Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably most widely known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman, though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.
Wagner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Marilyn Louise and William Nowels Wagner. When she was seven years old, her parents divorced and her mother moved with her to the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock, near Pasadena. Another move with her mother and stepfather brought her to Portland, Oregon, where she attended David Douglas High School and appeared in a number of school plays. She studied at the University of Oregon.
Wagner worked as a model in Los Angeles, and gained some television experience by appearing as a hostess in Playboy After Dark. However, it was not until she contacted a friend at Universal Studios and was cast in a small part in Marcus Welby, M.D. that her acting career gained momentum. Her appearances helped her win roles in the films Two People and The Paper Chase. Wagner played a total of four different roles on the Marcus Welby, M.D. series between 1971-75, as well as a recurring guest role in The Rockford Files.
In 1975, Wagner played the role of Jaime Sommers, a former tennis pro who was the childhood sweetheart of Six Million Dollar Man, Steve Austin. In a two-part episode entitled “The Bionic Woman”, Jaime was critically injured in a skydiving accident and, at Steve’s request, she was equipped with bionic limbs similar to his own. Unfortunately, Jaime’s body rejected her new bionics and she later died.