Diana Rigg, 'Game of Thrones' Star, Dead At 82
She also starred in 'The Avengers' television series in the 1960s.
Diana Rigg has passed away. The Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress died at her home in England. She was 82.
“She was a beautiful kind and generous human being that enhanced the lives of all that knew her as well as a great actress. said Lionel Larner, Rigg’s longtime friend and talent agent. "She leaves a great void in my heart."
Rigg broke out as intelligence officer Emma Peal on the television series The Avengers in the 1960s. She appeared in 51 episodes from 1965-1968 and was nominated for two Emmys during her time on the show. Rigg joined the cast of HBO's Game of Thrones for the third season in 2013. She portrayed Lady Olenna Tyrell, also known as The Queen of Thorns. She was nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Guest Actress in a Drama in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
In 1997, Rigg won an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in the television adaption of Rebecca.
Rigg was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1959-64, touring Europe and the U.S. as Cordelia in a RSC production of King Lear. Throughout her career, Rigg appeared on Broadway three times. She starred in Abelard and Heloise in 1971, a revival of Moliere’s The Misanthrope in 1975, and Medea in 1994. She garnered Tony Award nominations for all three performances, and won Best Actress for her role in Medea.
In film, Rigg is best known for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968), The Assassination Bureau (1969), Julius Caesar, starring Charlton Heston (1970), the classic Vincent Price horror flick Theatre of Blood (1973), A Little Night Music, with Elizabeth Taylor (1977), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Snow White, as the Evil Queen (1987), Bruce Beresford’s A Good Man in Africa, starring Sean Connery (1994), Parting Shots (1998), Heidi (2005), and The Painted Veil (2006).
Her final film role will be in the upcoming Focus Features picture Last Night in Soho, which is due out in April 21, 2021.
- Matt Bishop