R.I.P. Lyle Waggoner of The Carol Burnett Show and Wonder Woman

He also nearly played Batman.

On Now
Lyle Waggoner as Hugh Handsome on The Carol Burnett Show
Up Next:

Most folks know Lyle Waggoner best as a man of action, Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman. He could do comedy, too. A decade earlier, he was cast as the handsome announcer for The Carol Burnett Show, a role which eventually grew into a full-time comedic ensemble member.

The charming actor had quite the fan following. "He got a card table and a chair and set up an 'office' in the hallway outside the writers' room," Burnett remembered in her 2017 memoir In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox. "He would sit there when he had time and answer the mail." He also got cash through the mail, from selling copies of his pamphlet How to Audition and Get the Job for a dollar.

Before all that, he was nearly Batman.

Two screen tests were filmed to decide on the casting of Batman and Robin for the 1966 camp classic Batman. One, obviously, featured Adam West and Burt Ward. The other starred Lyle Waggoner and Peter R.J. Deyell. While Waggoner would ultimately lose the role to West, he would end up as another prominent DC Comics hero, Steve Trevor.

A year after leaving Carol Burnett, Waggoner began his stint on Wonder Woman, serving as the trusty sidekick to the powerful princess. If he looked good in a uniform, perhaps it was due to his time serving in the U.S. Army in 1950s. He was a radio operator in Germany.

In 1976, the city of Encino, California, named Waggoner it's honorary "mayor," an honor also given to familiar TV faces like Steve Allen, Mike Connors and Ronnie Schell over the years.

As Wonder Woman was ending, Waggoner transitioned to another Hollywood career that fit his name — he founded Star Waggons, a company leasing trailers used for location shooting in the film industry. 

According to his family, Waggoner died at his home on the morning of March 17, as reported by TMZ. He was 84.

Watch The Carol Burnett Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 11 PM
Sundays at 10:30 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

45 Comments

Spiro 36 months ago
I think Lyle was an underrated actor.
Oscar 39 months ago
Lyle was just your average tall, dark and handsome man. LOL!! He and the late, great, Harvey Korman were both about 6' 5" tall.
JOELONG123 42 months ago
WHY DOESN'T ME.TV SHOW EPISODES OF
THE INVADERS TV SHOW HERE LIKE YOU'RE
DOING WITH THE ONES YOU'RE ALREADY
SHOWING???
cynkgreen JOELONG123 39 months ago
We get Invaders here in Albuquerque, NM on Sci Fi Saturday Night with Svengoolie.
Bluebelle 45 months ago
Love METV, just wish I wouldn't lose the connection so I can watch my favorite shows like Carol Burnett. Lyle was a class act.
jacko3 47 months ago
Lyle Waggoner .. recall him in the great Carol Burnett series .. GOD Rest his soul ....
KathrynJordan 48 months ago
Sad to hear of the passing of another great actor. I am so glad that I have the Complete Wonder Woman series that he was in. I still enjoy watching a series that I watched in my childhood. RIP Lyle Waggoner.
jacko3 49 months ago
Yeah .. I agree with others, another cool star leaves the scene ... didn't realize his mid-eighties .. time flies on by so fast .. part of some fantastic entertainment .. GOD Rest Lyle Waggoner!
Dale 49 months ago
Sad to see another wonderful star go. I always thought that he LOOKED more like the Bruce Wayne/Batman from the comics, but I guess Adam West was better for a campier Batman. R.I.P. Lyle
cperrynaples Dale 49 months ago
Notice no mask and a bad logo! Those things mattered!
George 49 months ago
I remember when he played Glenn "Griller" Boals in the Steve "Grampa" Kozara story. He nailed it. R.I.P. my friend
gracie200 49 months ago
R.I.P. handsome Lyle. my fave skit starring Lyle was the Interrogator with Tim Conway (can't go wrong there).
https://youtu.be/M5eAjYpcYeg
AgingDisgracefully 49 months ago
Didn't Carol boot him for becoming Centerfold Guy?
That always struck me as Church Lady before there was Church Lady.
No, she loved Lyle and I bet he was her "hall pass"...LOL! Lyle wanted to do Wonder Woman instead!
WyldWil 49 months ago
I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Waggoner. He was a Super Nice Guy and always had that “Trademark Waggoner Smile” while signing autograph pictures for his many fans :)
Load previous comments
WyldWil 48 months ago
This comment has been removed.
George denny 48 months ago
Not sure who this dirt person is. I'm 82 & from the old generation. I'm sure this dirt guy must have heard me tell my story & may have used it as his own. Shame on u dirt.
BuckeyeBeth7 cperrynaples 24 months ago
Why would he be “that way” (I’m assuming you want to say gay) if he posed for a magazine who’s target audience was women wanting to look at nude men? Many celebrity men posed for Playgirl.
JeffPaul76 George 19 months ago
It was a character played by David Spade in the movie of the same name.
Sandra 49 months ago
Rest in Peace Lyle you brought such laughter to so many people prayers for your family
Edward 49 months ago
My own "personal" ? Lyle would have made a better 'Batman.' Adam West was too 'girly man.'
cperrynaples Edward 49 months ago
Are you saying Bruce Wayne was GAY? Holy Out of the Closet!
cperrynaples 47 months ago
This comment has been removed.
KeisukeSeth 49 months ago
I work in nursing with geriatrics. This channel is always on. Now it'll also be on at my house because I introduced it to my parents who watch these shows all the time and did so as kids. Well, better than Steve Harvey and Big Bang Theory... Also, Lyle was awesome. RIP.
KeisukeSeth KeisukeSeth 49 months ago
Note: I don't care to watch TV myself but if I do, this is the only channel outside of NASA that I would watch. At least older shows had some content of substinence.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?