Lynda Carter, a superstar attraction in both TV and personal appearances, was one of the most versatile talents of the 1980's. She was the only star to have converted series success into automatic network ratings records with both her dramatic motion pictures for TV and Emmy-winning musical variety specials. She recently demonstrated her ratings magic by beating some of the heaviest competition of the season to make her latest dramatic feature for NBC,
Born To Be Sold, the first special of the season that network placed in the top 20. Lynda's extraordinary success in both variety and drama, coupled with her enormous international appeal, have proven her to be truly "a star for all seasons."
It is unusual to begin a biography with a quote, but the above comment from the entertainment trade publication, The Hollywood Reporter, is a fitting introduction to Lynda Carter.
She is the only star who achieves top TV ratings in both musical and dramatic specials. Her fourth variety special,
Lynda Carter, Street Life, with George Benson and Tony Orlando guesting, aired on CBS in March and again won the rating derby. One new direction the actress is taking in 1982 should further expand the impact of her talents. Occasionally Hollywood provides a casting that ignites a special excitement, a spectacular blend of subject and talent that commands the public's and the media's imagination.
That "event" casting of 1982 could well be Lynda Carter's starring role in
Rita Hayworth, a television movie developed by David Susskind. It marked a combination of two dynamic actresses whose achievements have spanned the areas both of dramatic acting and musical-variety performance. Rita Hayworth was acclaimed as the most exciting performer of the 1940's, and Lynda Carter has been hailed as occupying the same honor in the 1980's.
Carter kicked off the eighties with a full blast of critically acclaimed and highly successful versatility. In the musical performance field, she shattered attendance records from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to the Hotel de la Reforma in Mexico City, earning along the way such reviews as:
"shazam superstar... one of the most impressive performers of the year on a Vegas stage. She made believers out of all who saw her." Ron Delpit, Los Angeles, Herald-Examiner.
"Carter slinks, sizzles and sings her way through a wide range of songs. She is certainly equipped on a lot of levels to sock it to an audience." Ruth Robinson, The Hollywood Reporter and Mexico's Ariel Award as International Entertainer of the Year.
Her Emmy-winning CBS special,
Lynda Carter Celebration, was one of the highest-rated musical variety offerings of 1981. In the field of dramatics, she again has consistently proved a ratings and review winner by tackling significant subject matter.
Born To Be Sold, her most recent motion picture for television, not only was a major Nielsen winner for NBC, but did it against such formidable opposition as the season premieres of
M.A.S.H.,
Lou Grant,
House Calls, and one of the most attractive Monday night NFL games. It did so while tackling a subject of deep social significance, the plight of children sold illegally for adoption.
Similar success was achieved by Lynda's first television movie, The Last Song, a highly-suspenseful CBS film which candidly addressed the perils of uncontrolled chemical pollution and garnered a 37 share of the audience. The title song from the movie, as performed by Lynda, was produced by entertainer extraordinaire, Kenny Rogers.
Prior to tackling the role of Rita Hayworth and the international interest that will attend that production, Lynda's company is preparing her next CBS variety special to air during the 1982-83 season.
Within the past two years, she hosted three other dynamic television variety specials, starred in two dramatic telefeatures, headlined London's famed Palladium, and became the first entertainer to associate herself with a major women's professional tennis tournament.
Lynda Carter has proven a truly international star. Her Wonder Woman series continues as a hit in 140 countries, and she has set personal appearance attendance records on three continents. This appeal was underlined by her recent European concert tour which culminated with her engagement at a sold-out London Palladium.
In the world of sports, she is a premier attraction as well. Lynda hosts such premier professionals as Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova in the annual $125,000 Lynda Carter/Maybelline Tennis Classic which has been held in Deer Creek, Florida.
Born in Phoenix, the youngest of three children, Lynda made her professional singing debut at fifteen in Tempe, Arizona. In 1973, she won the Miss World-U.S.A. title and shortly thereafter 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 characters in TV history.
Appointed Beauty and Fashion Director of Maybelline Cosmetics, Lynda appears in advertising as well as serving as a consultant in the development and marketing of new products. Her achievement in this area startled even the flamboyant cosmetics industry. In the 18 months following her association with Maybelline products, the company's sales tripled, skyrocketing from $70 million to over $200 million.
Lynda has been the recipient of an unprecedented number of honors, including, from the London-based International Academy of Beauty, the title of "The Most Beautiful Woman In The World." She has, in addition, been named one of Mr. Blackwell's "Ten Best Dressed Women In America," Gallup poll's "Ten Most Admired Women In America," one of Helene Curtis' "Ten Best Tressed Women In America," and one of the International Bachelors Association's "Ten Most Exciting Women In The World." Her personality print, for which she received the coveted million-selling Gold Poster Award, continues to be one of the most popular posters in America. In addition to Mexico's Ariel Award, she also received South America's coveted Gold Two Award as most popular actress and performer.
