LOS ANGELES — With her arms crossed and poised for action, Wonder Woman television actress Lynda Carter was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday as her most famous superhero character enjoys a big-screen revival.
Ms. Carter, 66, was introduced by longtime friend and CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and Patty Jenkins, the director of last year’s blockbuster film Wonder Woman (it earned $821 million worldwide).
“It will be here forever, and maybe it needs to say Wonder Woman, or maybe not, we’ll see. Hopefully this character and I will live on in the memories of people,” Ms. Carter told the audience along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles before the unveiling of the emblematic terrazzo and brass star.
“There was no women in television during my era. So they didn’t really think that we could hold an audience,” she said.
She addressed the #MeToo movement sparked by the Harvey Weinstein sex abuse scandal, which ended his career and those of numerous other powerful Hollywood figures.
The “#MeToo movement is strong and I give everything to this generation,” she said. “What my generation can do is support you.”
“We’ve been screaming the same thing but it took this generation of women to make the difference.”
The ceremony was attended by dozens of Ms. Carter’s fans.
“It seems impossible but I have been in entertainment for more than 50 years — do the math,” said Ms. Carter
“I have loved it all!” the former Miss World USA exclaimed.
Ms. Carter’s Wonder Woman character, which first appeared on the pages of DC Comics in 1941 and debuted as a TV series starring the actress in 1976, is seen as a forerunner to the empowered heroines that are taking center stage in Hollywood.
Ms. Jenkins, 46, said Ms. Carter inspired her as a girl and showed her that she did not have to choose between being rebellious or feminine, or attractive or strong.
“Her Wonder Woman made me believe I could have whatever I wanted, and even more importantly, it made me unashamed to want it,” Ms. Jenkins said.
Wonder Woman was only on US television for three seasons, first on ABC and later on CBS where it finished in 1979. But the series, along with Ms. Carter’s performance, have given Wonder Woman a long legacy as a feminist symbol.
At times choking with emotion, Ms. Carter thanked her friends and family for their support as well as a nod to the men who helped stand behind women’s stories.
“From all of the wonder women out there, we love our men who stand with us and champion our causes and our voices,” Ms. Carter said.
“This is a day that I shall never forget,” she concluded.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and is major tourist attraction. — Reuters/AFP

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