Game Of Thrones Actor Dame Diana Rigg Dies At 82

Her agent told the publication: "She died peacefully early this morning. She was at home with her family who have asked for privacy at this difficult time."

Rigg first found fame in the 1960s with The Avengers, and went onto to portray Tracy Bond - one of the most famous Bond girls of all time, as she was the only woman 007 has married.

But Rigg, who was born in Doncaster in 1938, found she particularly enjoyed her time on HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones.

"They are so much more interesting than good.

"There are some actors who don't like to play bad; they like to be liked. I love to be disliked. Olenna had the best lines, they were very kind with their scripts."

Rigg admitted she had no idea just how popular Game of Thrones was when she was offered the role, continuing: "The world turns full circle, because just like with The Avengers, I wasn't watching Game of Thrones and had absolutely no idea of its influence in the world.

"It was a job, they sent me a script, and I thought 'I can do this.'

"Interestingly enough, they tested me very early on.

"One of my earliest scenes was incredibly difficult, listing all the things my marching army would need.

"It went on forever, talking about the sheep and the cows and the soldiers. I read that and thought, 'these guys are testing an old actress to see if she can get it into her head.'

"I thought, 'I'm going to do it in one take.' And I did."

Rigg was nominated Emmys in 2013, 2014 and 2015 for her recurring role in the show.