Dame Diana Rigg: Born Fearless on Moon Landing Day

Dame Diana Rigg: Born Fearless on Moon Landing Day

July 20, 2026 · 3 min

About this episode

The episode explores the life and legacy of actress Diana Rigg, born on the same day as the moon landing.

On July 20th, 1969, while the whole world was fixated on the moon landing, another kind of history was unfolding back on Earth involving one of Hollywood's most magnetic stars. But if we shift our gaze to celebrity lore specifically tied to this date in later years, one delightful moment stands out. On July 20th, 2002, Natalie Wood's legacy and mystery were very much alive in public consciousness, though the real juicy anniversary worth savoring today involves the birth of a legend. On July 20th, 1938, actress and eternal screen beauty Diana Rigg was born in Doncaster, England. Long before she commanded rooms as the sharp tongued Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones, Rigg made her name as the impossibly cool and capable Emma Peel on the British spy series The Avengers during the 1960s. She strutted around in catsuits, karate chopped villains, and delivered dry wit with the precision of a surgeon, becoming a feminist icon before that was even a mainstream conversation. Rigg later graced the James Bond franchise as Tracy Bond, the only woman to ever actually marry 007 on screen, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Her career spanned decades, theater, television, and film, earning her…

More episodes of This Day in Celebrity History

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the This Day in Celebrity History podcast page.