Girls growing up in the 1970s were torn between being housewives or superheroes, even though female action stars were rare.

But then Lynda Carter came along and immortalized Wonder Woman in the real world.

Best known for her role in DC Comic’s Wonder Woman, Carter had a huge influence on young girls who were growing up in a decade when women were breaking free of the shackles of expected domesticity.

In the series that ran for three seasons (1976 to 1979), the former beauty queen was adored by both genders for her breathtaking beauty and the message of empowerment delivered by her fictional character.

Speaking with CBS Carter shares that one of the producers of the hit TV series warned her, saying, “‘Oh, women are gonna be so jealous of you…Well, I said, ‘Not a chance. They won’t be, because I’m not playing her that way. I want women to want to be me or be my best friend!’”

Golden warrior

In the 1980s, after marrying lawyer Robert Altman, the star left Hollywood to raise her children in Washington, D.C.

“Turns out my greatest adventure of all was becoming a mom. And I have loved every minute of it,” she tells People of her children James and Jessica.

Since her Hollywood hiatus, Carter returned to the screen with appearances in films like 2005’s Dukes of Hazzard, Super Troopers 2 (2018), and most recently she popped up in a post-credits scene of Wonder Woman 1984, where she plays Asteria, the Golden Warrior of the Amazons.

“Many actresses or actors, they want to divorce themselves from a role because we are actors, we really aren’t the people that we play. But I knew very early on that this character is much more than me certainly, and to try to divorce myself from the experiences that other people have of the character is silly,” she said in 2017 of her appearance in the 2020 film that stars Gal Godot as the immortal demigoddess.

Now 72, the star, crowned Miss USA World 1972, is exploring her career in music.

Her newest release, “Letters from Earth,” she says is a love letter Altman, who died from blood cancer in 2021. The song will be available to stream on March 15, 2024.

“We had such a wonderful relationship that it’s hard,” she says of losing the man who she married in 1984.

Breathtaking beauty

Seemingly ageless and still as stunning as she was in her heyday, the woman admits she doesn’t walk out the door looking like perfection.

“That outcome is spending time in a chair with some really good people doing your hair and makeup,” she shares with People. “Then having somebody dress you, that has got something to do with it. Actors and celebrities always look so great when they’re on the red carpet, but when you see them in real life, they just look like a regular person with no makeup and their crummy clothes on. Everybody looks the same when they’re not all dressed up.”

Carter adds, “If everyone did a three-hour makeover before they left the house, then they’d all look amazing. What I’m trying to say is, there’s a lot of effort behind those pictures. Don’t think they walk out the door looking like that!”

But she does walk out the door still looking like the heroine she played in the late 70s.

“People still recognize me all the time as Wonder Woman…I don’t know that I’ve changed too dramatically.”

The star, who turns 73 in July, reveals she’s avoided cosmetic procedures that could alter her appearance, making her look like someone else.

“I don’t cut my face, so I probably look just myself, but older.” The dark-haired beauty adds, “And the reason I’ve never had any facial surgery is just because I’m afraid. It’s scary, because we’ve all seen some bad ones.”