The Naked Truth of Dame Diana Rigg: A Book Excerpt for ONE TOUGH DAME by Herbie J Pilato

[Note: Unless otherwise indicated, this article features edited excerpted material from the book, One Tough Dame: The Life and Career of Diana Rigg, which is available in hardcover, audio CD, audiobook, and Kindle.]

It All Began with “The Avengers” (and Not ‘THAT’ One)

Acclaimed actress Dame Diana Rigg initially found fame in the 1960s playing super spy Mrs. Emma Peel on the action-adventures series, The Avengers. She later appeared on the big screen in classics such as On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and The Hospital, only to return to the small screen with iconic performances on shows like the original All Creatures Great and Small and Game of Thrones.

Rigg’s final screen appearance was in the 2021 film, Last Night in Soho, which she filmed in early 2020. She died from cancer the following fall.

However, on the stage, Rigg, a classically trained actress, felt most comfortable. Except one time.

A Closer Look

A Tony Award-winning performance once proved controversial for Dame Diana Rigg. It was during her infamous nude sequence in the 1971 play Abelard and Heloise that she was attacked by one theatre critic who complained…