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IMDbPro

Lyle Waggoner(1935-2020)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Lyle Waggoner at home, 1973
The adventures of the greatest of the female superheroes.
Play trailer0:31
Wonder Woman (1975–1979)
43 Videos
45 Photos
The television heartthrob from the 1960s and 1970s was the proverbial tall, dark and classically handsome actor. Completing the solid package was a great, muscular build, smooth charm, and an almost perfect set of teeth. Born in 1935 in Kansas City, Kansas, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he certainly paid his dues before landing his breakthrough as the suave announcer on The Carol Burnett Show (1967) in the late 1960s. The one-time door-to-door encyclopedia peddler, prior to his prime TV job, appeared in poorly-made sci-fi and beach party flicks with such dubious titles as Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966), Swamp Country (1966), Journey to the Center of Time (1967) and Catalina Caper (1967). In time, he was more than just a gorgeous hunk with a resonant voice, and they began to incorporate Waggoner into the show as a comedy sketch partner along with Vicki Lawrence and Harvey Korman. His better scenes typically had him essaying the superficial cad or gleamy-toothed, self-important star. After seven seasons on the knockabout variety show, however, Waggoner felt like a "third banana" and yearned to take a chance on solo stardom. During his off-times, he had prepared himself by appearing in summer stock and/or dinner theater in such breezy assignments as "Boeing, Boeing", "Send Me No Flowers", and "Once More, with Feeling". He also hosted the syndicated quiz show It's Your Bet (1969), and earned added "exposure" as Playgirl Magazine's first semi-nude centerfold in 1973.

Not long after his departure from the Burnett show, he landed the role of Major Steve Trevor on the popular comic strip-based series Wonder Woman (1975), playing the dashing, no-nonsense boss to Diana Prince. Again, the challenge was not there and he remained on the periphery for three seasons. In later years, Waggoner became more personality than performer and only sporadically appeared in glossy mini-movies and TV episodes, occasionally as himself. He appeared in a few feature films (including Love Me Deadly (1972), Surf II (1983) and Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991)). Perhaps surmising he was undone by being too perfect a specimen, he wisely looked into business ventures. In 1979, he successfully started up "Star Waggons", which served film/TV companies with rental trailers. His charming, vainglorious romancer act was for the cameras only. He married only once, to Sharon Kennedy, an actress, financial consultant and realtor. They were married for 59 years and had two sons.
BornApril 13, 1935
DiedMarch 17, 2020(84)
BornApril 13, 1935
DiedMarch 17, 2020(84)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos45

Dick Martin, Dan Rowan, and Lyle Waggoner in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Lyle Waggoner in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Chris Elliott and Lyle Waggoner in The Naked Truth (1995)
Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Waggoner
Richard Kline, Jennifer Salt, and Lyle Waggoner in The Love Boat (1977)
Rex Allen, R.L. Armstrong, Vincent Barbi, Sue Casey, Carolyn Gilbert, Baker Knight, and Lyle Waggoner in Swamp Country (1966)
Vincent Barbi, Sue Casey, David DaLie, Baker Knight, and Lyle Waggoner in Swamp Country (1966)
Lyle Waggoner in Swamp Country (1966)
Stella Stevens and Lyle Waggoner in The New Original Wonder Woman (1975)

Known for:

Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman (1975)
Wonder Woman
7.0
TV Series
  • Colonel Steve Trevor, Jr.
  • Major Steve Trevor
  • Maj. Steve Trevor
Surf II (1983)
Surf II
5.3
  • Chief Boyardie
  • 1983
Carol Burnett in The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
The Carol Burnett Show
8.7
TV Series
  • Announcer
  • Various Characters
Danger USA (1989)
Danger USA
3.5
  • Ben
  • 1989

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Pauly
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 1997
  • Michael Rapaport, Anita Barone, Kyle Sullivan, Kaylee DeFer, and Dean Collins in The War at Home (2005)
    The War at Home
    • Jack
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Living Straight
    • Robert Cord
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Adam West and Burt Ward in Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (2003)
    Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
    • Lyle Waggoner - Narrator
    • TV Movie
    • 2003
  • Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Topher Grace, and Laura Prepon in That '70s Show (1998)
    That '70s Show
    • Lyle Waggoner
    • TV Series
    • 1999
  • Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998)
    Love Boat: The Next Wave
    • Tom Brooks
    • TV Series
    • 1999
  • Téa Leoni in The Naked Truth (1995)
    The Naked Truth
    • Lyle Waggoner
    • TV Series
    • 1998
  • Ellen DeGeneres, Joely Fisher, and Clea Lewis in Ellen (1994)
    Ellen
    • Vic
    • TV Series
    • 1996
  • Cybill Shepherd, Alicia Witt, Christine Baranski, Dedee Pfeiffer, and Alan Rosenberg in Cybill (1995)
    Cybill
    • Lyle Waggoner
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Gene Barry and Peter Barton in Burke's Law (1994)
    Burke's Law
    • Reece Robertson
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Richard Lewis and Don Rickles in Daddy Dearest (1993)
    Daddy Dearest
    • Hank
    • TV Series
    • 1993
  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)
    Murder, She Wrote
    • Ben Wright
    • Vic DeMarco
    • Marty Strindberg
    • TV Series
    • 1984–1993
  • Dead Women in Lingerie (1991)
    Dead Women in Lingerie
    • Warren 'Daddy' Field
    • 1991
  • Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991)
    Wizards of the Demon Sword
    • Lord Khoura
    • 1991
  • Dream a Little Evil (1990)
    Dream a Little Evil
    • Death
    • Video
    • 1990
  • Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls (1985)
    The Golden Girls
    • Lyle Waggoner
    • TV Series
    • 1990

Soundtrack

  • Carol Burnett in The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
    The Carol Burnett Show
    • performer: "Cheek to Cheek"
    • performer: "Try A Little Kindness"
    • TV Series
    • 1969–1970

Videos43

MeTV Promo Trailer
Trailer 0:31
MeTV Promo Trailer
The Carol Burnett Show: The Best Of Tim Conway
Trailer 1:23
The Carol Burnett Show: The Best Of Tim Conway
The Carol Burnett Show: Treasures from the Vault
Trailer 3:31
The Carol Burnett Show: Treasures from the Vault
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes
Trailer 3:20
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes
The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection
Trailer 1:53
The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection
The Carol Burnett Show : The Ultimate Collection
Trailer 1:52
The Carol Burnett Show : The Ultimate Collection
The Carol Burnett Show: 706
Trailer 1:54
The Carol Burnett Show: 706
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 704
Trailer 1:55
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 704
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 612
Trailer 1:39
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 612
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 703
Trailer 2:01
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 703
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 609
Trailer 1:46
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 609
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 619
Trailer 2:01
The Carol Burnett Show: Show 619

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Star Waggons
  • Alternative names
    • Lyle & Sharon
  • Height
    • 6′ 3½″ (1.92 m)
  • Born
    • April 13, 1935
    • Kansas City, Kansas, USA
  • Died
    • March 17, 2020
    • Westlake, California, USA(cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Sharon KennedySeptember 17, 1960 - March 17, 2020 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
      Jason Waggoner
  • Other works
    Appeared in an infomercial, hosted by Pat Boone, for "MDR Vital Factor".
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was the owner of "Star Waggons, Inc.", the largest supplier of studio location rental trailers in the entertainment industry.

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