When most people think of Lynda Carter, they see the golden lasso, the star-spangled outfit, and the effortless 1970s grace of the definitive Wonder Woman. But for 37 years, the most important part of her world wasn’t Hollywood; it was a high-stakes, high-powered lawyer and gaming mogul named Robert A. Altman.
Honestly, calling him just "Lynda Carter's husband" is kind of a massive understatement.
Robert A. Altman wasn't some trophy spouse trailing behind a TV icon on red carpets. He was a titan of industry, a man who survived one of the biggest banking scandals in American history, and the guy who eventually oversaw the creation of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout empires.
Their marriage wasn't just a celebrity union; it was a legitimate partnership that weathered literal federal trials and the cutthroat evolution of the tech world.
The Washington Power Couple You Didn't See Coming
Lynda Carter met Robert Altman at a dinner in 1982. At the time, she was coming off the high of Wonder Woman but also dealing with a messy divorce from her first husband and manager, Ron Samuels. Samuels had been a Hollywood staple, but Carter later described that period of her life as one where she felt controlled and increasingly unhappy.
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Then came Robert.
He was a Washington, D.C. lawyer with a sharp mind and zero interest in the Hollywood "scene." They married in January 1984. Shortly after, Lynda did something that baffled the industry: she walked away from the center of fame. She packed up and moved to Potomac, Maryland.
She chose the quiet life of a D.C. suburb over the hills of Los Angeles. They raised two kids, James and Jessica, in a massive house that felt more like a sanctuary than a celebrity manor.
That Time the Government Tried to Put Him in Prison
If you think their life was all quiet dinners and Maryland greenery, you're wrong. In the early 90s, the couple hit a wall that would have broken most families.
Robert Altman was caught up in the BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International) scandal. It was a mess. We’re talking allegations of fraud, bribery, and secret ownership of First American Bankshares, where Altman served as president.
The media was brutal. Prosecutors painted him as a mastermind of deceit.
The trial lasted five months in 1993. Lynda was there every single day. She wasn't just "supporting" him; she was his fiercest defender in the court of public opinion. She famously jumped into his arms and burst into tears when the jury finally read the "Not Guilty" verdict on all counts.
Altman had refused a plea deal. He insisted on his innocence even when his partner, the legendary Clark Clifford, was deemed too ill to stand trial. That kind of grit defined him. He was eventually banned from the banking industry as part of a civil settlement, but he was a free man.
From Courtrooms to "Skyrim"
Most people would have retired or hidden away after a trial like that. Not Robert.
Instead of retreating, he pivoted in a way that changed entertainment history. In 1999, he co-founded ZeniMax Media. If you've ever played Skyrim, Doom, or Starfield, you have Robert Altman to thank for the infrastructure that allowed those games to exist.
He wasn't a "gamer" in the traditional sense, but he was a visionary businessman. He saw that video games were the new frontier of storytelling. Under his leadership as CEO, ZeniMax (the parent company of Bethesda Softworks) became a multi-billion dollar juggernaut.
When Microsoft bought ZeniMax for $7.5 billion in 2021, it was the culmination of Robert's second act. Sadly, he didn't live to see the full transition.
The Quiet End of an Era
Robert A. Altman passed away on February 3, 2021, at the age of 73.
The cause was complications from a medical procedure, but he had also been privately battling myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer. His death was a shock to the gaming community and a devastating blow to Lynda.
"I don't know who I am without Robert," she told People magazine months later.
She’s been incredibly open about her grief, sharing that she still cries several times a day. To honor him, she released a song titled "Can’t Wait," a soulful tribute to their nearly four-decade romance.
Their daughter, Jessica, even sewed a piece of one of Robert’s blue shirts into the lining of her wedding dress when she got married in 2023. A small, hidden piece of her dad to walk her down the aisle.
What We Can Learn From Their Story
- Prioritize the person, not the career. Lynda left Hollywood at her peak because she valued her relationship more than her Q-rating.
- Loyalty is a verb. Standing by someone during a federal trial isn't just about showing up; it's about shared resilience.
- Pivoting is possible at any age. Robert went from a disgraced banker to a legendary tech CEO in his 50s.
- Grief isn't a timeline. It's okay to admit that losing a partner of 37 years leaves a hole that never truly fills.
Robert Altman might have been known to some as "the guy who married Wonder Woman," but to those who knew him—and to the millions who play the games he helped build—he was the hero of his own complex, high-stakes story.
To truly honor the legacy Robert and Lynda built, consider looking into the Myelofibrosis Foundation or other rare blood cancer research organizations. Supporting these causes helps families facing the same "untimely" losses that the Carter-Altman family endured. You can also explore the archival interviews of Robert Altman regarding the BCCI case to understand the nuances of the legal battle that shaped his middle years.