Diana Rigg, the accomplished English actress, was born on 20 July, 1938 in Doncaster, England. Her family relocated to India when she was just two months old where her father worked as a railroad executive. Diana stayed there until the age of eight, after which she was moved back to England for a “proper” education and upbringing. She attended Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire and later studied at the Fulneck Girl’s School in Pudsey, Yorkshire. During her schooling, she realised her love for acting and performed in school drama productions. After her graduation, she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1955 and worked in theatre productions. Later, Diana joined The Royal Shakespeare Company and worked with them for five years. During her time with the company, she played the roles of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cordelia in King Lear.
Diana Rigg moved to television from theatre when she auditioned for the role of Emma Peel in the series The Avengers in 1965. The character of Emma Peel made Diana Rigg a household name. She starred in the popular series for two years and won two Emmy nominations for the role. The series was also broadcast in the United States so she gained recognition overseas as well. She continued to work in theatre as well as film and television. She starred The Assassination Bureau and as a Bond girl in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969. Other movies of the 1970s featuring Diana Rigg include The Hospital (1971), Theatre of Blood (1973) and the television movie In This House of Brede. She also starred in a comedy series called Diana in 1973. At this time, she married Menachem Gueffen but later separated from him in 1976.
In the 1980s, Rigg worked on several television films including Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun, The Great Muppet Caper, Witness for the Prosecution and Ibsen’s Little Eyeoff. She married Archibald Stirling in 1982 and took fewer assignments so that she could concentrate on raising her daughter, Rachael, and to look after her family. However, her marriage to Archibald Stirling ended in 1990. In the 1990s, she returned to theatre and worked at the Almeida Theatre in Islington. She appeared in plays like All for Love, Medea, Mother Courage and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Rigg also starred in the television series The Mrs Bradley Mysteries and Rebecca. She also hosted the television series Mystery! from 1989 to 2003. Diana Rigg has continued with theatre, appearing in many plays. One of her latest was the All About My Mother in 2007.
Apart from several awards, Diana Rigg was bestowed with Honorary Doctorates from Stirling University and The University of Leeds. Diana received the ultimate honour when she was named the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1987. She was also made the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1994. Diana Rigg is also a published author. Her books include No Turn Unstoned and So to the Land.
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