Lynda Carter

Lynda Jean Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant contestant, best known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the television series Wonder Woman, aired on ABC and later on CBS from 1975 to 1979. Before her acting career, she was crowned Miss World USA in 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant.

Carter has appeared in a wide range of films and television series. She appeared in films such as Super Troopers (2001), and Sky High (2005), Super Troopers 2 (2018), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), where she made an uncredited cameo as Asteria. She also had a recurring role as U.S. President Olivia Marsdin on the series Supergirl (2016–2018). Additionally, she has participated in various television specials and series, including Two and a Half Men (2013), and The Muppet Show (1980).

Carter has received several honors throughout her career. In 2014, she was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. In 2016, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gracie Awards. Carter was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. In 2022, she was recognized with the Sor Juana Legacy Award by the National Museum of Mexican Art for her contributions to the arts, and later that year, she was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Carter was born in Phoenix, Arizona, the daughter of Juana (née Córdova) and Colby Carter. Her father is of English and Irish ancestry, and her mother, whose family came from Chihuahua, Mexico, is of Mexican, Spanish, and French descent. She has one brother, Vincent, and one sister, Pamela. Carter made her public television debut on Lew King's Talent Show at age 5. During high school, Carter performed in a band called Just Us. The band included a marimba, a conga drum, an acoustic guitar, and a stand-up bass which was played by another girl in the group. At age 15, Carter began singing in the local pizza parlor to earn extra money. When she was 16, she joined two of her cousins in another band called The Relatives. Actor Gary Burghoff was the drummer for the band. The group opened at the Sahara Hotel and Casino lounge in Las Vegas for three months; because Carter was under 21 she had to enter through the kitchen.

In 1970, Carter successfully auditioned for and then sang on tour with The Garfin Gathering and bandleader Howard (Speedy) Garfin. Their first performance together was at the Holiday Inn Chinatown, a San Francisco hotel so new that it had no completed sidewalk entrance. Consequently, they played mostly to the hotel staff and hotel guests who parked their cars in the underground garage. The Garfin Gathering toured the Nevada "Silver Circuit", playing shows in many of the state's casino lounges between Lake Tahoe, Carson City, Reno, and Las Vegas. In 1972, Carter decided to leave the Garfin Gathering to pursue an acting career, returning to Arizona.

In 1972, Carter won a local Arizona beauty contest and gained national attention in the United States by winning Miss World USA 1972, representing Arizona. In the international Miss World 1972 pageant, representing the United States she reached the Top 15. She took acting classes at several New York acting schools during the early 1970s. One of her acting partners during this time was future CBS president Les Moonves. Carter made her first acting appearance in "Roots of Anger", an episode of the 1974 police drama Nakia. She began making appearances on such TV shows as Starsky and Hutch and Cos, as well as appearances in several "B" movies including the cult classic Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw.

Wonder Woman, the fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter in 1941. Conceived in the wake of the popularity of Superman, Marston designed his creation as counter-programming to the Man of Steel. The Diana Prince/Wonder Woman character is also called the Amazing Amazon, the Spirit of Truth, Themyscira's Champion, and the Goddess of Love and War. Wonder Woman was an instant hit with readers and became the most prominent DC comic book female superhero.

Carter's acting career took off when she landed the starring role on Wonder Woman in 1975, as the title character and her secret identity, Diana Prince. The savings she had set aside from her days of touring on the road with her band to pursue acting in Los Angeles were almost exhausted. Carter has publicly stated that, on the day she got the part, she had $25 in the bank. She was close to returning to Arizona when her manager informed her that Joanna Cassidy had lost the role and Carter had the part of Wonder Woman. Carter's earnest performance greatly endeared her to both fans and critics. As a result, she continues to be closely identified with Wonder Woman.