The official Daphne du Maurier website, approved by her Estate
Dame Diana Rigg dies aged 82
Diana Rigg, Emilia Fox and Charles Dance in he 1997 mini-series of Rebecca
It is with sadness that we bring you the news that Dame Diana Rigg has died aged 82. She was one of our finest classically trained British actresses, famous for roles as diverse as Emma Peel in The Avengers, the title role in the film Hedda Gabler, and Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones. But at this time when the new adaptation of Rebecca is on the lips of every Daphne du Maurier follower, we must not forget that Diana Rigg was once Mrs Danvers.
In 1997 Rebecca was produced as a two-part mini-series, filmed for Carlton Television in the UK and broadcast in the United States as a presentation of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS. The cast starred Emilia Fox as the second Mrs de Winter, Charles Dance as Maxim and Diana Rigg as a terrifying Mrs Danvers. Diana’s stunning performance as Mrs Danvers won her the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Mini-series or Movie that year.