Lynda Carter is an actress, model, singer, and songwriter. She was crowned as the Miss World of America in 1972. Carter gained popularity for her role in the T.V. series ‘Wonder Woman’. She was awarded the Superest Superhero award at the Second Annual T.V. Land Awards in 2004. Throughout her childhood and teen years, she studied classical dance and drama. Carter briefly attended Arizona State University before going to tour the country with her high school rock band.
Early Career
Carter made her television debut on ‘Lew King’s Talent Show’ at the age of five. She was also part of the group ‘Just Us’ during her high school years. She joined a different band called ‘The Relatives’ at the age of 16 with two of her cousins. The band’s drummer was actor Gary Burghoff. For three months, the group opened their lounge at the Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. To enter the casinos, Carter had to go through the kitchen since she was under 21.
Modeling career
Carter began her modeling career in 1972. She became Miss USA after entering a local beauty competition in 1973. The International Academy of Beauty and the British Press Organization voted her as “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.”. The following year, she signed a contract to model for Maybelline cosmetics. She appeared in a Diet 7Up commercial with comedian Don Rickles in 1979.
Acting career
Lynda Carter attended several acting schools in New York during the 1970s. She acted with future CBS president Les Moonves during this time. Hollywood came knocking shortly after she won her crown. Her first acting role was in a police drama titled ‘Nakia’ in 1974. Over a year, she appeared in several T.V. series, including ‘Matt Helm,’ ‘A matter of Wife,’ and ‘Starsky and Hutch.’ Additionally, she starred in several ‘B’ movies.
Carter appeared in an episode of ‘The Muppet Show’ in 1980 and acted in the television movie ‘Hotline’ during the 1980s. In 1983, she played Rita Hayworth in her biopic ‘Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess.’ While in the 1990s, she appeared in several television movies, including When Friendship Kills (1996), She Woke Up Pregnant (1996), A Prayer in the Dark (1997), Someone to Love Me (1998) and Family Blessings (1999). In 2001, she portrayed Governor Jessiman in the film ‘Super Troopers.’
In addition to her acting career, Lynda Carter has also contributed her voice to the various versions of the popular video game series ‘The Elder Scrolls.’ In 2015, she recorded the original soundtrack for the video game ‘Fallout 4’.
In years, the big-screen remake of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)’ marked Carter’s first appearance in a major feature film. During the same year, she also starred in Disney’s action-comedy film ‘Sky High (2005)’ as Principal Powers, a superhero high school principal. A year later, she starred in the made-for-cable vampire film Slayer.
Wonder Woman
Carter gained worldwide recognition with ‘Wonder Woman,’ and it completely changed her career. ABC originally aired the show as a special, but by 1976 it had become a series. There were initial fears that viewers wouldn’t like a female lead, but CBS picked it up and carried it for a few years.
Personal life
Lynda Carter has been married twice. From 1977 to 1982, she was married to Ron Samuels, her former talent agent. Carter married Washington, D.C. attorney Robert A. Altman in 1984. The couple has two children, James and Jessica. Before she played Wonder Woman, she also had a romantic relationship with French singer Michel Polnareff. Carter entered a rehabilitation clinic to treat alcoholism in 2008, and she has been sober for more than a decade.
Here below are some glamorous photos of beautiful Lynda Carter when she was young.
