RIP The Avengers’ Dame Diana Rigg
Over distinguished acting career, her roles played against spies, muppets, and a Time Lord.
Monster Complex mourns the passing of Dame Diana Rigg (1938-2020). The British actress, who won Bafta, Emmy, and Tony awards, died following a short battle with cancer aged 82.
She enjoyed a long and distinguished acting career on stage, in film and on television. Her appearances ranged from 1960s Brit spy-fi classic The Avengers and James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to camp horror film Theatre of Blood and The Great Muppet Caper to serious stage drama.
She portrayed “talented amateur” Mrs. Emma Peel for two seasons on the British 1960s television series The Avengers (1961–69), opposite Patrick Macnee as “top professional” John Steed. Riggs replaced Elizabeth Shepherd on short notice when Shepherd was dropped from the role after filming two episodes. Rigg auditioned on a whim, having never watched the show. Although she was hugely successful in the series, she disliked the lack of privacy—and was uncomfortable with her new role as a sex symbol. She also struggled with pay inequality.
Mrs. Peel: “Give Me The Gun.”
From Venus with Love - The Avengers 5 x 01 (1967) - closing scene
Her first big role after leaving The Avengers was in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), playing mobster daughter (and Bond love interest) Teresa “Tracy” Draco AKA the Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo. Rigg played the the only Bond woman to marry Bond.
Official Trailer: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Although Rigg also played many dramatic roles over the years, the roles we want to call attention to include Vincent Price’s daughter in Theatre of Blood (1973); Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and Arlena Marshall in the Agatha Christie adaptation Evil Under the Sun (1982).
The Great Muppet Caper (1981) Trailer (VHS Capture)
In 2013 she appeared in a a Victorian-era based episode of Doctor Who, “The Crimson Horror,” alongside her daughter Rachael Stirling, plus series regulars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman. The episode, specially written for her and her daughter by Mark Gatiss, aired as part of season 7. The same year, Rigg secured a recurring role in the third season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, portraying Lady Olenna Tyrell.
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