Lynda Carter

Lynda Carter Bio

Lynda Jean Carter, born on July 24, 1951, in Phoenix, Arizona, is an American actress and singer whose career has spanned more than five decades. She is best known for portraying the title superhero in the television series Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979, a role that turned her into a global cultural icon. Beyond her work on the show, she has built a varied résumé that includes film, television specials, music albums, and voice performances for video games. Carter is also recognized for her humanitarian and political advocacy, including her support for women, health, and equality causes.

She first gained national attention after winning Miss World USA in 1972, and she continued to appear in projects such as Super Troopers, Sky High, and Wonder Woman 1984. In 2017, she joined the cast of the television series Supergirl as President Olivia Marsdin, further cementing her legacy within the superhero genre. Carter has remained active in entertainment and public life, balancing performance with advocacy work.

Early Life and Background

Lynda Jean Carter was born in Phoenix, Arizona, the daughter of Colby Carter and Juana Córdova. Her father is of English and Irish ancestry, while her mother, whose family came from Chihuahua, Mexico, is of Mexican, Spanish, and French descent. She grew up with one brother, Vincent, and one sister, Pamela, in a household that blended several cultural traditions and helped shape her early appreciation for music and performance.

Carter made her public television debut on Lew King’s Talent Show at the age of five, an early sign of her comfort in front of an audience. During high school, she performed in a band called Just Us, which featured a marimba, a conga drum, an acoustic guitar, and a stand-up bass. At 15, she began singing in a local pizza parlor to earn extra money, and by 16, she had joined another group called The Relatives, which included actor Gary Burghoff as the drummer. The band opened for three months at the Sahara Hotel and Casino lounge in Las Vegas.

In 1970, Carter auditioned successfully for the Garfin Gathering and toured with bandleader Howard (Speedy) Garfin, performing across Nevada’s casino circuit, including stops in Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Reno, and Las Vegas. By 1972, she decided to leave the band to pursue an acting career, returning to Arizona to prepare for the next stage of her professional life.

Path to Acting

Carter’s transition to acting began with a local Arizona beauty contest, which she won in 1972. That same year, she was crowned Miss World USA 1972, representing her home state. She then traveled to the international Miss World 1972 pageant, where she reached the Top 15. The visibility from her pageant success opened doors, motivating her to relocate to New York, where she enrolled in classes at several acting schools. One of her acting partners during this period was future CBS president Les Moonves.

Her first professional acting appearance came in 1974 in an episode of the police drama Nakia titled “Roots of Anger.” She soon landed guest spots on television series such as Starsky and Hutch and Cos, while also appearing in “B” movies, including the cult classic Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw. These early credits allowed her to build experience and confidence in front of the camera, setting the stage for the role that would define her career.

Lynda Carter Career

Early Career (1968-1974)

Carter’s earliest professional work began in 1968, when she started performing as a singer in local bands across Arizona and Nevada. Her big break came in 1972, when she won Miss World USA and represented the United States at the Miss World 1972 pageant, reaching the Top 15. With her growing public profile, she moved to New York to study acting and began landing her first television roles by 1974, including a guest spot in the police drama Nakia.

During this period, she made appearances in several television series and low-budget films, building the résumé that would soon lead to her career-defining opportunity. Her determination to pursue acting rather than continue performing with touring bands marked a clear pivot toward Hollywood and television work.

Breakthrough (1975-1979)

Carter’s defining moment arrived in 1975 when she was cast in the starring role of Wonder Woman, playing both the title superhero and her alter ego, Diana Prince. According to Carter, she landed the part after another actress lost the role, and she had only $25 in her bank account at the time. Her earnest and heartfelt performance, combined with a comic-accurate costume and a memorable theme song, made the show a hit with audiences and critics.

The Wonder Woman series ran for three seasons from 1975 to 1979, first on ABC and later on CBS. The character became a cultural touchstone, and Carter has remained closely identified with Wonder Woman for nearly fifty years. In 1985, DC Comics honored her as one of the Fifty Who Made DC Great for her work on the series.

While starring in Wonder Woman, Carter became a popular promotional figure, signing a modeling contract with Maybelline cosmetics in 1977 and being voted “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by the International Academy of Beauty and the British Press Organization in 1978. She also became the first woman to provide a voiceover for a movie trailer, doing so for the 1975 film The Drowning Pool. Her 1977 promotional poster, released through Pro Arts, sold more than a million copies.

Notable Works and Milestones

Carter’s signature work remains the television series Wonder Woman, which established her as a global household name and set a high standard for the portrayal of female superheroes. Beyond the show, she recorded the album Portrait in the late 1970s and made multiple musical guest appearances on television variety programs. In 2017, she returned to the world of DC Comics on the television series Supergirl, portraying President Olivia Marsdin in a recurring role.

Lynda Carter Award Nominations

Carter’s career has earned her recognition from several entertainment and media organizations. The song “Good Neighbor,” written and recorded by Carter for the 2015 video game Fallout 4, was nominated by the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) for best song in the category of Song, Original or Adapted. She has also been nominated for and has received recognition at various fan and industry events tied to her iconic portrayal of Wonder Woman.

Lynda Carter Awards Won

Carter has accumulated a number of distinguished honors across her career. In 2004, she won an award for “Superest Superhero” at the Second Annual TV Land Awards, the same year she performed her signature spinning transformation on stage after 25 years. In 2014, she received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars as the 369th honoree, and in 2016, she was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gracie Awards by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

On April 3, 2018, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Carter with the 2,632nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6562 Hollywood Boulevard in the television section. The ceremony featured guest speakers including director Patty Jenkins and former CBS chairman Leslie Moonves. On September 17, 2022, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago presented her with the Sor Juana Legacy Award for her contributions to the arts, and on December 13, 2022, she was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Lynda Carter Family

Carter is the daughter of Colby Carter and Juana Córdova. Her father is of English and Irish descent, and her mother is of Mexican, Spanish, and French descent, with roots in Chihuahua, Mexico. She grew up alongside one brother, Vincent, and one sister, Pamela, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Carter married her first husband, talent agent Ron Samuels, in 1977, and the couple divorced in 1982. On January 29, 1984, she married attorney Robert A. Altman, a law partner of Clark Clifford and co-founder and CEO of ZeniMax Media. Carter and Altman had two children together: a son, James Altman, born January 14, 1988, and a daughter, Jessica Carter Altman, born October 7, 1990. Robert A. Altman died on February 3, 2021, at a hospital in Baltimore following a battle with myelofibrosis, a rare form of leukemia; he was 73.

Personal Life

Carter has been married twice, first to Ron Samuels from 1977 to 1982, and later to Robert A. Altman from 1984 until his death in 2021. Earlier, she had a romantic relationship with French singer Michel Polnareff in 1973, before she took on the role of Wonder Woman. After marrying Altman, she moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1985, and the couple raised their two children in a Potomac, Maryland, home.

Beyond entertainment, Carter has been a vocal advocate for several causes, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, abortion rights, and LGBT equality. She served as Grand Marshal for the 2011 Phoenix Pride Parade, the 2011 New York City Pride Parade, and the 2013 Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C. Politically, she is a Democrat who has campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Kamala Harris in 2024. In 2008, she publicly shared that she had sought treatment for alcoholism and had been sober for nearly ten years.