Dame Diana Rigg - who enjoyed a glittering career spanning seven decades - has died aged 82. A statement released by her daughter, Rachel, said that she had died of cancer in London.
A star of stage and screen, in both films and television, she was known for her diverse roles, spanning high camp to award-worthy drama.
Born in Doncaster on 20 July 1938, she travelled to India as a toddler, as her father worked as a railway engineer for the Maharaja of Bikaner, and became bilingual in Hindi. She attended a boarding school in Yorkshire before studying to be an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, later joining the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Her first major role was in the 1960s spy-caper series, The Avengers, when she played cat-suited agent Emma Peel. It was a role she soon became synonymous with, as her character was held up as a symbol of the burgeoning feminist movement of the time.
Her wardrobe on the show - including the aforementioned leather catsuit - inspired fashion trends of the time. She worked with costume designer John Bates on her wardrobe, and made several fashion firsts on television - including not just PVC catsuits (easier to move in), but also black polo necks and low-rise trousers - which all became major looks of the Swinging Sixties.
Later, she became a Bond girl in 1967's On Her Majesty's Secret Service opposite George Lazenby, and had the distinction of being the only woman to get 007 to the altar - although in typical Bond fashion, her character was shot dead just after the wedding.
She found her newfound stardom difficult to deal with, and so returned to her first love - the stage - appearing on Broadway and on the West End (mostly at the Old Vic) in several productions over the years. She was nominated for a Tony Award four times, winning once for her turn in Medea.
She also claimed a BAFTA for her role in the BBC TV drama Mother Love in 1990 - the same year she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Later, there was an Emmy Award, too, for her portrayal of the chilling housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, in Rebecca.
In recent years, she has become known to an entirely new fan base for her work on Game of Thrones, in which she played the acerbic witted matriarch, Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns. Her co-star on the show, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau reacted to her death of Twitter by writing: 'Dame Diana Rigg. She always raised the bar with her incredible talent, intelligence and wit. An absolute joy and honour to work with.'
She was married twice, first in 1973 for three years to Israeli artist Menachem Gueffen, and then to fellow actor Archie Stirling, from 1982 to 1990. She is survived by her daughter, fellow actress Rachael Stirling.
