Lindsay Wagner Was Fired by Universal — Then ‘The Bionic Woman’ Made Her a Star

Barb Oates August 29, 8:00 am

THE BIONIC WOMAN, Lindsay Wagner, 1976-78 — Everett Collection

What To Know

Lindsay Wagner was initially fired by Universal for being considered not glamorous enough.
She was later cast as Jaime Sommers on The Six Million Dollar Man without the studio realizing her contract had ended.
The overwhelming popularity of her character led to Wagner negotiating a much higher salary and eventually starring in her own hit series.

For many young girls and boys growing up in the 1970s, there were a handful of ultra-cool, beautiful TV stars to idolize and crush on. California blonde Lindsay Wagner was one of them.

The model-turned-actress skyrocketed to fame as Jaime Sommers, a character first introduced on The Six Million Dollar Man in a two-part episode. Wagner played Jaime, Steve Austin’s (Lee Majors) childhood sweetheart, who was severely injured in a skydiving accident. Jaime originally died, but the network was so inundated with complaints (even a school child psychologist wrote in on the impact of the character’s death) that they brought her back to life in another two-parter.

BIONIC WOMAN, Richard Anderson, Lindsay Wagner, Lee Majors, 1976-1978

Everett Collection

Jaime was given bionic legs, a bionic right arm, and a bionic ear (cue that iconic “dun-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh” slo-mo, action sound). In less than a year, she was given her own series, The Bionic Woman, which made its debut on Jan. 14, 1976. Both bionic series were rating winners for ABC (and later NBC), as were the three made-for-television movies that followed in 1987, ’89 and ’94. Earlier this year, Wagner, now 77, took part in fan celebrations for the show’s anniversaries. She continues to wear several hats as actress, advocate, mother and author.

“What a journey!,” Wagner shared on the show’s 50th anniversary. “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to have played Jaime Sommers, and to all of you who’ve kept her spirit alive for five decades. Here’s to strength, resilience, and heart.”

The crazy story of Lindsay Wagner getting fired

Everett Collection

Wagner was signed by Universal in 1971 as a “contract player” at age 22, where she was making roughly $162 a week. While she received lead roles in two movies — Two People and The Paper Chase — according to TV Guide Magazine‘s Bill Davidson, she was regarded by the studio as “too tall, too skinny, too flat-chested, too unglamorous” and was ultimately fired.

As in a lot of organizations, the right hand doesn’t always know what the left hand is doing, and that was the case when Universal cast her as Steve Austin’s love interest in The Six Million Dollar Man (no one knew her contract had run out). Once they realized the character’s popularity, they offered her $2,500 to return for two more segments. Her new agent declined, throwing out $25,000 instead. Universal agreed, and it was worth it — The Six Million Dollar Man advanced into the Top 10 in the ratings. The studio saw the potential and offered Wagner her own series and $17,500 per show, along with a percentage of profits from show merchandise.

The Bionic Woman, Now Streaming, Peacock & The Roku Channel

This article appears in the September 2026 issue of ReMIND Magazine. You can purchase the full issue at the link below.