Diana Rigg

The singular Diana Rigg went almost directly from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the role of a lifetime on The Avengers, playing Emma Peel from '65 to '67. Ms. Peel was, of course, no typical heroine-- she was a first-class chemist and a near-genius in several sciences, as well as a expert in kung-fu, tai-chi, and several other forms of hand-to-hand combat.




And she looked awesome, all the time. Whether it was a skin-tight jumpsuit or the latest London fashions, she was never less than perfectly stylish.
It took a remarkable woman to play such a remarkable character, and Diana Rigg was more than up to the challenge. Born in England but raised in India, she speaks fluent Hindi. In '88, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in '94 a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.




She left The Avengers to co-star with George Lazenby in the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and stayed active in film well into the '90's.