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Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977) is an English stage, film and television actress. She is a two-time Olivier nominee for her stage work, but is best known for her performance as Nancy Astley in the BBC drama Tipping the Velvet. Stirling is the daughter of the actress Diana Rigg and theatre producer Archibald Stirling. Her parents subsequently married in 1982 and divorced in 1990. Through her father, she has a long line of ancestry from the Scottish parish of Lecropt, near her namesake city of Stirling. Stirling attended Wycombe Abbey School. She earned a BA in art history from... MORE

Rachael Atlanta Stirling (born 30 May 1977) is an English stage, film and television actress. She is a two-time Olivier nominee for her stage work, but is best known for her performance as Nancy Astley in the BBC drama Tipping the Velvet. Stirling is the daughter of the actress Diana Rigg and theatre producer Archibald Stirling. Her parents subsequently married in 1982 and divorced in 1990. Through her father, she has a long line of ancestry from the Scottish parish of Lecropt, near her namesake city of Stirling. Stirling attended Wycombe Abbey School. She earned a BA in art history from Edinburgh University. Stirling can speak Russian and is a highly skilled equestrian in horse-riding and jumping. She has been in a relationship with fellow actor Oliver Chris since 2007. Stirling made her first major appearance on stage in 1996 as Desdemona in the National Youth Theatre revival of Othello at the Arts Theatre opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role. A year later, again at the Arts Theatre with the NYT, she played Olive in the female version of The Odd Couple; while in 1998, portraying Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa for NYT at the Arts, she gave what The Stage reviewer described as LESS