British Actresses You Should Know: Dame Diana Rigg

When you hear the name Dame Diana Rigg, what comes to mind? The talented lady spy Emma Peel from The Avengers? The one and only Bond girl to marry 007 himself from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service? Or perhaps famous British fashion designer and jewel heist victim, Lady Holiday, from The Great Muppet Caper?

Well, Dame Diana has been in the acting game for over six decades and, in my opinion anyhow, her most recent roles have more entertaining and more badass than any martial arts master/genius clad in a leather catsuit. Her new gig as Victoria’s new Mistress of the Robes is just the latest in a growing list of “tough as old boots” roles that have earned Ms. Rigg a whole new generation of fans.

Here are just a sampling of her more mature roles from the past twenty years.

Mrs. Danvers - Rebecca

Masterpiece viewers might remember the 1997 mini-series adaptation of Daphne de Maurier's novelRebecca that broadcast on PBS. It featured Diana Rigg in the role of the famously disapproving and antagonistic Mrs. Danvers, for which she won an Emmy award.

(Speaking of PBS you may also recall Dame Diana’s stint as classy host of Masterpiece Mystery!  from 1989 -2004.)

Queen Henrietta Maria - The Last King  a.k.a Charles II: The Power & the Passion

In this historical mini-series, Rigg plays Queen Henrietta Maria, the widow of King Charles I, the British monarch who was executed for treason in 1649. This cold, vengeful woman tries to press the same hard-line views that got her husband beheaded onto her son, following his restoration to the throne.  Charles II just so happens to be played by one of Rigg’s Victoria co-stars, Rufus Sewell.