When I was a kid, there weren’t too many female action heroines to look up to, which may help explain why Lynda Carter’s 1975 role as Wonder Woman made her such a phenomenon.
During the 1970s, many young girls took inspiration from her and pretended to be Wonder Woman by donning their mothers’ tiaras and wrapping themselves in tea towels for capes.
Lynda was, without a doubt, a stunning beauty. In fact, to this day, in my view, she is…
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Only Lynda Carter’s starring role as Wonder Woman comes to mind when I hear her name. The TV series was one of the few Hollywood productions of the ’70s to include a female lead, and it premiered amid the height of the women’s liberation movement.
Lynda was a terrific pick for this part. She possessed wit and charm to match her intelligence and beauty.
However, Lynda too faced challenges before landing the part and rocketing to fame. She had a hard time getting along with the producers, for instance, since she lacked expertise as an actor.
Lynda Carter entered the world in 1951. She first debuted on national television at the tender age of five, on Lew King’s Talent Show. But when I got older, another passion—music—took over. Lynda became a member of a band during her time in high school. At age 15, she began working weekends for $25 by singing at a pizza joint.
Her childhood was marred by her parents’ divorce and other stresses. As a kid, Lynda was the subject of stares and remarks about her towering stature.
The Wonder Woman star’s height was an early source of self-doubt that she worked hard to overcome.
These emotions are relics from my childhood. If you know what I mean. Oh, are you tall! people would exclaim.’ And I snicker and reply, ‘Yeah, I’m tall!I used to be a clown. Lynda told reporters in 1979, “Inside, I felt like crumbling jelly.”
Lynda was quite complimentary of her upbringing. Her mother feared for her life if she ever “went Hollywood,” but it didn’t stop her from attending church every Sunday, having picnics, and joking about with her sister.
“It was so moral, so middle-class, so old-fashioned, and so good,” she gushed.
In the United States, we have Miss World.
Carter, who was born in Phoenix, Arizona, did attend Arizona State University for a period, but she abruptly left after being named the school’s “Most Talented” student. So why is that? She was set on devoting her life to a singing profession.
But then they had to change course since Lynda was never really recognised for her artistic abilities.
Instead, opportunities began knocking once she won a beauty contest in her native Arizona. This was in 1972. In the same year, she also won Miss USA on behalf of her state. In addition to competing for her nation, Lynda was selected to participate in the Miss World pageant in 1972. When the dust settled, she had placed in the top 15 percent.
Lynda’s beauty queen days are something she now downplays.
No awards were given to me. She said, “They slap a small flag on you, they plaster a crown on your head, and they proclaim you a beauty queen.
She went on to describe the process as “bad” and “painful,” adding that she now believes beauty pageants contain “a certain built-in cruelty.”
Superman’s Equal
In the early 1970s, Lynda attended courses at a number of New York City acting academies. She was so dedicated to her acting career that she even got small parts on hit TV shows like Starsky & Hutch and Cos. However, Lynda faced stiff competition in the film industry and almost went broke trying to make it in Los Angeles.
Her emergency fund had been depleted, so she was getting ready to look for a “normal” work.
But in 1975, when she earned the lead part on Wonder Woman, everything changed. She was getting ready to return to Arizona when her manager phoned to tell her that Joanna Cassidy had been passed up for the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and that Lynda had been cast in the role.
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When she found out she won the part, the 6-foot-tall beauty couldn’t believe it. The show was based on a DC Comics superheroine character from the 1940s. The Wonder Woman comic book series was an instant classic when it first appeared since she was one of the first female superheroes.
Writer William Moulton Marston and illustrator Harry G. Peter, who collaborated on Wonder Woman, believed strongly that women should have access to heroic representation. The debut episode of the Wonder Woman TV series also made a bold statement in favour of women’s equality, which was very much in keeping with the times.
Fifty thousand feminists marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City in the Women’s Strike for Equality March a few years before the series premiered.
In the first season, Wonder Woman delivered a dire warning: “Any civilization that does not recognise the female is doomed to destruction.” Sisterhood is stronger than anything, and women are the future.
Lynda Carter was disappointed that the feminist message was watered down after her death.
Carter told PBS that the network was afraid that Wonder Woman’s feminist message would turn off viewers because it was too “dangerous.”
There were more indications that not much had changed in Hollywood. When filming dangerous action sequences, the filmmakers, for example, wanted to utilise a male stunt double (with a hairy chest and large muscles). Lynda was irate since it was unheard of to use a female stunt performer.
“I can’t have that,” she said.
Lynda opted to do the perilous action by herself when Wonder Woman had to dangle from a moving helicopter in one episode. The producers were convinced enough by her performance to cast a female stunt duplicate.
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The three-season run of the classic Wonder Woman series aired on television from 1975 to 1979. Lynda was well praised for her portrayal as Wonder Woman in the film. Lynda’s depiction of a female superhero would inspire many female authors, fans, and producers, and no man could resist being fascinated by her beauty.
However, several people in the audience thought her outfit was too exposing.
On the beach, I wore less clothes.” “Carter argued.
It was more than just a swimsuit; it was a one-piece rendition of the American flag.
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Lynda wasn’t going to play into any preconceived notions about the 6-foot-tall beauty with the hourglass shape, which is mainly why she landed her career-making job. The female producers, they informed her, would be envious of her success.
So, I said, “Not a chance. I’m not going to play her like that, so they won’t be. I hope one day ladies will look up to me or want to be my best friend. Lynda said, “There’s something about the persona that makes you feel like you can fly in your imagination when you’re pretending to be her or in that position.
Lynda Carter may not have loved the attention, but she was the object of many men’s fantasies. An classic photo of her in a tied-up crop top was the best-selling poster that year, and she was named “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” in 1978.
She had to endure a lot as one of the most recognisable faces of our time, and the attention she received was not always flattering.
Never in a million years did I imagine that a photo of my naked body would be posted in men’s restrooms. I can’t stand it when guys evaluate me based on what they see. And I am aware of their opinions. They send me letters and fill me in,” she added.
Also in 1981, Lynda mentioned how she was unsatisfied with the success of that poster.
It’s awkward since all I did was take a picture. My contribution to the poster that sold over a million copies consisted entirely of taking a picture that I afterwards found to be stupid. My hubby suggested I “try this thing tied up here; it’ll look beautiful.
” The photographer said, “The back lighting is really terrific.” In an interview for the NBC programme Women Who Rate a 10, she remarked, “I think it would be hard for anyone to deal with someone having that picture up in their bedroom or their living room or whatever.”
The Post-Wonder Woman Era
Lynda Carter’s life changed dramatically after Wonder Woman’s triumph. She was given her own musical TV specials and even got to shake hands with President Ronald Reagan.
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After making $1 million for 26 episodes of Wonder Woman, Lynda was living large in a French-style mansion that cost $1,200,000 and was located at the top of Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles. A troop of German Shepherds stood watch over the house. There were many Bentleys in her garage.
The part of Carole Stanwyck in the criminal drama series Partners in criminal was her second major role. Lynda’s co-star in the production was the stunning Loni Anderson.
Lynda started her own production firm in the ’90s called Potomac Productions. She also did a lot of voice-over work and starred in several TV films.
At a meal at Chasen’s in Los Angeles, California, in August 1979, Lynda Carter was joined by boxer Muhammad Ali. (Photos by Getty)
After the turn of the century, Lynda kept making films. Younger viewers may likely recognise her as Pauline from the 2005 film adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard. She also tried out the stage for the first time, getting a part in a London production of Chicago on the West End.
The sophisticated actress’s iconic role from the 1970s will forever be linked to her name. Lynda’s links to the superhero community remain strong. For instance, Lynda was recognised by DC Comics. Director Patty Jenkins reached out to Lynda in an attempt to get a cameo appearance for her in the upcoming 2017 Wonder Woman picture.
Unfortunately, she declined the offer since it was not feasible given her current circumstances.
The timing just wasn’t right back then. She said, “I may do it the next time if she writes me a good role.
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Lynda was also there in 2016 when Wonder Woman was named “Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls” by the United Nations in honour of the hero’s 75th anniversary of her first appearance.
Lynda said at the event that the greatest honour and responsibility of portraying Wonder Woman was acting as a role model for people all across the globe, especially females.
I’ve witnessed firsthand how a superhero who is both strong and kind can encourage all genders to fight for equality.
Relationships & Marriage
Lynda Carter dated Michel Polnareff, a French singer and composer, before she became famous as Wonder Woman.
Lynda wed talent agent and promoter Ron Samuels in May of 1977. The two of them had really met at a gathering for ABC affiliates the year prior. During his heyday in the late ’70s, Samuels collaborated with such A-listers as Jennifer O’Neill, Joyce DeWitt, Jaclyn Smith, and Barbara Carreras.
When Ron first requested Lynda to meet with him in his office, he said it was for business purposes only. Their lunches, dinners, and tennis matches eventually evolved into something more, and they found themselves dating.
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Lynda was captivated by her future husband Ron because of his good looks and professional success. Meanwhile, Ron was not only taken aback by Lynda’s remarkable beauty, but also by her honesty and candour.
Lynda was 25 and Ron was 35 when they were married. Lynda donned a gown inspired by the Victorian era, fashioned by Wonder Woman costume creator Don Feld.
Lynda and Ron were one of Hollywood’s most high-profile couples for a few years because of their combined wealth, youth, and beauty.
The façade, however, was not without its flaws.
Lynda, looking back, says she was miserable during their marriage (1977–1982). She called it “an unfortunate chapter” in her life during an interview with the New York Times. But if you go back in time and read interviews with the couple when they were in the middle of their marriage, you can see that there were already signs of trouble.
One point of contention was whether or not to start a family. Lynda wanted to have children right away, but Ron insisted they wait. After the first two years, her spouse claimed he wanted to take another two.
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In 1980, Lynda spoke with the Daily Press about the difficulties in her marriage.
When I’m in between projects is when things between us tend to heat up. Sleeplessness plagues me. The only company I have is my own pace. If my spouse says anything hurtful to me, even if it’s only a word, I think about it. “I read it over a thousand times,” she remarked.
One of Hollywood’s most popular couples split up in June 1982 after the divorce was finalised.
It hurt both of us, and I pray he forgives me as much as I have forgiven him. And I genuinely want the best for him,” Lynda said.
Away from Hollywood
Lynda eventually found love again after her divorce from her first marriage. She wed Robert A. Altman, a lawyer in the District of Columbia, in 1984.
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It was love at first sight when Lynda and Robert met at a business dinner in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert was invited to the dinner by a mutual acquaintance since Lynda was a spokesperson for the cosmetics company Maybelline. The buddy baited Robert with the presence of the Wonder Woman actress.
For the life of me, I can’t locate her name or face,” Robert continued, “but I know she was a good-looking actress who modelled for Maybelline.”
I had planned on returning to the hotel to watch the football game. Going out to dinner with a famous actress seemed like the last thing I needed.
Fortunately, Robert had a change of heart.
They instantly clicked as he was seated next to Lynda. Everyone at the table could feel the palpable and powerful desire between them. Their attention to one other bordered on intrusive to the other diners. Lynda had just gotten out of a fairly unhappy marriage, so when she met Robert, she couldn’t contain her joy.
“This is (Robert’s first marriage, my second. But for me, it’s my first… Robert is my best friend. I’ve heard that phrase, your spouse is supposed to be your best friend. But I’ve never experienced it before. He’s for me and I’m for him. A friend doesn’t try to control you,” Lynda told Newsday in 1985.
Youngsters of Lynda Carter
At the Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California, the pair said their “I do’s” in front of family, friends, and industry professionals including Ed McMahon, Barbara Mandrell, and Loni Anderson.
Lynda had found the guy she’d been looking for, so she and her new husband decided to start a new life away from the spotlight in Potomac, Maryland.
She and her husband, Robert, have two children, James Altman (born in January 1988) and Jessica Carter Altman (born on October 7, 1990), whom they have been raising in their 20,000 square foot Georgian-style estate in Potomac.
Lynda revealed how much her children meant to her by sharing some of her ideas on parenthood in 2018.
Becoming a mother, it seems, has been my greatest journey of all. And I’ve enjoyed every second of it,” she said on Mother’s Day with an Instagram picture of her and her children.
At now, Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter is still working as an actress after reaching her 71st year. Nonetheless, she has had a rough go of it during the previous several years.
She had to say goodbye to her spouse, who she had loved dearly, in February of 2021. Robert, who was 73 years old, was diagnosed with a rare type of leukaemia and passed away in a Baltimore hospital.
The loss of Robert has had a profound effect on Lynda. A year after her husband’s death, in February of this year, she shared a picture of the two of them online, attempting to express her sadness via words.
You would have been 75 years old today. The love you gave me will always be with me, therefore I will never be able to imagine you gone. It continues on in me, in our kids, and in all the others whose lives you changed. We celebrate your life, your legacy, and the love you offered while you were here.
If I were on a mountain right now, I’d be singing to you through the gorges. But I didn’t sleep in; I got up with the sunrise, looked out over the water, and sung my love to you.
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Lynda’s drinking issue has been a topic of conversation as of late. The actress claims that her previous marriage’s problems were the catalyst for her drinking problem. She has been sober for nearly two decades now.
Robert, her husband, was a rock for her when she needed him most, a “knight in shining armour” in her fight to get well.
It’s been 23 years since I first entered recovery. I didn’t start drinking until my mid-20s, which is really late. It was dreadful to abstain from alcohol for two or three years, then start drinking again. In 2021, she reflected, “That was a long time ago, and now I’m very happy.”
You deserve the title of Wonder Woman since you have put your prominence to good use.
For many years, I have liked you and your work; please don’t stop! You are a beacon of hope in a world that’s become more bleak.
