The woman behind the beloved character, Olenna Tyrell, on Game of Thrones, Dame Diana Rigg, has passed away at the age of 82.
Aside from her sting on the HBO series, Rigg caught the attention of everyone around the world as Emma Peel on the TV series, The Avengers.
“She died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time,” her agent said (via BBC).
“We are very sad to hear of the passing of Dame Diana Rigg, the legendary stage and screen actress who was much beloved by Bond fans for her memorable performance as Tracy di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the only woman to have married James Bond. Our love and thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.” Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Rigg was born in 1938 near Doncaster, England and spent her early years living in India, as her father was a railway engineer.
She picked up Hindi as a second language during her time there.
After training as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rigg spent time working in roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She landed her role as Emma Peel in 1961 on The Avengers, which ran for seven seasons on ITV; however, it did find its way to the United States in syndication.
Many more Americans became familiar with Rigg’s work in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. She played Tracy Bond, the only Bond girl to be 007’s wife.
Landing the role of the very sassy Olenna Tyrell on HBO’s Game of Thrones put her back into the spotlight during the 2010s.
Some of her moments on the show became memes, and she found herself back in the spotlight once again.
Rigg’s acting career does not stop there though.
She will appear on the upcoming FX three-episode limited series Black Narcissus, which will air sometime this fall on the network and the day after air on Hulu.
