Linda Hamilton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Hamilton
Hamilton in 2024
Born	Linda Carroll Hamilton (1956-09-26) September 26, 1956 (age 68) Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	Washington College Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Bruce Abbott ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1989)​ James Cameron ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 1999)​
Children	2
Signature

Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. She is famous for playing strong characters. Her first movie was in 1979. She became well-known for her role as Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984). She also starred in two of its sequels: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).

Linda Hamilton has won several awards, including two Saturn Awards and two MTV Movie Awards. She was also nominated for three Golden Globes and one Primetime Emmy. Her other movies include Children of the Corn (1984) and Dante's Peak (1997). On TV, she played Catherine Chandler in Beauty and the Beast (1987–1989). She also had a role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on Chuck (2010–2012). Linda Hamilton has two children, one from each of her marriages.

Early life and education

Linda Hamilton was born in Salisbury, Maryland, on September 26, 1956. Her father passed away when she was five years old. Her mother later married a police chief. Linda has an identical twin sister named Leslie, an older sister, a younger brother, and a stepbrother. She grew up in a quiet home and loved to read books. She went to Wicomico Junior High and Wicomico High School in Salisbury.

She studied at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, for two years. After that, she moved to New York City to study acting. She attended acting workshops taught by Lee Strasberg.

Acting career highlights

Early roles and first big break

Linda Hamilton started her acting career at age 23 in 1979. Her first main role was in the TV soap opera Secrets of Midland Heights in 1980. She then appeared in the TV series "King's Crossing" in 1982. That same year, she starred in her first movie, TAG: The Assassination Game. She was recognized as one of the "Promising New Actors of 1982."

Becoming Sarah Connor

In 1984, Linda Hamilton starred in two important films. First, she was in Children of the Corn, a horror movie. She played Vicky Baxter, a traveler who faces danger in rural Nebraska. The movie was successful at the box office.

Her next role was in James Cameron's science fiction action film The Terminator (1984). She played Sarah Connor, a young waitress. Sarah finds herself in a terrifying situation when a soldier from the future comes to help her. They must defeat a robot assassin sent from the future to stop her. The movie was a huge hit and critics praised Linda's strong performance.

TV success and Terminator 2

After The Terminator, Linda Hamilton starred in the action thriller Black Moon Rising (1986). She also appeared in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. In 1986, she starred in King Kong Lives, a sequel to the 1976 King Kong movie.

Her next major role was as Catherine Chandler in the TV series Beauty and the Beast. This show was a modern version of the classic fairy tale. It ran for three seasons from 1987 to 1990. Linda won a Romy Award for her role in 1990. She also received nominations for Golden Globes and Emmy Awards.

Hamilton in 1997

Linda Hamilton returned to movies in 1990 with the fantasy-comedy Mr. Destiny. In 1991, she worked with James Cameron again for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This movie was one of the most expensive films ever made at the time. It earned over US$500 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film that year. Linda trained very hard to show Sarah Connor's transformation in the movie. Critics were very impressed by her powerful performance. She won two MTV Movie Awards and a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role. Sarah Connor is now seen as one of the most famous female characters in movie history.

After T2, she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1991. Her next films were the thrillers Silent Fall (1994) and Separate Lives (1995). For her role in the TV movie A Mother's Prayer (1995), where she played a widow with AIDS, Linda received an award and a Golden Globe nomination. She wanted to show a character who was both strong and fragile.

In 1997, Linda Hamilton starred in two films released a week apart: Shadow Conspiracy and Dante's Peak. Dante's Peak was a big commercial success, earning US$180 million. Critics liked the special effects and the acting. Linda won Best Actress at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for her role as Mayor Rachel Wando.

Later roles and recent projects

Between 1998 and 1999, Linda Hamilton did voice work for animated shows like The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond. She won a Satellite Award for her role in the TV film The Color of Courage. She also performed in a play called Laura and received praise for her acting.

She appeared in the mystery thriller Skeletons in the Closet (2001). She also played Ethel Rosenberg in the play Worse Than Murder: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in 2002. Later, she had supporting roles in Missing in America (2005) and The Kid & I (2005).

Hamilton at the Big Apple Convention, 2009

In 2006, Linda Hamilton received praise for her role in the stage play The Night of the Iguana. She returned to voice Sarah Connor for a brief part in Terminator Salvation (2009). In 2010, she joined the cast of NBC's comedy series Chuck as CIA agent Mary Elizabeth Bartowski. She also appeared in three episodes of Weeds.

In 2011, Linda narrated The Future of Fear, a documentary about horror films. She played a fictional U.S. president in the TV miniseries Air Force One Is Down (2013). She also had roles in the series Lost Girl (2013) and Defiance (2014–2015). Her later projects included the short film Shoot Me Nicely (2016) and the science fiction film Curvature (2017).

Return to Terminator and new projects

Linda Hamilton returned to the Terminator series and the character of Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). This movie was set 25 years after T2. She was hesitant to return because she enjoyed her private life. However, she decided to take on the role again.

Hamilton at San Diego Comic Con, 2019

Filming for Dark Fate took place in Hungary, Spain, and the U.S. The movie received positive reviews, especially for Linda's performance. Critics said she brought strength and emotion to the film. Later in 2019, she won Best Actress at the Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival for her role in Easy Does It.

Since 2021, she has appeared as General McCallister on Syfy's Resident Alien. She also guest-starred in six episodes of the TNT comedy Claws. In June 2023, it was announced that Linda Hamilton would join the cast of the Netflix mystery-horror series Stranger Things for its fifth and final season, which is expected to air in 2025. She is a big fan of the show.

Personal life

Linda Hamilton's identical twin sister, Leslie, passed away in 2020 at age 63. Leslie appeared as Linda's double in some scenes of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Linda has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage was to actor Bruce Abbott from 1982 to 1989. They had a son named Dalton.

In 1991, Linda began a relationship with film director James Cameron after filming Terminator 2: Judgment Day. They had a daughter in 1993. Linda and James Cameron married in 1997, but they divorced in 1999.

Mental health

Linda Hamilton has openly discussed her struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. She explained that these challenges affected her life and marriages. She eventually received therapy and medication to help manage her condition.

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Linda Hamilton para niños