Lynda Carter

Entertainment

(b. 1951)

California Connection

• Lived in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1984

Achievements

Biography current as of induction in 2022

Best known for winning our hearts as TV’s Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter is also an accomplished singer-songwriter who has performed to rave reviews before sell-out crowds around the world. In addition to her long acting career, she has produced and starred in five highly rated television specials for CBS, several of which were Emmy Award nominated. She has appeared onstage with many of the world’s most popular performers including Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers and George Benson.

Carter made her professional singing debut at age 14 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and after a short stint travelling on the road with bands, found herself in Hollywood, where she outdistanced hundreds of other actresses for the part of Wonder Woman, a character she infused with such depth and humor that it has become one of the most indelible in television history. Her fame led her to becoming “the face” of Maybelline Cosmetics, and she remained Maybelline’s top model for over a decade. 

But her roots remained with her music. Her recent releases include the 2021 EP “Unexpected” and her latest single, the original pop ballad “Human and Divine.” Produced by her long-time record producer Kyle Lehning, the song is nothing less than an epic with themes of love, strength and inspiration in her life resonating throughout. She is currently recording new songs for release in 2023.

Though Carter continued to act in films and television, when she had her children, she left the road to raise her family. She returned to live performing in 2005, appearing on the London stage with an acclaimed star turn in “Chicago.”  In 2007 she began touring again with her band of Nashville All-Stars, bringing her concerts to major theaters across the country including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Although she released an album, “Portraits,” in the 1970s, she again started recording and released her first new CD, “At Last,” in 2010, which dropped at No. 6 on the Billboard charts. This was followed by “Crazy Little Things” in 2011 and “Red, Rock n’ Blues” in 2018. In recent years she has starred as the character Magnolia in the “Fallout 4” video game series, writing and performing original songs that were nominated for NAVGTR awards.

Carter was seen in the CW hit series “Supergirl” as the President of the United States and reprised her role in the film “Super Troopers 2.”  She also narrated the Smithsonian Channel series “Epic Warrior Women.” In 2016 she received a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars and in 2018 was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 2020 saw her appearance in “Wonder Woman ‘84.”

Carter is an avid supporter of many organizations and causes, including nonprofits focused on Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, literacy and LGBTQ rights. Currently she is working with City of Hope and TGen to discover new drug therapies for myelofibrosis patients, and was just named to the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

View more inductees from the 15th class, inducted in 2022.