‘The Bionic Woman’ Star Lindsay Wagner Looks Stunning at 70

Lindsay Wagner’s career spans over four decades, and at 70, her beauty remains ageless. Although she’s better known for her role as Jaime Sommers in “The Bionic Woman,” Wagner has over 90 credits under her belt, and she’s still adding to that number.

AN ICONIC ROLE

Although Lindsay Wagner has proved her versatility in front of the screen for the past 48 years, she’s still mostly recognized for her role in “The Bionic Woman,” and she’s not mad about it.

“I got over that years ago,” she told the Times Colonist and continued: “Some people get frustrated by that because sometimes the industry pigeonholes you. Some people start to resent that which gave them something wonderful.”

Wagner says the series, which aired from 1976 to 1978, allowed her “to do a lot of things I really wanted to do, to make something meaningful.”

Now at 70, Wagner is still attending fan conventions and meeting with fans of the series, often leaving people stunned with her age-defying looks.

Here’s a retrospective look at Wagner’s career, her family, and her beauty secret for a youthful appearance.

THE START OF A LONG-LASTING CAREER

After dropping out of college in the early ‘70s, Lindsay Wagner moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

She started modeling and appeared in some TV shows before signing a contract with Universal Studios to work in several of their projects.

For Wagner, it was essential to portray a female character that didn’t solve all problems with her super strength, but also with her brain.

The then-actress apprentice made her debut on the series “Adam-12” and continued gaining experience on series like “The Man and the City,” “The Bold Ones: The Lawyers,” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.”

In 1973 she made her film debut on “Two People,” which also marked her first lead role, and that same year she co-starred the film “The Paper Chase.”

Two years later, Wagner was cast to appear as the love interest of Colonel Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors, in two episodes of “The Six Million Dollar Man.”

Her character, Jaime Sommers, was a pro tennis player that got involved in a skydiving accident. To save her life, Colonel Austin asks his boss to replace Sommer’s limbs with bionic parts, but sadly, her body rejects them, and she dies.

THE BIONIC WOMAN

Wagner’s character was supposed to be her last under her contract with Universal, but the public response to the role was so good, that the network decided to bring Sommers back in another two-episode special followed by a spin-off.

“The Bionic Woman” debuted in 1976 and ran for two years.

Through the duration of the show, Wagner made several crossover appearances in “The Six Million Dollar Man,” and the show earned her an Emmy Award for "Best Actress in a Dramatic Role" in 1977.

What Wagner loved the most about the show was how the writers didn’t adapt the male story of “The Six Million Dollar Man” into the bionic woman but made sure to bring a sense of femininity to the new storyline.

Although Wagner’s love life hasn’t been exactly successful, she found solace in her studies of holistic healing.

“There wasn’t any prime-time show that starred a woman in the dramatic area,” Lindsay told Desert Sun, and continued:

“There were a couple of people who were forerunners in the comedy area, but not a serious role and certainly not in a man’s role, so 'The Bionic Woman' kind of broke that glass ceiling and then all of a sudden there was a flood.”

For Wagner, it was essential to portray a female character that didn’t solve all problems with her super strength, but also with her brain.

That characteristic, Lindsay said, gave the series a different quality that secured it a place into the collective’s memory.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SUPERHEROINE

Parallel to her successful career, Wagner managed to keep her tumultuous love life mostly away from the media.

She has been married and divorced four times, and is the proud mother of two grown-up sons.

Her first marriage was to music publisher Allan Ride, from 1971 to 1973. Then, in 1976, she wed to actor Michael Brandon, but the marriage lasted only three years.

In 1981, Wagner married again, this time to Hollywood stuntman Henry Kingi, with whom she shares sons Dorian and Alex. They divorced in 1984.

Wagner’s last marriage was to producer Lawrence Mortorff in 1990, but they split three years later.

A HOLISTIC LIFESTYLE

Although Wagner’s love life hasn’t been exactly successful, she found solace in her studies of holistic healing.

She has released two books: the vegetarian lifestyle bestseller “The High Road to Health,” and “Lindsay Wagner’s New Beauty: The Acupressure Facelift.”

She also imparted a series of workshops and retreats titled “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart,” which encouraged people to face and overcome their struggles by changing their perspectives.

Is this holistic approach that Wagner credits for maintaining such an ageless beauty and youthful energy. For her, is all about maintaining balance and following a routine “to approach getting back to your center and start to change your body chemistry.”

These days, Lindsay is still an active part of the acting community. Her most recent TV works include “Grey’s Anatomy,” where she gave life to Derek’s mom Helen Karev; “Fuller House,” and the film “Samson.”