Countess Tracy is one of the most tragic characters in the Bond canon, with the character’s on-screen introduction seeing her attempting to drown herself before being rescued by Bond. The couple grew closer over the course of the film, with Bond eventually proposing to the Countess. Although they looked set to get their happy ending, in the closing moments of the film, Tracy is gunned down by Bond’s arch-enemy, Ernest Stavro Blofeld. Her death was referenced in several other Bond films, including Roger Moore’s incarnation of the spy laying flowers at her grave in For Your Eyes Only.
Diana had plenty of spy credentials before appearing in the Bond franchise, having played secret agent Emma Peel in The Avengers between 1965 and 1968. Following her appearance in the film, Diana continued to act and achieved major parts in films such as Julius Caesar, The Great Muppet Caper, Evil Under the Sun and The Worst Witch.
The star also tried her hand at presenting and fronted the PBS show Mystery! between 1989 and 2003. However, acting was where her heart lay, and she continued to appear in major shows like Doctor Who and Extras. One of her biggest roles was as Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, which earned her an Emmy nomination, although the star admitted that she never watched the show.
Diana caused a lot of controversy in the 1960s when she pursued married director Philip Saville, with the pair living together for eight years. In 1973, she married Israeli painter Menachem Gueffen, but the couple split in 1976. A year later, she welcomed her daughter, Rachael Stirling, who also became an actress, with producer Archie Stirling. Diana and Archie married in 1982, but they divorced in 1990 after he had an affair with actress Joely Richardson.
The star died at the age of 82 on 10 September 2020 following a battle with lung cancer. She had been acting in the years and months before her death, including as Mrs Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small and Ms Collins in Last Night in Soho; the film released in 2021, was dedicated to her memory.
