For millions of television viewers, Lindsay Wagner will always be Jaime Sommers. Strong. Compassionate.
Independent. And, thanks to some unforgettable 1970s television effects, bionic. “The Bionic Woman” transformed Wagner into an international star and eventually earned her an Emmy Award.
But away from the cameras, her personal life followed a much less predictable path.
Wagner married four times.
Each marriage ended in divorce.
And remarkably, after her second marriage ended, she publicly questioned whether getting married again made sense for her.
Life had other plans.
She would eventually walk down the aisle twice more.
Fame arrived before her personal life settled
Born in Los Angeles in 1949, Wagner began her entertainment career as a model before moving into acting.
Her breakthrough came through television.
She appeared in several productions before being cast as Jaime Sommers opposite Lee Majors in “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
The character became enormously popular.
Jaime was subsequently given her own series, “The Bionic Woman,” which premiered in 1976.
Wagner’s performance turned her into one of television’s most recognizable actresses.
In 1977, she won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Her professional life was soaring.
Her romantic life, however, was considerably more complicated.
And the story had begun before Jaime Sommers existed.
Her first marriage: Allan Rider
Wagner’s first husband was music publisher Allan Rider.
The two married in 1971.
At the time, Wagner was still near the beginning of the career that would eventually make her famous.
The marriage was brief.
By 1973, Wagner and Rider had divorced.
She was still in her twenties and had not yet reached the level of television fame that would come later in the decade.
Then she met actor Michael Brandon.
This relationship lasted longer.
But it ultimately reached the same conclusion.
Michael Brandon became husband No. 2
Wagner and Michael Brandon lived together before marrying in 1976.
Brandon was building his own acting career and would appear in films and television productions including “Promises in the Dark” and “A Change of Seasons.”
For a time, the two actors shared their lives while navigating careers in entertainment.
But their marriage deteriorated.
They separated in 1979 and subsequently divorced.
Brandon later described the end of the marriage as painful and disputed contemporary reports about financial demands connected with their separation.
The experience clearly affected both of them.
And for Wagner, it prompted some serious reflection.
She publicly questioned marriage
By early 1980, Wagner had already experienced two divorces.
That March, she appeared on the cover of People magazine.
Inside, she discussed her life and relationships while promoting “Scruples,” in which she played Billy Ikehorn.
Wagner drew a comparison between herself and the character, including the fact that both had experienced multiple marriages.
At that stage of her life, she was skeptical about marrying again.
She suggested that repeating the same pattern could create more pain for herself and other people.
It sounded as though two marriages might be enough.
But personal decisions made at one point in life do not always survive changing circumstances.
Not long afterward, Wagner fell in love again.
Henry Kingi entered her life
Wagner’s third husband was Henry Kingi, a stunt performer and actor.
Kingi worked in film and television for decades and became known for stunt work across numerous productions.
His professional path crossed Wagner’s during the period when she was one of television’s biggest stars.
Their relationship eventually became romantic.
They married in 1981.
This marriage also brought something new into Wagner’s life.
Motherhood.
In 1982, Wagner and Kingi welcomed their first son, Dorian.
A second son, Alex, followed in 1986.
Although Wagner and Kingi did not remain married, their relationship created a family connection that continued through their children.
The marriage itself ended in divorce in 1984.
Wagner had now been married three times.
But despite her earlier doubts about marriage, there would eventually be one more.
A fourth marriage
In 1990, Wagner married film producer Lawrence Mortorff.
The wedding was reportedly a private ceremony in West Los Angeles.
For Wagner, it was marriage number four.
For Mortorff, it was his second marriage.
The relationship lasted several years before ending in divorce in 1993.
Wagner did not marry again.
Four marriages across more than two decades had become part of her personal history.
But focusing exclusively on those relationships risks overlooking the much larger story of what she did professionally and personally afterward.
Because Wagner’s life did not stop when her marriages ended.
Neither did her career.
Jaime Sommers never completely disappeared
“The Bionic Woman” originally ran from 1976 to 1978.
Yet the character remained closely associated with Wagner for decades.
She returned as Jaime Sommers in reunion films connected with “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
The role became part of television history and developed a lasting fan base.
Wagner continued acting well beyond the show’s original run.
Her credits expanded across television movies, series and feature films.
She appeared in productions including “Nighthawks,” “Martin’s Day” and numerous television dramas.
Decades after becoming famous, she was still working.
But her interests were expanding beyond acting.
Another side of Lindsay Wagner emerged
Over the years, Wagner became increasingly interested in subjects involving wellness, personal development and holistic approaches to life.
She wrote books and participated in workshops and educational programs.
Cooking and nutrition also became part of her public work.
This created an unusual second chapter.
Many actors remain almost entirely defined by the characters that made them famous.
Wagner embraced her connection with Jaime Sommers, but she also developed interests far removed from fictional bionic technology.
Her public appearances increasingly reflected both parts of her life.
The actress.
And the person interested in helping people think about their well-being.
The Bionic Woman became a mother too
Wagner’s sons also became an important part of her life.
Dorian and Alex are the children of her marriage to Henry Kingi.
Wagner has spoken over the years about motherhood and the importance of balancing family with professional responsibilities.
That part of her life existed largely outside the spectacular television world that audiences associated with her.
There were no bionic sound effects.
No impossible jumps.
No secret-agent missions.
There was simply family life behind the celebrity image.
And as the decades passed, the contrast between Jaime Sommers and Lindsay Wagner became increasingly interesting.
One was permanently preserved as a young television heroine.
The other continued growing, changing and aging.
Decades later, fans still show up
Wagner has remained a familiar presence at conventions and events celebrating classic television and popular culture.
“The Bionic Woman” continues to introduce her to viewers who were not alive when the series originally aired.
Older fans remember watching Jaime Sommers during the 1970s.
Younger viewers encounter the character through streaming, clips and the broader legacy of science-fiction television.
That continued interest has kept Wagner connected with audiences more than half a century after she began acting.
And in 2026, she remained publicly active.
Ahead of Comic Con Northern Ireland in September, Wagner participated in promotional appearances and interviews.
At 77, she was still discussing the work that made her famous and engaging with the audience that never completely forgot Jaime Sommers.
Aging without pretending time stopped
Public discussion of older actresses often focuses heavily on appearance.
Wagner has aged in public because audiences have known her since she was young.
Her long white hair and naturally changing appearance now stand in obvious contrast with the images of Jaime Sommers that remain permanently preserved on screen.
But aging is not a failure to maintain a younger face.
It is simply what happens when decades pass.
For Wagner, those decades contain an enormous amount of life.
Four marriages.
Two sons.
An Emmy.
Dozens of acting credits.
Books.
Public speaking.
Wellness work.
And a character that became part of American television history.
That record tells a much larger story than any before-and-after photograph could.
Four marriages do not tell the whole story
It can be tempting to frame Wagner’s romantic history as a series of failures.
Allan Rider.
Michael Brandon.
Henry Kingi.
Lawrence Mortorff.
Four husbands.
Four divorces.
Those facts are straightforward.
But relationships are rarely explained adequately by a list of wedding and divorce dates.
Public records can tell us when marriages began and ended.
They cannot tell outsiders everything that happened inside them.
That is why claims assigning blame for each divorce should be treated cautiously unless the people involved have clearly documented what happened themselves.
What can be said is simpler.
Wagner repeatedly chose to try marriage again despite earlier disappointment.
Then, after her fourth divorce, she did not marry again.
Her career proved far more enduring
There is a striking contrast in Wagner’s story.
Her marriages were temporary.
Her relationship with audiences was not.
Nearly five decades after “The Bionic Woman” made her a household name, people still recognize her.
They still attend conventions to meet her.
They still ask about Jaime Sommers.
They still remember the slow-motion running and unmistakable bionic sound effects.
But Wagner herself became much more than the character.
And perhaps that is where the story ultimately lands.
The woman behind the bionics
When Lindsay Wagner discussed marriage in 1980, she could not know exactly what the following decades would bring.
She would marry again.
Twice.
She would become a mother.
She would continue acting.
She would explore entirely different professional interests.
And she would remain connected to a television character long after the program that created her had ended.
Today, Wagner’s four marriages are part of her biography.
But they are only four chapters.
At 77, her life includes far more than the relationships that ended.
Her most famous character was imagined as a woman rebuilt after catastrophe and given another chance.
Real life was never quite that dramatic.
But Wagner’s own story contains its share of reinvention.
Marriage came and went.
Hollywood changed.
Television changed.
Wagner changed too.
Yet more than half a century after audiences first discovered her, Lindsay Wagner is still showing up.
And perhaps that longevity — rather than the length of any individual marriage — is the more interesting story.
