"

From 1965 to 1968, Rigg appeared in 51 episodes of the British 1960s television series The Avengers (1961–1969) opposite Patrick Macnee as John Steed. Rigg played the secret agent Emma Peel, replacing Elizabeth Shepherd at very short notice when Shepherd was dropped from the role after filming two episodes. Rigg auditioned for the role on a whim, without ever having seen the program.

Rigg's character, Emma Peel, was a lady spy adventurer and expert in martial arts. A strong heroine, she was rarely defeated in fights and capable of rescuing Steed if he was in trouble. A certified genius, she specialized in chemistry and other sciences. Peel drove a convertible Lotus Elan at high speeds, and convincingly portrayed any series of undercover roles, from nurse to nanny. She became a feminist role model around the world and is considered an icon of British popular culture. Regarded as a 1960s fashion icon and sex symbol, the character is often remembered for the leather catsuit sometimes worn by Rigg in the first series.[18]

Although she was hugely successful in the series, Rigg disliked the lack of privacy that it brought. In particular, she was not comfortable in her position as a sex symbol.[19] In an interview with The Guardian in 2019, Rigg stated that "becoming a sex symbol overnight had shocked" her.[4] She also did not like the way that she was treated by production company Associated British Corporation (ABC).

In a June 2015 interview with the website The A.V. Club, Rigg talked about her chemistry with Patrick Macnee on The Avengers despite their 16-year age difference:

I sort of vaguely knew Patrick Macnee, and he looked kindly on me and sort of husbanded me through the first couple of episodes. After that we became equal, and loved each other and sparked off each other. And we’d then improvise, write our own lines. They trusted us. Particularly our scenes when we were finding a dead body—I mean, another dead body. How do you get ’round that one? They allowed us to do it.[20]

Asked if she had stayed in touch with Macnee (the interview was published two days before Macnee's death and decades after they were reunited on her short-lived American series Diana):

You’ll always be close to somebody that you worked with very intimately for so long, and you become really fond of each other. But we haven’t seen each other for a very, very long time.[20]

For her second series she held out for a pay rise from £150 a week to £450.[21] The £150 a week was less than the pay received by a cameraman.[22] In 2019—when gender pay inequality was very much in the news—she said:

Not one woman in the industry supported me ... Neither did Patrick [Macnee, her co-star]... But I was painted as this mercenary creature by the press when all I wanted was equality. It's so depressing that we are still talking about the gender pay gap.[4]

She did not stay for a third year. For the role of Emma Peel, she received two Emmy Award nominations as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1967 and 1968.[22]

Other television roles

Rigg appeared in numerous TV series. In 1973–1974, she starred in a short-lived US sitcom called Diana. She appeared as the title character in The Marquise (1980), a television adaptation of a play by Noël Coward, and in the title role in the Yorkshire Television production of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (1981).

She appeared as Regan, the king's treacherous second daughter, in a Granada Television production of King Lear (1983) which starred Laurence Olivier in the title role. As Lady Dedlock, she co-starred with Denholm Elliott in a television version of Dickens' Bleak House (BBC, 1985). In 1989, she played Helena Vesey in Mother Love for the BBC. Her portrayal of an obsessive mother who was prepared to do anything, even murder, to keep control of her son won Rigg the 1990 BAFTA for Best Television Actress.[23]

In 1995, she appeared in a film adaptation for television based on Danielle Steel's Zoya as Evgenia, the main character's grandmother.[24]

She won an Emmy for her portrayal as Mrs Danvers in Rebecca (1997). She also appeared in the PBS production Moll Flanders, and as the amateur detective Mrs Bradley in The Mrs Bradley Mysteries.

From 1989 until 2003, she hosted the PBS television series Mystery!, shown in the United States by PBS,[25] taking over from Vincent Price, her co-star in Theatre of Blood.

In 2013, she appeared in an episode of Doctor Who in a Victorian-era based story called "The Crimson Horror" alongside her daughter Rachael Stirling, Matt Smith, and Jenna-Louise Coleman. The episode had been specially written for her and her daughter by Mark Gatiss and aired as part of series 7.[26] It was not the first time mother and daughter had appeared in the same production – that was in the 2000 NBC film In the Beginning where they played the same character at different ages – but the first time she had worked with her daughter and the first time in her career her roots were accessed to find a Doncaster, Yorkshire accent.[3]

The same year, Rigg was cast in a recurring role in the third season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, portraying Lady Olenna Tyrell, a witty and sarcastic political mastermind popularly known as the Queen of Thorns, the paternal grandmother of regular character Margaery Tyrell.[27] Her performance was well received by critics and audiences alike, and earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013. She reprised her role in season four of Game of Thrones, and in July 2014 received another Guest Actress Emmy nomination. In 2015 and 2016, she again reprised the role in seasons five and six in an expanded role from the books. In 2015 and 2018, she received two additional Guest Actress Emmy nominations. The character was killed off in the seventh season, with Rigg's final performance receiving wide critical acclaim.[28] In April 2019, Rigg said she had never watched Game of Thrones and "hadn't got a clue" about what was happening on the show. Rigg said her death scene was "just wonderful. ... She does it with dignity and wit, and wit is not often in final death scenes."[29]

During autumn 2019, Rigg was filming the role of Mrs Pumphrey at Broughton Hall, near Skipton, for All Creatures Great and Small.[30] Rigg passed away after filming of the first season had been completed.

Movies

Rigg with Lazenby while filming On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969

On the big screen, she became a Bond girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), playing Tracy Bond, James Bond's only wife, opposite George Lazenby. She said she took the role with the hope that she would become better known in the United States.[31]

Her other films from this period include The Assassination Bureau (1969), Julius Caesar (1970), The Hospital (1971), Theatre of Blood (1973), In This House of Brede (1975), based on the book by Rumer Godden, and A Little Night Music (1977).

She received acclaim for her performance as Arlena Marshall in the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun, sharing barbs with her character's old rival, played by Maggie Smith.[32]

She also played Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and the Evil Queen, Snow White's evil stepmother, in the Cannon Movie Tales's film adaptation of Snow White (1987).

Her later film appearances include the 2006 film The Painted Veil where she played a nun,[33] and the 2017 biographical drama Breathe directed by Andy Serkis.[34] Her last role was in the psychological horror film, Last Night in Soho (2021), released posthumously.[35]

Public positions

Rigg held a number of positions in educational and charitable organizations.

She was a long-standing patron of International Care & Relief and was for many years the public face of the charity's child sponsorship scheme. She was also chancellor of the University of Stirling, a ceremonial rather than executive role.[5]

She also held positions at the University of Oxford, as Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre, University of Oxford (1999–2000),[36] and Emeritus Fellow at St. Catherine's College Oxford from 2000.[37]

Legacy

Diana Rigg had a long and successful career, spanning six decades, on stage and screen. Her ability to perform a wide range of characters made her well known to a wide audience. For example, the popular British television series "The Avengers" in which she starred in the 1960s, brought her to the attention of the British public and her role in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service garnered her international recognition, as did her role as Olenna Tyrell in "Game of Thrones." On the other hand, her roots in classical theatre provided a legendary stage career. A flawless interpreter of classical stage work, she took on roles from Shakespeare to contemporary musicals, winning accolades and awards for her performances.

Michael Parkinson, who first interviewed Rigg in 1972, described her as the most desirable woman he ever met and who "radiated a lustrous beauty."[38] Despite her success as Emma Peel in The Avengers and later playing a "Bond girl" in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Rigg was uncomfortable in her position as a sex symbol.

Throughout her long career she displayed not only legendary acting talent but also intelligence and strong opinions. A groundbreaking empowered woman, ahead of her time in her attitude to the role and value of women, Rigg did not consider herself a feminist. Her efforts to gain recognition for female actors as valuable members of the cast, evidenced by equal pay, were not well received at the time (the 1960s). It was decades before the issue was seriously considered and remained unresolved even at the end of Rigg's life.

Awards and Honors

In addition to being nominated for, and winning, several awards for her acting performances on stage and screen (see below), Rigg also received many other honors.

She was awarded both Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1988) and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) (1994) for her services to drama.[39]

Rigg was also awarded several honorary degrees including:

  • University of Stirling, Doctor of the University (D.Univ) (1988)
  • University of Leeds, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt)(1992)
  • University of Nottingham, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1995)
  • London South Bank University, Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) (1996)

In 2014, Rigg received the Will Award, presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company, along with Stacy Keach and John Hurt.[40]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1967 Emmy Award Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series The Avengers Nominated [41]
1968 Nominated
1970 Laurel Award Female New Face The Assassination Bureau 10th place
1971 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Abelard and Heloise Nominated [42]
1972 Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture The Hospital Nominated [43]
1975 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play The Misanthrope Nominated [42]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Nominated
Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy In This House of Brede Nominated [41]
1990 BAFTA TV Award Best Actress Mother Love Won [23]
Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Actress Won [44]
1992 Evening Standard Theatre Award Best Actress Medea Won [45]
1994 Olivier Award Best Actress Nominated [46]
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Nominated [42]
Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Won [42]
1995 CableACE Award Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Screen Two (Episode: "Genghis Cohn") Nominated [47]
1996 Olivier Award Best Actress in a Play Mother Courage Nominated [48]
Evening Standard Theatre Award Best Actress Mother Courage and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Won [45]
1997 Olivier Award Best Actress in a Play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Nominated [49]
Emmy Award Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie Rebecca Won [41]
1999 Olivier Award Best Actress in a Play Britannicus and Phèdre Nominated [50]
2000 Special BAFTA Award non-competitive John Steed's partners (shared with Honor Blackman, Linda Thorson and Joanna Lumley) The Avengers (and The New Avengers) Awarded [51]
2002 Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie Victoria & Albert Nominated [41]
2013 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series Game of Thrones Nominated [52]
Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Nominated [41]
2014 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series Nominated [53]
Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Nominated [41]
2015 Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Nominated [41]
2018 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical My Fair Lady Nominated [54]
Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Nominated [55]
Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Game of Thrones Nominated [41]
2019 Canneseries Variety Icon Award N/A Won [56]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Meet...Dame Diana Rigg BBC, September 24, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Kathleen Tracy, Diana Rigg: The Biography (BenBella Books, 2004, ISBN 978-1932100273).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Obituary: Dame Diana Rigg BBC, September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ruth Huntman, Diana Rigg: 'Becoming a sex symbol overnight shocked me' The Guardian, March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nigel Farndale, Diana Rigg: her story The Daily Telegraph, August 17, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ Fred Hauptfuhrer, Being Mr. Diana Rigg Was Too Much for Gueffen People, July 15, 1974. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ Drama Faces:Rachael Stirling BBC, June 10, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ Nick Curtis, Rachel Stirling on life as Diana Rigg's daughter and her whirlwind romance with Elbow's Guy Garvey The Telegraph, April 8, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ Laura Potter, My body & soul The Guardian, April 18, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ Francesca Gosling, My heart stopped ticking during operation – Dame Diana Rigg Press Association, December 24, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  11. ↑ Dame Diana Rigg: Avengers, Bond and Game of Thrones actress dies at 82 BBC, September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ Ash Percival, Dame Diana Rigg Dies, Aged 82 Huffington Post, September 10, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. ↑ Tim Brassell, Tom Stoppard: An Assessment (Palgrave Macmillan, 1985, ISBN 978-0312808884).
  14. ↑ John Nathan, Old Vic World Premiere of All About My Mother, Based on Almodóvar Film, Begins Aug. 27 Playbill, August 27, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ Dame Diana Rigg Returns to the West End in Pygmalion London Theatre Direct, March 28, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  16. ↑ Beth Stevens, My Fair Lady's Diana Rigg on Broadway Memories and Sharing the Bubbly Broadway Buzz, February 19, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  17. ↑ Andy Lefkowitz, Diana Rigg to Exit Broadway Revival of My Fair Lady Broadway Buzz, July 18, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  18. ↑ Priya Elan, Dressed to kill: how Diana Rigg became a 60s style icon The Guardian, September 11, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ↑ Fiachra Gibbons, Diana Rigg: Is she the sexiest TV star of all time? The Guardian, August 7, 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Stephen Bowie, Diana Rigg on The Avengers’ Mrs. Peel, Game Of Thrones, and matchmaking for Vincent Price AV Club, June 23, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  21. ↑ Dave Rogers, The Complete Avengers (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0312031879).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 J.G. Lane, Dame Diana Rigg Biography UK Theatres Online, March 15, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 1990 Television Actress BAFTA Awards, April 4, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  24. ↑ Megan Rosenfeld, Zoya': Russian Through the Steel Mill The Washington Post, September 16, 1995. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  25. ↑ Susanne Simpson, MASTERPIECE on the Passing of Diana Rigg PBS, September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  26. ↑ Kevin Wicks, Diana Rigg and daughter Rachael Stirling to star in Doctor Who BBC, July 2, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  27. ↑ Oliver Lyttelton, Dame Diana Rigg Joins Season 3 of HBO's 'Game of Thrones' Indie Wire, July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  28. ↑ Glen Weldon, 'Game Of Thrones' Season 7, Episode 3: 'I've Brought Ice And Fire Together' NPR, July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  29. ↑ Emma Jones, Why Diana Rigg 'loves being disliked' BBC, April 10, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  30. ↑ Flora Carr, Where is All Creatures Great and Small filmed? Radio Times, November 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  31. ↑ Jeff Jarvis, Bond's Beauties People, July 18, 1983. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  32. ↑ Vincent Canby, 'Evil Under Sun,' New Christie The New York Times, March 5, 1982. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  33. ↑ Manohla Dargis, A Plague Infects the Land, as Passion Vexes Hearts The New York Times, December 20, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  34. ↑ Breathe IMDb, Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  35. ↑ Last Night in Soho IMDb. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  36. ↑ Diana Rigg to be new drama don Oxford Mail, November 16, 1998. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  37. ↑ Dame Diana Rigg (1938 – 2020) St. Catherine's College Oxford. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  38. ↑ Michael Parkinson, Parky's People (Hodder & Stoughton, 2012, ISBN 978-1444700411).
  39. ↑ Kyle Hicks, Actress Diana Rigg of 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Avengers' dies at 82 KXXV, September 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  40. ↑ Stacy Keach, John Hurt, Dame Diana Rigg Receive Bennett Recognition Awards Bennett Awards, April 7, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 41.7 Diana Rigg - Emmy Awards Television Academy. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 Diana Rigg Playbill. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  43. ↑ Diana Rigg Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  44. ↑ 1990 Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1955-2000 Evening Standard, April 10, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  46. ↑ Olivier Winners 1994 Official London Theatre. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  47. ↑ John Dempsey, It's HBO Agaian at CableACEs Variety, September 25, 1995. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  48. ↑ Olivier Winners 1996 Official London Theatre. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  49. ↑ Olivier Winners 1997 Official London Theatre. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  50. ↑ Olivier Winners 1999 Official London Theatre. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  51. ↑ Dame Diana Rigg DBE BAFTA. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  52. ↑ HBO, FX Lead Critics' Choice TV Awards — But Where Are 'Mad Men', 'Modern Family'? Deadline, May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  53. ↑ Critics' Choice TV Awards: Complete list of winners and nominees Los Angeles Time, June 20, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  54. ↑ Gordon Cox, 'Carousel,' 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Lead 2018 Drama Desk Nominations (Full List) Variety, April 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  55. ↑ Elysa Gardner‍, After 'Game of Thrones,' Diana Rigg Makes a Celebrated Return to Broadway Entertainment Tonight, May 24, 2018. August 25, 2022.
  56. ↑ Variety Icon Award for CANNESERIES Presented to Dame Diana Rigg FG Art & Lifestyle. Retrieved August 25, 2022.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

External links

All links retrieved January 29, 2024.


Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

Retrieved from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Diana_Rigg&oldid=1134724

Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
Copyright Logo
Powered by MediaWiki