Lyle Waggoner
Encyclopedia
Lyle Wesley Waggoner is an American
actor
and former model, best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show
from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor
in the Wonder Woman
television series from 1975 to 1979. Waggoner was also the first centerfold
for Playgirl
(albeit with limited nudity) in June 1973.
, the son of Marie and Myron Waggoner, and spent part of his childhood in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
. Prior to joining Carol Burnett, Waggoner was a finalist for the title role in the TV series version of Batman
, but lost the role to comic book buff and veteran actor Adam West
. In 1967, he appeared in Catalina Caper
(with Tommy Kirk
, a former child actor trying to restart his career as a young adult), a film which would eventually be lampooned by Mystery Science Theater 3000
. The same year, he began a seven year stint on The Carol Burnett Show
(sketch and variety comedy show) as an announcer and performer. Waggoner left the show in 1974 in the hopes of advancing his career as a lead actor. His spot on the show was filled by frequent guest star Tim Conway
(and his role as announcer by Ernie Anderson
), though he has since appeared on some of the Burnett Show reunions on television.
In 1975, a year after leaving the Burnett Show, Waggoner landed the role of Steve Trevor for the pilot of what would become the television series Wonder Woman. The subsequent series, in which Waggoner played opposite Lynda Carter
, ran for three seasons until 1979. Waggoner also appeared in several TV movies and minor motion pictures during the 1970s and 1980s, often cast for “hunk” appeal. He has also made guest appearances on numerous television series including Charlie's Angels
, Mork and Mindy
, The Golden Girls
, Ellen
, and most recently The War at Home
. Waggoner has also played at least three different roles on The Love Boat
, Fantasy Island
, and Murder She Wrote throughout their respective runs.
In 1979, Waggoner founded Star Waggons, a company that leases customized trailer
s for use by the entertainment industry. In 1990, Waggoner co-produced and appeared in a consumer product show called Consumer America with co-host Shawn Bruner. The show featured novel national products from self-help to home goods. The show lasted approximately two seasons.
Waggoner retired from full-time acting to run Star Waggons, but he makes occasional appearances, often parodying his earlier image (The Naked Truth
, That 70s Show, Return to the Batcave). In 1993, Waggoner was also the host of an infomercial
, “Let’s Talk With Lyle Waggoner”, which advertised “Y-bron”, supposedly a natural product that would cure male impotence.
, Wyoming
where he is a sculptor. His works can be seen at Galleries West Fine Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and are usually humorous renditions of lovely ladies some of which are cast at Eagle Bronze in Lander, Wyoming
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and former model, best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
in the Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (TV series)
Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
television series from 1975 to 1979. Waggoner was also the first centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
for Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
(albeit with limited nudity) in June 1973.
Life and career
Waggoner was born in Kansas City, KansasKansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, the son of Marie and Myron Waggoner, and spent part of his childhood in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 11,084 at the 2010 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, Missouri.- Geography :...
. Prior to joining Carol Burnett, Waggoner was a finalist for the title role in the TV series version of Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, but lost the role to comic book buff and veteran actor Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
. In 1967, he appeared in Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper
Catalina Caper is a 1967 comedy musical mystery film starring Tommy Kirk. It is one of the last in the beach party film genre. This entry blends the beach format with a standard crime-caper comedy...
(with Tommy Kirk
Tommy Kirk
Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk is a former American actor, and later a businessman.-Disney years:Kirk was discovered by talent agents at the age of thirteen in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California...
, a former child actor trying to restart his career as a young adult), a film which would eventually be lampooned by Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. The same year, he began a seven year stint on The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
(sketch and variety comedy show) as an announcer and performer. Waggoner left the show in 1974 in the hopes of advancing his career as a lead actor. His spot on the show was filled by frequent guest star Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
(and his role as announcer by Ernie Anderson
Ernie Anderson
Ernie Anderson was an American disc jockey, and television and radio announcer/voiceover artist...
), though he has since appeared on some of the Burnett Show reunions on television.
In 1975, a year after leaving the Burnett Show, Waggoner landed the role of Steve Trevor for the pilot of what would become the television series Wonder Woman. The subsequent series, in which Waggoner played opposite Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter
Lynda Jean Carter is an American actress and singer, best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series The New Original Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ....
, ran for three seasons until 1979. Waggoner also appeared in several TV movies and minor motion pictures during the 1970s and 1980s, often cast for “hunk” appeal. He has also made guest appearances on numerous television series including Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, Mork and Mindy
Mork and Mindy
Mork & Mindy is an American science fiction sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man egg-shaped spaceship. Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell, his human friend and roommate...
, The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
, Ellen
Ellen (TV series)
Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
, and most recently The War at Home
The War at Home (TV series)
The War at Home is an American sitcom that ran from September 11, 2005 to April 22, 2007 on Fox. It follows the antics of a largely dysfunctional Long Island family...
. Waggoner has also played at least three different roles on The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, and Murder She Wrote throughout their respective runs.
In 1979, Waggoner founded Star Waggons, a company that leases customized trailer
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
s for use by the entertainment industry. In 1990, Waggoner co-produced and appeared in a consumer product show called Consumer America with co-host Shawn Bruner. The show featured novel national products from self-help to home goods. The show lasted approximately two seasons.
Waggoner retired from full-time acting to run Star Waggons, but he makes occasional appearances, often parodying his earlier image (The Naked Truth
The Naked Truth (TV series)
The Naked Truth is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 1996, and on NBC from 1996 to 1998. The series stars Téa Leoni and co-starred Holland Taylor...
, That 70s Show, Return to the Batcave). In 1993, Waggoner was also the host of an infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
, “Let’s Talk With Lyle Waggoner”, which advertised “Y-bron”, supposedly a natural product that would cure male impotence.
Personal life
Waggoner is married to Sharon Kennedy, an actress, financial consultant, and realtor. The couple married in 1961 and have two sons, Jason and Beau. He currently resides near JacksonJackson, Wyoming
Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,647 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Teton County....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
where he is a sculptor. His works can be seen at Galleries West Fine Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and are usually humorous renditions of lovely ladies some of which are cast at Eagle Bronze in Lander, Wyoming
Lander, Wyoming
Lander is a city in, and the county seat of, Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. Named for transcontinental explorer Frederick W. Lander, Lander is located in central Wyoming, along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River. A tourism center with several dude ranches nearby, Lander is located just...
.