Lyle Waggoner, The Carol Burnett Show and Wonder Woman Star, Dies at 84

Sad news out of Hollywood. 

Lyle Waggoner, a beloved actor, who appeared on The Carol Burnett Show and Wonder Woman, has died. 

He was 84. 

The Hollywood Reporter reported the news first. 

Back in 1965, Waggoner was in the running for a role on the Fox-ABC series in Batman in the titular role, but the role went to Adam West. 

Waggoner had small roles on the TV and movie world before being hired to serve as the announcer on The Carol Burnett Show, which hit the air in 1967. 

The purpose of the announcer role came about when Burnett "was afraid to talk to the audience when that show started; she didn't want to have to talk directly to them on camera," Bob Mackie, the costume designer on the sketch-comedy show, revealed in a 2000 interview for the website The Interviews: An Oral History of Television.

"So she had the big announcer person that she could play off of."

Waggoner exited the beloved series in 1974, but the show went on with Tim Conway taking over the announcer role. 

The actor followed up that role a major role on ABC's Wonder Woman. He started off by playing Major Steve Trevor. 

But the series became too expensive to produce, so his role became Steve Trevor Jr, and the time period of the show was changed. 

"He was a real gung-ho kind of guy," Waggoner said of Trevor in a 2011 interview with Sci-Fi and TV Talk. 

"Steve tried his best, but he always seemed to get himself into hot water. Of course, he pretty much had to because it was Wonder Woman's job to rescue him.

"If there was a scene where he got the drop on the bad guys, sure enough, someone would end up slapping the gun out of his hand and turning the tables on him."

Waggoner was born on April 13, 1935, as Kyle Wesley Waggoner. He attended Washington University before enlisting in the U.S. army and working as a radio operator. 

While back home, he worked as a door-to-door salesman, and many people told him he should become an actor. 

That's when he caught the acting bug. 

But the hot commodity, once called a big Ken Doll by costume designer, Bob Mackie, lit the entertainment world on fire in other ways, too.

Waggoner was the centerfold for the premiere issue of Playgirl in 1973. 

Later in life, he switched gears entirely when he began renting motor homes. It was a renting motorhome he'd had on Wonder Woman that gave him the idea.

The business was quite lucrative for Waggoner, who by 2016 had over 800 motor homes for rent and an annual revenue of $17 million.

What do you recall about Waggoner? You can still catch him on Wonder Woman airing frequently on MeTV.

We extend our thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Mr. Waggoner during this difficult time. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.