Lynda Carter
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| Lynda Carter | |
 Lynda Carter at the height of her fame in the 1970s. |
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| Birth name | Linda Jean Córdova Carter[1] |
| Born | July 24, 1951 (age 55) Phoenix, Arizona, USA  |
| Years active | 1970s - present |
| Notable roles | Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman |
Lynda Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress. She is known for the Amazonian title role in the fantasy-adventure TV series Wonder Woman which aired from 1976 to 1979.
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[edit] Early life
Carter was born Linda Jean Córdova Carter in Phoenix, Arizona.[2] Her father, Colby Carter, an Irish-American.[1] , and her mother, Juana Córdova, who is Mexican[1] Carter grew up an avid reader of the Wonder Woman comic books. She went to Globe High School in Globe AZ and Arcadia High School in Phoenix, then to Arizona State University, but after being voted the most talented student she dropped out in order to pursue a career in music. She toured as a singer with several rock groups before returning to Arizona in 1972.
[edit] Career
Carter entered a local beauty contest and achieved her first national fame by winning Miss World USA in 1972 representing Arizona. [1] As the United States entrant in the Miss World pageant she reached the semi-finals. After taking acting classes at several New York acting schools, she began making appearances on TV shows such as Starsky and Hutch, Cos and Nakia and B-movies including Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976). However, her acting career did not take off until she landed her starring role in the Wonder Woman television series. Her earnest performance endeared her to fans and critics and the series lasted for three seasons. Thirty years after first taking on the role, Carter continues to be closely identified with Wonder Woman, so much so that it has proved difficult for producers to find a suitable candidate to play the character in subsequent aborted productions (work on the most recent attempt was announced in 2005)
Carter's other credits include the title role in a 1983 biopic of Rita Hayworth and a variety of television specials. She also starred in a couple of short-lived TV series, including Partners in Crime with Loni Anderson. During the late 1970s, she recorded the album Portrait and made numerous guest appearances on variety television programs in a musical capacity. She also sang two of her songs in the Wonder Woman episode "Amazon Hot Wax."
In 2001, Carter was cast in the low-budget comedy feature Super Troopers as Vermont Governor Jessman. The writer-stars of the film, the comedy troop Broken Lizard with member Jay Chandrasekhar directing, had specifically sought Carter for the role, with plans to approach other television actresses of the 1970s had Carter declined. Carter had her first appearance in a major feature film in a number of years in the 2005 big-screen remake of The Dukes of Hazzard, also directed by Chandrasekhar. She also appears in the 2005 movie Sky High as Principal Powers, the head of a school for superheroes. The script allowed for Carter to poke fun at her most famous character when she states: "What a waste. I can't do anything more to help you. I'm not Wonder Woman, y'know."
Carter has also done voiceover work for video games, performing voices for the Nord and Orsimer (Orc) females in two computer games from The Elder Scrolls series. These are The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. These games were developed by Bethesda Softworks, of which her husband Robert Altman (not to be confused with the late Hollywood director) is Chairman and CEO.
From September 26, 2005 until November of that year, Carter played the role of Mama Morton in the West End London production of Chicago.[3] Her rendition of "When You're Good to Mama" was officially released on the Chicago: 10th Anniversary Edition cd box set in October of 2006. Receiving positive response to the song's release, Lynda booked her own cabaret act in San Francisco at the York Hotel's Plush Room from May 1 - 6, 2007.
[edit] Personal life
Carter has been married twice. Her first marriage was to her former agent Ron Samuels on May 28, 1977. They were divorced in 1982. Carter married Robert Altman, a lawyer at the time, on January 29, 1984. Robert and Lynda have two children, James and Jessica Altman.[1]
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
Categories: 1951 births | American film actors | American television actors | Arizona State University alumni | Beauty pageant contestants | Hispanic American actors | Irish-American actors | Law & Order cast members | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit cast | Living people | Mexican Americans | Mexican American actors | Miss World contestants | People from Phoenix, Arizona
