Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, more famously know as Dame Diana Rigg, rose to fame in the nineteen sixties as the catsuit clad bombshell Emma Peel. She is consistently mentioned on lists of the all-time sexiest women on television. However, unlike many of the women who have the label of bombshell branded upon them, Dame Diana has the acting pedigree that has allowed her to excel beyond her days as John Steed's partner in crime fighting.
Born in Yorkshire in 1938, Diana moved with her family to India during her infancy. At the age of eight, her family moved back to England and young Diana was sent to boarding school. Her boarding school days were marked with unhappiness, as Diana felt like a fish out of water there. She found solace on the stage, devoting her time to perfecting her craft. Her efforts payed off, and in 1959 she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, with whom she performed until 1964. In 1965, she exploded onto television screens everywhere as Mrs. Emma Peel on the British television series The Avengers.
Emma Peel was the second partner to super agent John Steed. She seemed to be a master of endless occupations, could fight with the best of them, and had an impressive mod wardrobe. What made Emma Peel such a unique character was her blend of sex appeal, independence, wit, and intelligence. Dame Diana was somehow able to combine her own regal baring with an irresistible sprightly charm which managed to help ground the show during it's more extraordinary flights from logic.
Diana left The Avengers in 1968 to pursue other acting opportunities. Some of the other highlights of her long career include a stint as a Bond girl in 1969's In Her Majesty's Secret Service, hosting PBS's Mystery for several years in the late eighties and early nineties, and appearing alongside Kermit, Fozzie, and the rest of the Muppets in The Great Muppet Caper (1981). Dame Diana has appeared on the stage consistently in the years since leaving The Avengers, culminating in winning a Tony for her titular role in 1994's Medea. She also earned her title Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1994.
Here's a sampling of the old Peel and Steed magic, for the uninitiated:
