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Lynda Jean Cordova -

Lynda Carter was born Lynda Jean Cordova in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 24, 1951. She was the youngest of three siblings and showed an affinity for the performing arts from a young age.

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A passion for music -

Carter studied classical dance and drama throughout her youth, and even formed a rock band in high school. She briefly attended the University of Arizona but soon dropped out to tour the country and sing with her band.

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Modeling and beauty pageants -

By 1972, Carter had returned to Arizona and started a career in modeling. After winning a local beauty pageant, she entered the Miss World competition and ended up as Miss World USA.

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Miss World USA -

Carter went on to represent the US in the global Miss World pageant and made it into the final 15. The experience inspired her to take acting classes and pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

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Moving into acting -

While studying acting in New York, Carter started to get small parts making guest appearances on shows like ‘Starsky and Hutch.’

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The wonder years -

In 1975, she got her big break when she landed the leading role in the ‘Wonder Woman’ TV series. This would be the defining moment of her career and the character she will always be associated with.

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Skeptical networks -

The show got picked up by CBS after one season, but the executives feared that a show with a female lead wouldn’t be very popular.

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A female superhero? -

“TV executives didn't think there was a market for a female holding a show like 'Wonder Woman,'" Carter once told the Daily Mail. "Women were buying all their products, yet men dominated the shows."

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An unprecedented success -

Despite their low expectations, ‘Wonder Woman’ was a smash hit among both men and women, and ran until 1979. Carter became an icon for women, and her posters adorned the walls of many teen bedrooms.

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Impressive stunt work -

One of the most impressive things about Lynda Carter that most people don’t know is that she performed many of her own stunts on the show. Pretty impressive considering she played a superhero, especially before the era of the green screen!

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The helicopter stunt -

One of the most incredible stunts she ever performed was in the second season of the show. Wonder Woman was supposed to hold onto the bottom of a helicopter as it flew through the air. However, all of the stuntmen were, well, men, so it would have looked ridiculous.

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The helicopter stunt -

Carter was quick to step in and do the stunt herself. She happily grabbed onto the bottom of the helicopter without any safety net or anything to secure her and dangled 50 ft (15 m) in the air as it flew around. Carter apparently had the time of her life! “It was so much fun. Where else in life can you have all these adventures?”

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Jeannie Epper -

Speaking of stunt doubles, Carter had a hand in forcing the studio to hire one of the first stunt women in Hollywood. Jeannie Epper became her stunt double after the helicopter fiasco, and went on to become one of the most decorated stunt women in the industry.

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Ron Samuels -

In the middle of her ‘Wonder Woman’ years, Carter married her manager, Ron Samuels. She was 25 at the time and Samuels was a lot older. The marriage lasted until 1982.

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Sage advice -

Carter would later refer to their marriage as an unfortunate chapter in her life. "He was a lot older, and I was just stupid," she said. “Don’t marry the first person that proposes to you!"

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True love -

Within a couple of years, Carter married the love of her life, lawyer Robert Altman. They tied the knot in 1984 and she relocated to Maryland to live with him, as he worked out of Washington D.C.

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A normal family -

The couple had two children, Jamie and Jessica, whom Carter tried to give a normal life. Her relationship with Altman was strong and they supported each other through thick and thin.

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Fraud charges -

She stuck by his side when he was put on trial for fraud in the early 1990s, although he was eventually acquitted.

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Struggles with alcohol dependency -

Carter experienced her own struggles during the ‘90s as she battled alcohol addiction. With the support of her family and a stint in rehab, she got sober and has stayed that way ever since.

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Further acting success -

While ‘Wonder Woman’ may have been the peak of her acting career, and the role she is best known for, Carter didn’t give up on acting. She moved from TV to film and landed roles in movies like ‘Sky High’(2005) and ‘The Dukes of Hazzard' (2005).

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Passing the torch -

Carter even appeared in the highly successful new ‘Wonder Woman’ film franchise starring Gal Gadot. She made a brief appearance in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (2020) as Asteria, and it’s been confirmed that she’s coming back for the next installment.

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A mentor and friend -

The original Wonder Woman even stepped in to help Gadot prepare to take on the iconic role. “First of all, Lynda has mentored me from the very first moment that I got cast as Wonder Woman,” Gadot revealed. “She’s a true champion of what Patty and I have been doing, and it was so great that we managed to find the right opportunity to bring her to the last movie and now to the third one.”

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Activist and icon -

Lynda Carter was the perfect person to play an icon of female strength and empowerment. She has always been outspoken about social and political issues that affect women and the LGBTQ community in particular.

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Wonder Woman as a UN Ambassador -

In 2016, both Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot were invited to a United Nations ceremony where Wonder Woman was given the title of "Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women."

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Unexpected controversy -

However, the celebration of Wonder Woman’s status as a symbol of female empowerment was short-lived. The backlash from those who thought Wonder Woman was a poor example was so strong that the UN took back the honor. A petition that gained more than 40,000 signatures argued that a scantily clad white woman wasn’t an appropriate role model.

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The true power of Wonder Woman -

Both Gadot and Carter were vocal in their defense of Wonder Woman as an icon and role model. They emphasized that the character’s purpose was fighting for freedom, and were disappointed that so many people were hung up on the sexy outfit.

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Speaking out on abuse in the film industry -

During the explosion of the #MeToo movement in 2018, Carter revealed that she too had been sexually abused by one of the most prominently accused men named in the fallout. She decided not to share his name, saying “There’s nothing legally I could add to it, because I looked into it.” However, she spoke out and identified herself as a survivor in support of the other women who suffered similar abuse.

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A musician at heart -

Although Carter is a talented actress, her artistic career began with her passion for music, and she never let it die. Throughout her acting career, she continued to make music and appear on stage in musicals.

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From the studio to the West End -

She has released five studio albums and starred in the West End production of ‘Chicago’ as Mama Morton in 2006.

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A moment of recognition -

In 2018, Carter’s long career in acting and music were honored when she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She brought along her whole family to share the joyful moment.

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A devastating shock -

In 2021, Carter lost her beloved husband of 37 years to a rare form of blood cancer. In an interview with People later that year, she admitted that she was really struggling with her grief and still crying several times a day. "The next part of my life is I want to learn who I am,” she said. “It's totally frightening. I don't know who I am without Robert."

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Wonder Woman -

While Carter may be finding her feet again after such a tragic and life-changing event, one thing is for sure: to the rest of us, she will always be the awe-inspiring Wonder Woman, in every single way. 

Sources: (Biography) (Wonderwall) (USA Today) (People) (NinjaJournalist) 

See also: Mortal stars—Celebrities on death

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