Hamilton was born inSalisbury, Maryland, on September 26, 1956.[3] Hamilton's father (1928-1962) died when she was five; her mother (1931-2019) later married a police chief.[4] Hamilton had anidentical twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Freas (1956–2020),[5][6] as well as one older sister, a younger brother, and a stepbrother.[5][7] She has said that she was raised in a "very boring, white Anglo-Saxon" household, and that she "voraciously read books" in her spare time.[4] Hamilton went to Wicomico Junior High andWicomico High School in Salisbury.[8]
She studied for two years atWashington College inChestertown, Maryland, before moving on to acting studies in New York City.[8] Hamilton has said that her acting professor at Washington College told her she had no hope of earning a living as an actress.[9] In New York, she attended acting workshops given byLee Strasberg.[3]
Hamilton made her professional debut at age 23 with a small part in the 1979 dramaNight-Flowers. Her first major role came the following year when she appeared as Lisa Rogers on the short-livedCBS soap operaSecrets of Midland Heights (December 1980–January 1981). She appeared in the TV series "King's Crossing," as Lauren Hollister, immediately afterward in 1982. Hamilton played in supporting roles to actress Marilyn Jones in both of those lasttwo efforts, with Linda Hamilton playing the bad girl in each instance. Hamilton subsequentally appeared in her first starring film role in the low-budget thrillerTAG: The Assassination Game (1982), and co-starred that same year in the made-for-television movieCountry Gold. She was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1982" inJohn A. Willis'Screen World, Vol. 34.[10]
1984–1997: TheTerminator franchise and television work
Hamilton made two prominent film appearances in 1984: firstly, a starring role inChildren of the Corn, a horror film based on the short story byStephen King. Hamilton played Vicky Baxter, a motorist who runs into trouble while travelling with her boyfriend through rural Nebraska. The film was financially profitable, making US$14 million at the domestic box office against a budget of US$3 million,[11] but received generally negative reviews.[12] In a more positive assessment byThe New York Times, Hamilton's performance was praised.[13] Her next role was co-starring inJames Cameron's science fiction action filmThe Terminator (1984) asSarah Connor, a young waitress—and soon-to-be mother ofa valiant resistance leader—who finds herself at the center of a nightmarish ordeal when a soldier travels back in time to help her defeatthe titular cyborg assassin, sent from the future to execute her. The film was a surprise commercial hit,[14] topping the U.S. box office for two weeks.[15] Critics believed it to be a perfect example of its genre,[16] with some attributing its strength to Hamilton's performance;The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she displayed "tremendous resiliency" as Connor,[17] whileJanet Maslin felt she played the part "engrossingly" in her review forThe New York Times.[18] That same year, she guest-starred in four episodes of theNBC police dramaHill Street Blues.
Following the success ofThe Terminator, Hamilton starred as car thief Nina in the action thrillerBlack Moon Rising (1986). Also that year, she guest-starred in an episode ofMurder, She Wrote and headlined the big-budget adventure filmKing Kong Lives, a sequel to the1976 remake ofKing Kong. The film was a moderate financial success but was universally panned by critics.[19]
Hamilton's next major role was that of savvydistrict attorney Catherine Chandler in the television seriesBeauty and the Beast. A modern re-telling of the classicfairy tale, the show ran for three seasons on CBS between 1987 and 1990, though Hamilton requested to be written out during its third season when she fell pregnant.[20] For her portrayal of Chandler, she won Austria'sRomy Award for Favorite Actress in a Series in 1990,[21] as well as receivingGolden Globe andEmmy Award nominations in 1988 and 1989, respectively.[22]
Hamilton in 1997
Hamilton returned to film with a starring role opposite in the 1990 fantasy-comedyMr. Destiny. In her review for theLos Angeles Times,Sheila Benson believed that the film only worked because of "Hamilton's intrinsic warmth".[23] The following year, she re-teamed with James Cameron to star inTerminator 2: Judgment Day. Reported at the time to be the most expensive motion picture ever made,[24] it went on to gross over US$500 million worldwide; more than any other film that year.[25][26] Of his decision to present a more troubled version of the Sarah Connor character, Cameron later reflected, "It was all inspired by Linda really. I called her and said, 'Hey, we're [doing] anotherTerminator'. And she [replied], 'I want to be crazy'. I said, 'I can do that — I'll put you in a mental hospital'. She said, 'Perfect. That's what I want'".[27] Hamilton underwent intense physical training to emphasize the character's transformation during the seven years since the first film.[28] "I hated [my trainer] most of the time", she later said; "He would yell at me and throw tennis balls while I was shooting weapons blindfolded. I'd go off to the bathroom to cry for a minute, then I'd wipe away my tears and go back".[4] Critics were impressed by Hamilton's "wild-eyed" performance,[29][30] withDerek Malcolm ofThe Guardian singling out her "formidable sweaty intensity".[31] She went on to receive twoMTV Movie Awards and the 1991Saturn Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Connor, which has since been recognised as one of the most iconic female roles in cinematic history.[32] Following the success ofT2, she was invited to host an episode ofSaturday Night Live on November 16, 1991.[33]
Hamilton's subsequent film appearances were in the psychological thrillersSilent Fall (1994) andSeparate Lives (1995). For her performance in the television movieA Mother's Prayer (1995), where she played a widow diagnosed withAIDS, Hamilton received aCableACE Award and aGolden Globe nomination forBest Actress. On her decision to take the part, she said, "So many people think I'm just this incredibly ferocious, fierce woman. Sarah Connor has sort of etched herself into my psyche and will never go away. So I chose [to play] this woman because she was a great balance of strength and frailty".[34] She put herself on a strict diet in preparation for the role, saying, "I had to know what it was like ... I knew that I had to sort of sink in on myself. So I got very, very thin".[34]
After guest-starring in an episode ofFrasier, Hamilton played leading roles in two features that were released one week apart in 1997: political thrillerShadow Conspiracy and the big-budget action-adventure filmDante's Peak. The latter proved to be one of the biggest commercial hits of the year, grossing US$180 million.[35] Critics were mostly unimpressed by the film's derivative narrative,[36] but some praised the effects and performances, withRoger Ebert writing in his review for theChicago Sun-Times, "InBrosnan and Hamilton [the filmmakers] have actors who play for realism and don't go over the top".[37] For her portrayal of small-town mayor Rachel Wando, Hamilton was named Best Actress at the following year'sBlockbuster Entertainment Awards. Speaking of her casting, she said, "Police officers, military officers and lesbians. That was pretty much what I [used to get offered] and nothing else. [When I auditioned for director]Roger Donaldson, he literally said to me: 'You've never played a part like this before' ... And [I said], 'What do you mean?' [He replied] 'Normal.' He thought I couldn't play normal! Jesus! It was just the way people thought [about me]".[38]
Between 1998 and 1999, Hamilton appeared in a succession of voice roles in episodes ofThe New Batman Adventures,Hercules, andBatman Beyond. Her next project was theLifetime movieSex & Mrs. X (2000), where she played a magazine writer who experiences a sexual reawakening when she is assigned to interview an upper-class Parisianmadam. TheLos Angeles Times called it an "[intriguing] character study that passes muster on the strength of good performances by [its leads]", adding that Hamilton was both "tough" and "tender" in the part.[39] Later that year, she received aSatellite Award for Best Actress for her performance in the television filmThe Color of Courage, whichVariety called "excellent".[40] She also headlined a production ofLaura, an adaptation of the1944 film noir of the same name, at California'sTiffany Theater in December 2000. Hamilton received praise for her portrayal of the title character, with Jay Reiner ofThe Hollywood Reporter commenting:
There's an inherent risk in reviving a film classic likeLaura ... [original star]Gene Tierney ... left such an indelible impression that any [actress] trying to fill [her] shoes [is] probably going to suffer by comparison. Linda Hamilton accepts this risk, and even turns it to her advantage, in [this] sparkling production ... Where [Tierney] gave us Laura Hunt as a ravishing femme fatale shrouded in mystery, Hamilton gives us a genuine charmer — a woman intriguing enough to invite attention, elusive enough to ensure pursuit and smart enough to make it all seem worthwhile ... after a few minutes in her company, you don't want to be anywhere else.[41]
The following year, Hamilton starred in the small-scale mystery thrillerSkeletons in the Closet (2001), subsequently winning aDVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then portrayed the real-lifeEthel Rosenberg inWorse Than Murder: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, admitting that her decision to "transform myself into a tenement Jew from theLower East Side" had been a daunting one: "I'm already prepared for the critics to be unkind to me, like, 'Why is she playing a Jewish character' or 'What's she trying to do, prove she's an actress?' But the fear is just part of the process".[4] The play opened in May 2002—at theVentura Theatre in California—to a rave review fromVariety, who felt that Hamilton played her part with "sumptuous veracity".[42] Next, she had supporting roles in two films: the post-Vietnam war dramaMissing in America (2005) and thePenelope Spheeris-directed comedyThe Kid & I (2005).
Hamilton's portrayal of Maxine Faulk in the 2006 stage adaptation ofThe Night of the Iguana byTennessee Williams was met with acclaim. Writing forVariety, Frank Rizzo said, "[She is] well cast as the recently widowed but hardly mourning proprietress ... She takes over the stage with natural assurance and plays this overripe survivor with lusty humor and cunning".[43] The production ran between August 1–12 at theBerkshire Theatre inStockbridge, Massachusetts.[44]
Hamilton reprised the role of Sarah Connor for a second time with a voice cameo in 2009'sTerminator Salvation,[45] which grossed US$371 million at the worldwide box office.[46] In 2010, she joined the cast of NBC's espionage-style comedy seriesChuck, playing the recurring role ofCIA agentMary Elizabeth Bartowski.[47] That same year, she guest-starred in three episodes of theShowtime dark comedyWeeds—as the marijuana supplier for the series' protagonist—and appeared as a "cartoon American cop" in the poorly received Irish filmHoly Water.[48][49]
In 2011, Hamilton narrated theChiller network'sThe Future of Fear, a documentary on the history of horror films.[50] She then played a fictional U.S. president in the television miniseriesAir Force One Is Down (2013), and had recurring roles as a bounty hunter on theShowcase seriesLost Girl (2013) and a mentally ill mother onSyfy'sDefiance (2014–2015).[51] Her next projects were the television pilotShoot Me Nicely (2016),[52] which was later released as a short film,[53] and the small-scale science fiction filmCurvature (2017). In his evaluation of the latter forThe Hollywood Reporter,Frank Scheck described it as "awfully loopy", adding, "it's always a pleasure to see Hamilton, even if it's painfully obvious that she's been cast [here] because of the genre resonance she brings to the table".[54]
Hamilton returned once more to theTerminator franchise and the character of Sarah Connor when she headlined theTim Miller-directedTerminator: Dark Fate, set 25 years after the events ofT2. She admitted to being reluctant to sign on to the project, having spent the previous few years away from the spotlight: "I love my alone time like no one you've ever met ... That was my hesitation: Do I want to trade this lovely, authentic life [that I've built] for that? I didn't want my neighbours looking at me differently. We're neighbors because of who we are, not what we do, and I don't want that to creep into my life again".[55]
Filming onDark Fate took place in Hungary, Spain and the U.S. between May and November 2018.[56] Though a financial disappointment,[57] it received generally positive reviews upon its 2019 release, particularly for Hamilton's performance.[58] Writing forRolling Stone, David Fear felt that she provided the film's "sinew, heart, and soul", and said of her introduction:
A truck pulls up, we see boots hit the ground, and there she is: Sarah Connor 1.0, sunglasses on, stoic and iconic as fuck, gunning down a sprinting shape-shifter and employing a rocket launcher for a finishing move. It's the sort of movie entrance that the character (and the actor) deserves, the kind that prompts spontaneous, uncontrollable cheering in theaters ... Her weathered survivor will charitably share the screen with newcomers and old co-stars alike, but from this moment on,Dark Fate is Hamilton's property. She calmly slips the superior sequel into the back pocket of her faded work pants and walks away with it. Everyone else is acting inher movie.[59]
Later that year, Hamilton was named Best Actress at the Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival for her portrayal of "King George"—a ruthless crime boss—inEasy Does It,[60] whichFilm Threat described as "excellent ... a throwback to grindhouse adventure films [and westerns]".[61] She began appearing as General McCallister on Syfy'sResident Alien in 2021, whichIndieWire called a "genre-bending ... spry half-hour comedy [series]".[62] Also that year, she guest-starred as a hippie life coach in six episodes of theTNT dark comedyClaws during its final season.[63]
It was announced in June 2023 that Hamilton would join the ensemble of theNetflix mystery-horror seriesStranger Things for its fifth and final season—due to air in late 2025—as an unspecified character,[64] later revealed to be Dr. Kay.[65] A self-proclaimed fan of the show, she said of her casting, "I don't know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time. I'm going to work on that".[64] In a 2025 interview with Variety, Hamilton said she had been considering retirement due to a long-term hip issue before being cast in Stranger Things, but decided to join the series after the Duffer brothers personally expressed their enthusiasm for her involvement.[66][67]
Hamilton's twin sister, Leslie, died on August 22, 2020, at the age of 63.[6] Leslie appeared as Linda's double in a few scenes ofTerminator 2: Judgment Day, including the scene in which theT-1000 disguises itself as Sarah Connor. Hamilton has described herself politically as aDemocrat, but she voted forRepublican candidateArnold Schwarzenegger—herTerminator co-star—in the2003 California election after his campaign convinced her he was suitable for the job.[68] While filmingTerminator 2: Judgment Day, Hamilton suffered permanent hearing damage in one ear because she had forgotten to put in her earplugs for a scene which called for Schwarzenegger to fire a shotgun inside an elevator.[69]
Hamilton has been married and divorced twice.[70] Her first marriage was to actorBruce Abbott, from 1982 to 1989. He left Hamilton when she was pregnant with their son Dalton, who was born in 1989.[71] She later stated Abbott departed due to her mood swings and physical abuse towards him stemming frombipolar disorder, and she publicly apologized to him 14 years later in 2004.[72]
In 1991,[71] Hamilton began a relationship and moved in[55] with film directorJames Cameron after filmingTerminator 2: Judgment Day.[73] They had a daughter, born in 1993.[71] Hamilton said she experiencedpostpartum depression after the birth of her second child.[73] Hamilton and Cameron briefly separated when Cameron was filmingTitanic (1997) because he was having an affair with actressSuzy Amis, who played a small role in the film.[74][73] Hamilton and Cameron later got back together and married in 1997;[73] this ended in a $50 million divorce settlement for Hamilton in 1999.[73] Hamilton explained that they divorced because of her struggles with bipolar disorder;[70] his relationship with Amis;[74] them being "terribly mismatched;"[75] and Cameron's intense dedication to his work, tellingThe Sun, "Titanic was the mistress he left me for."[76]
In a 2019 interview forThe New York Times, Hamilton said she had beencelibate for "at least 15 years".[55] "One loses track, because it just doesn't matter — or at least it doesn't matter to me. I have a very romantic relationship with my world every day and the people who are in it," she said.[55]
Hamilton started tobinge eat when she entered high school.[73] After seeing a psychologist for the first time at the age of 22 in 1978–1979,[73] she thought acting would help her feel better, but she ended up having a breakdown in the beginning of her acting career and turned to drugs and alcohol use and self-medicated with cocaine in order to get her confidence up.[73] In an October 2005 appearance onLarry King Live, Hamilton discussed her depression and bipolar disorder, which led to violent mood swings and suicidal thoughts during her marriage to Abbott and, in her view, caused the failure of both her marriages.[70] She also discussed how she eventually received therapy and medication to manage the condition.[70]
^Scheck, Frank (February 23, 2018)."'Curvature': Film Review".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. RetrievedJuly 5, 2023.
^Julius, Marshall."Linda Hamilton: Interview".Blockbuster LLC. Archived fromthe original on October 25, 2012. RetrievedMarch 3, 2016.To this day I have serious hearing loss in one ear. We were shooting a scene in an elevator and I'd forgotten to put my earplugs in.
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