At 74, ‘Bionic Woman’ Star Lindsay Wagner Is As ‘Beautiful As Ever’ In Rare Appearance With Son

Oct 04, 2023

Lindsay Wagner is best known for her portrayal of "The Bionic Woman" in the popular 1970s TV show. It seems fitting that Wagner would have perseverance when considering the types of roles she has played in her career. In "The Bionic Woman," Wagner played a secret agent who was surgically enhanced with robotic replacement parts that gave her super strength, speed and hearing. In life, Wagner seems just as tough as her heroic television character as she has had success in many endeavors, including writing, teaching, coaching and modeling.

Wagner's childhood was marred by a divorce. After her parents split, Wagner lived with her aunt and grandmother for some time as her parents "grew up," she said in an interview with People in March 1980. 

"Divorce is not an easy thing on a child. I took a certain amount of guilt for it, so that made me down on myself. By the time you grow up and understand what divorce is, it’s too late,” she added. 

She went on to live with her mother in Los Angeles after the breakup. At age 13, she found a release when she began taking acting classes. She participated in school plays in Oregon after her mother relocated there with her stepfather. She picked up her interest in acting again when she took on the role of hostess for the musical program "Playboy After Dark." People reported that she then went on to become a Nina Blanchard model when she was just 14, and at age 16 ended up with a stomach ulcer. After graduating from high school, Wagner worked as a cocktail waitress, sold clothing at a boutique, and even sang for a rock band. Finally, she signed a contract with Universal for $162 a week when she was 22 years old.

Wagner began appearing on many TV shows, including "The Rockford Files" and "Marcus Welby, M.D." She also films such as "The Paper Chase" and "Two People." She returned to television in 1975 with her iconic role as Jaime Sommers in "The Bionic Woman." The show was a successful spinoff of the even more famous "Six Million Dollar Man" series that chronicled the adventures of Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors. The Sommers character was a romantic interest of the Austin character.

Her character was originally meant to die, but was resurrected due to popular demand. The Sommers character came back in a two-part special on "The Six Million Dollar Man," and a spinoff show was created that gave Wagner the lead role in her own program. "The Bionic Woman" debuted in 1976. While working on the popular show, Wagner also did some acting overseas.

Wagner looked back on her experience with the TV show, stating that it gave her a chance to do something she enjoyed while creating something meaningful, as she recalled to the Times Colonist. Her character used intelligence and physical prowess to overcome difficult situations. She believes her heroism in the show caused ripples in the women's movement. 

"It was the beginning of changing the image of women in the media,” she told People in 2018. "Anybody over the age of 34 still tells me how I was such a big part of their childhood," the actress added. 

However, this isn't to say that Wagner's acting career did not take a toll on her. Her stint on the popular show left her feeling burnt out by all the work. 

"How Jaime Sommers was feeling — not like a woman but like a kind of robot — was the way I was feeling about the series," she said in 1980. "I had constant disharmony, inter-studio battles and no personal life. I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I wanted to experience myself as a person for a while." Her mental exhaustion paired with health issues led to difficulties on set for her, where she was labeled as petulant and demanding.

Her wildfire success and ambition for her career also took a toll on her marriage. She had married Michael Brandon in 1976, just as "The Bionic Woman" had begun filming and her career exploded. Wagner had become an overnight success in Hollywood and maintained a 70-hour-per-week schedule. 

"I was so involved in my career that I couldn’t see objectively anymore who I was personally, or what I needed in a mate," she reflected in 1980. "That kind of rush is frightening, trying to keep up so that you don’t get trampled by the pace. I’ll have to be excused for anything I did then."

Speaking about any future plans of marriage at the time, she said, "I have been married too much at this point in my life. For me to settle down with anybody right now would be repeating history in a very dumb way. It would be silly, impractical and cause more pain than anything," she elaborated. "I don’t want to do that to myself again — or to anybody else." She ended up marrying twice after her relationship with Brandon — she was married to stuntman Henry Kingi from 1981 to 1984, with whom she shares sons Dorian and Alex Kingi, followed by her marriage to TV producer Lawrence Mortorff from 1990 to 1993. 

From her days as Jaime Sommers, Wagner has been a beacon of female empowerment. Speaking to Smashing Interviews Magazine in 2016, Wagner said: 

"Women were being redefined in our culture by everybody. We really didn’t even know what it meant. The simple fact that women were even ‘allowed’ to be the pinnacle of a show was a start. I think a lot of women didn’t even understand, to be honest with you, what it meant for a woman to be in power."

Wagner has largely faded from the spotlight after the conclusion of "The Bionic Woman," although she did appear in the hit show "Grey's Anatomy." Wagner also remains active in her goals to foster social change. 

"It’s going to be interesting to see in the next generation what happens because men and women have both been raised differently than we were, than I was. Our culture is very different today. There’s a lot more permission for men to be sensitive as well as powerful, and there’s a lot more permission today for women to be powerful as well as sensitive. It’s just finding that balance and then expressing it through the way we create. Evolution’s a big order," said the star. 

Alongside her activism, the 74-year-old is also very much a family woman. Her sons, Dorian and Alex are now grown, and both also work in show business as stuntmen. She gave fans a peek at Alex when she posted shots of them appearing at the Port Townsend Film Festival on Sept. 24, 2023. Fans were thrilled to see Wagner looking radiant. 

“Great Pictures! Lindsay, beautiful as ever,” one comment read.

Wagner also shared another photo of herself enjoying a cup of coffee in July 2023. Again, fans couldn’t believe how well she looked, and many took to the comments to express how much they loved her and her work. 

“Been your fan for years….started watching Bionic women (sic) and Six Million Dollar Man and loved both shows. Lindsay I just think the world of you sweetheart and wish you every happiness as you have brought me much in mine,” an ecstatic fan wrote. Another said:

“My generation LOVED the Bionic Woman! I can't imagine ANY other actor playing that role and making it memorable. No. Making it ICONIC. ❤️”

Are you glad to hear that Lindsay Wagner is still going strong in her senior years? Let us know your thoughts about this wonderful actress, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family who loved her as “The Bionic Woman.”