WONDERLAND • The Ultimate Wonder Woman Site

	Hollywood is filled with glamorous starlets who, many times, have little to fall back on besides their looks Lynda Carter-with her shapely figure, long black hair, lovely face and incredible green, eyes might be miscast in that category. But Lynda is more than decorative. She's a woman who has carefully mapped out the goals of her life and, more important, follows them faithfully. That's why she was aptly cast for ABC-TV's -"Wonder Woman" series.

	The five-foot six-inch star was born (25 years ago) and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, the youngest of three children. "I feel very close to my family," she says today. "They have always been very supportive of me. They may not have always agreed with my decisions, but they respected my right to make them, and they helped me pick up the pieces when I was wrong."

	Lynda always knew she wanted to act and claims she chose her career at the age of three! There were, however, certain practical detours along the way. In 1973, she was able to land the Miss World-U.S.A. title, and during that contest she sang "God Bless The Child That's Got Its Own" so impressively that -offers of singing contracts poured in from all over.
But Lynda refused to be sidetracked from her first love, acting. I suppose that is why I admire Katharine Hepburn so-she has such tremendous presence and strength! No .matter what role she is playing, her effect on the audience is positive. My ultimate career goal is to have the opportunity to be so totally in control of what I am doing that I can be certain the end product will be a positive thing."

Lynda feels that way about all aspects of her life. She has just signed a contract with MCA records to do an album, and, on top of that, she recently submitted a synopsis of a script for an episode of "Wonder Woman."

"I'm only unhappy when I am not working," she explains. "As long as I am creating-whether it be acting, singing, dancing or writing-my life is terrific. I really only feel down when I'm not busy."

One would imagine that socially, too, Lynda is one of the busiest young ladies in town-but, when asked, she only smiles and remarks, "I do have a few good friends that I am fond of, but I really do prefer to keep that part of my life private. I've found that publicity can sometimes hurt a relationship, and so I'd just as soon not talk about it."

Being beautiful can cause difficulties in - relationships, too. How, has Lynda adjusted to the ironic, problem of being so attractive that it can hinder rather than help?

Her green eyes flashed. Then: "You know, everyone in this world has labels. Some we have to live up to, and others we have to live down. In my life, ‘beautiful girl' was the label, and I had to both live up to it and live it down until I was able to come to grips with it."

"I finally realized that my face and my body were given to me. I had nothing to do with it. I can't even see them without a mirror. A person sees from the inside out-so, as far as I am concerned, I work on what's inside. Let everybody else worry about my outside if they want."

"I used to have a weight problem, and I think it was probably a defense against the ‘beautiful girl' label. Now that. I've been able to let all that go, my weight seems to be able to take care of itself-with a little help from all the exercise I get playing Wonder Woman." Speaking of Wonder Woman, does Lynda have any fears of being typecast in a role so early in her career? "Typecasting is a state of mind," she insists. "Any actor in a series is typecast in a way. I feel that I am really lucky, for, unlike an Archie Bunker or a Columbo, I get to play many different parts within the show. It is really exciting. I am challenged to create a real woman out of a comic character and make her human. "I am also excited because I think Wonder Woman has a strong message for women today, in terms of the societal changes going on mound us. 'Wonder Woman' shows a woman making decisions in her life to be free, strong and independent-while still remaining feminine."

"I guess I really identify with that part of the role. 'Wonder Woman' is great fun. It- is a good, positive input for the whole family. It puts back something in an area where I feel we seem to take so much out."

"I feel that about my life also. I'm a big believer in spiritual inspiration. God, Jesus, Buddah-whatever you prefer to call it. I try to be in touch with my own personal god to help me let go of some of Lynda Carter's ego. I know there are things I have to learn in terms of discipline-and one of them is putting back into life some of what I take out."

Listening to her continue, you really get the feeling that Lynda Carter is in full control of her life: "I may not have it all together yet, but I'll tell you one thing: I will never end up my life by saying, 'I wish I had', or I should have done.' I want to do everything and try everything while I can. I get so angry at people who say, 'There must be more to life than this.' Of course there is-but you've got to open the door to it."

And what does the future hold for Lynda? "Who knows?" she shrugs with a laugh. "Right now, I'm having a great time. I feel fortunate, beautiful, happy, and blessed!" Not even Wonder Woman could ask for more than that!