Diana Rigg

Mary Carr Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg was born on 20 July 1938 in Doncaster, England to Loius Rigg and Beryl Hilda Helliwell.

Mary Carr Her father worked as a railway engineer and he moved the family to Rajasthan, India when he got hired by the Bikaner State Railway. She lived there from 2 months old until she was 8 years old. As such, she spoke Hindi as her second language at the time.

Mary Carr She moved back to England to attend boarding school. Though she felt uncomfortable while in boarding school, in hindsight she believed that living in Yorkshire moulded her character more than when she was in India.

Mary Carr Diana attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1955-57 to train as an actress.

Mary Carr Diana’s debut as a professional actress was at the York Festival in 1957 when she performed in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”. She also performed roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company between the years 1959-1967.

Mary Carr She also performed roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company between the years 1959-1967.

Mary Carr

Mary Carr Diana Rigg is also a Bond girl. She starred in the 1969 James Bond film, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” as Tracy Bond opposite George Lazenby.

Mary Carr Diana Rigg as a Bond girl.

Mary Carr Diana had an 8-year relationship with director Philip Savile in the 1960s. They lived together, though eventually went their separate ways.

Mary Carr

Mary Carr Diana first appeared on television in 1961 playing the role of secret agent Emma Peel in the series The Avengers. In a 2019 interview, she has this to say about the public’s reception to her character: “Becoming a sex symbol overnight [in The Avengers] shocked me. I didn’t know how to handle it and I kept all the unopened fan mail in the boot of my car because I didn’t know how to respond and thought it was rude to throw it away. Then my mother became my secretary and replied to the really inappropriate ones saying: ‘My daughter’s far too old for you. Go take a cold shower!’”

Mary Carr

Mary Carr In a 2019 interview, she has this to say about the public’s reception to her character: “Becoming a sex symbol overnight [in The Avengers] shocked me. I didn’t know how to handle it and I kept all the unopened fan mail in the boot of my car because I didn’t know how to respond and thought it was rude to throw it away. Then my mother became my secretary and replied to the really inappropriate ones saying: ‘My daughter’s far too old for you. Go take a cold shower!’”

Mary Carr Diana made her Broadway debut in 1971 in the Ronal Miller Play, “Abelard and Heloïse”. She received her first Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for this role.

Mary Carr She married Israeli painter Menachem Gueffren in 1973 and divorced him in 1976. She then married theatrical producer Archibald Stirling in 1982. They had a daughter together, Rachael Stirling, who gave birth to her first grandchild, Jack, in 2017.

Mary Carr She landed the title role of Diana Smythe in the show “Diana,” which was a sitcom that came out in American television in 1973-1974.

Mary Carr Throughout her acting career, she would regularly cycle between her work on stage, on films, and television. Diana won a BAFTA for Best Actress in her role in the television show “Mother Love” in 1990. She also won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for her work in “Rebecca” in 1997.

Mary Carr Diana continued to appear in numerous plays throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. It was during her stint at “Medea” in Broadway that she received the 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress. In total, she received four Tony Award nominations.

Mary Carr Diana was bestowed Commonwealth honours: as Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1988 and then as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994 for her work in the arts.

Mary Carr She continued to appear in numerous plays throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. It was during Diana’s stint at “Medea” in Broadway that she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1994.

Mary Carr In more recent years, Diana was known for her recurring role in the popular HBO series, “Game of Thrones”. Diana played Lady Olenna Tyrell, popularly known in pop culture as the “Queen of Thrones”. Her portrayal earned her three Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2013, 2014, and 2015. “I was extremely grateful that I [Lady Olenna Tyrell] didn’t die on the lavatory or in some rather undignified manner. The fact that I’d been kept alive for far longer than the original author had intended seemed to me that I had a pretty good run for my money, and I was perfectly philosophical about being killed off.” - Diana Rigg

Mary Carr “I was extremely grateful that I [Lady Olenna Tyrell] didn’t die on the lavatory or in some rather undignified manner. The fact that I’d been kept alive for far longer than the original author had intended seemed to me that I had a pretty good run for my money, and I was perfectly philosophical about being killed off.” - Diana Rigg

Mary Carr Diana worked relentlessly on her craft, but it was not only her acting prowess that endeared her with the people around her. British playwright Tom Stoppard says of Diana: “For half her life Diana was the most beautiful woman in the room, but she was what used to be called a trouper. She went to work with her sleeves rolled up and a smile for everyone. Her talent was luminous”.

Mary Carr She was a Patron of the charity organisation, International Care & Relief, and was also the public face for their child sponsorship program. Diana also received a ceremonial role as the Chancellor of the University of Stirling.

Mary Carr Diana was diagnosed with cancer in March 2020 and succumbed to the disease. She passed away on 10 September 2020, at the age of 82 in her London home.