Bond Girl and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Diana Rigg dies

Award-winning British actor Diana Rigg has died. Her agent confirmed the sad news, revealing that the 82-year-old Dame, known most recently for her work as Lady Olenna Tyrell on HBO’s Game of Thrones, passed away on September 10.“She died peacefully early this morning," her agent told The Hollywood Reporter. "She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time. Dame Diana was an icon of theatre, film, and television. She was the recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen. Dame Diana was a much loved and admired member of her profession, a force of nature who loved her work and her fellow actors. She will be greatly missed."

Be a dragon.The realm will always remember Diana Rigg.

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) September 10, 2020

Rigg’s daughter, actress Rachael Stirling, revealed to the publication that her mom passed away from cancer after being diagnosed in March. “She spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words," she added.In addition to Rigg’s role on the dragon-flying series, she built quite a reputable career for herself over the years. She was a Bond Girl named Tracy in the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service opposite George Lazenby, where she became the only Bond girl in the franchise’s expansive history to actually marry the lead and become a Mrs. Bond.

"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." pic.twitter.com/nqQCSg35oM

— James Bond (@007) September 10, 2020

That wasn’t her only brush with on-screen action though. Rigg also shot to fame when she played the sultry spy Emma Peel on The Avengers in the 1960s alongside Patrick Macnee, who played John Steed. "She was ahead of her time," Rigg said at a 50-year anniversary tribute to Peel. "Quite by accident she became this avant-garde woman, and dear God, was I lucky to get the chance to play this woman. For years afterward, people came up to me and said, 'You were my heroine' — not me, Emma — 'and encouraged me to do this and that.' Without over-embellishing her influence, I do think she was a very, very potent influence in women claiming their place in this world."Over her career, Rigg received two Emmy nominations for her work on The Avengers. She was also nominated for four Emmys for her work on Game of Thrones, but her sole win came in 1997 for her role as the head housekeeper Mrs. Danvers in the PBS adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

RIP Dame Diana Rigg. Great actress and good sport - lest we forget, she let Daniel Radcliffe flick a condom on her head in Extras. pic.twitter.com/scFC8KPlZz

— Stephen Merchant (@StephenMerchant) September 10, 2020

Rigg also spent a lot of time in the theatre, having been trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After her two-year stint on The Avengers she returned to theatre, and in 1994 she won a Tony for playing the leading role in Medea. She also received a Tony nomination for her role in Abelard and Heloise, and twice for her 1971 and 1975 turns in The Misanthrope.Following Game of Thrones’ ending in 2019, Rigg starred in a handful of smaller TV projects, including as Mrs. Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small, and as the narrator in The Snail and the Whale. Her final two projects will be in the upcoming dramatic thriller Last Night in Soho, which hits theatres next April, and in the UK miniseries Black Narcissus, based on the 1939 novel by Rumer Godden."I'm an immensely curious person, I just want to keep learning," Rigg previously told People. "I'm not complacent, because I hope to be playing all sorts of stuff that I’ve never played before, while the mind and the body still functions. I love my life," she added. "I'm a very lucky woman. I'm in a position to do exactly what I want. I travel quite a lot. I read prodigiously. I go to the theater, to concerts. London is a wonderful city to live in."[video_embed id='2031445']Before you go: The Oscars announce new diversity requirements for Best Picture[/video_embed]