Linda Hamilton

Linda Hamilton

Hamilton at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, October 17, 2009.
Born Linda Carroll Hamilton
September 26, 1956 (1956-09-26) (age 54)
Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1980–present
Spouse Bruce Abbott (1982-1989) (divorced) 1 son
James Cameron (1997-1999) (divorced) 1 daughter

Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy.

Contents

Early life

Hamilton was born in Salisbury, Maryland to a physician father who died in a car accident when she was five.[1][2] Hamilton has an identical twin sister, one older sister and one younger brother. She has said that she was raised in a "very boring, white Anglo-Saxon" family, and "voraciously read books" during her spare time.[2] Hamilton went to Wicomico Junior High (now Wicomico Middle School) and Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland, with her twin sister, Leslie. She studied for two years at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, before moving on to acting studies in New York City. While attending Washington College, her acting professor told her she had no hope of earning a living as an actress. In New York she attended acting workshops given by Lee Strasberg.

Career

Hamilton's acting debut came first with guest starring appearances on television, followed by a major role as Lisa Rogers in the prime-time soap opera Secrets of Midland Heights (1980).

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1982" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol 34, Hamilton played a lead role in the horror film Children of the Corn. She portrayed Mattie MacGregor in the Columbia Broadcasting System Television Science-Fiction movie Wishman.[3] The movie was panned by critics, but it made a profit at the box office and had a strong cult following. Hamilton's next role was in The Terminator, co-starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, in 1984. The movie was an unexpectedly huge commercial as well as critical success. Following The Terminator, Hamilton starred in Black Moon Rising, an action thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones. She then returned to television in the mystery series Murder, She Wrote, scoring favorable reviews. Hamilton then starred opposite Ron Perlman in the TV series Beauty and the Beast. The series was critically acclaimed, and she received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Hamilton left the series in 1989 and it ended in 1990.

Hamilton returned to the big screen in 1991 with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the sequel to The Terminator. The film was a smash at the box office, grossing over $500 million, more than any other film of that year. Hamilton underwent intense physical training to emphasize the character's transformation from the first film. Her identical twin sister Leslie Hamilton Gearren was Linda's double in Terminator 2. Hamilton received two MTV Movie Awards for her role in the film, one for Best Female Performance and the other for Most Desirable Female. She reprised the character, Sarah Connor, for the theme park attraction T2 3-D.

In 1990, Hamilton was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. Following the success of the Terminator series, she hosted Saturday Night Live. She then returned to television in A Mother's Prayer (1997) playing a mother who lost her husband and is diagnosed with AIDS. She earned yet another Golden Globe nomination. In 1996, Hamilton filmed two motion pictures that were released one week apart in 1997: Shadow Conspiracy with Charlie Sheen and Dante's Peak with Pierce Brosnan. Shadow Conspiracy flopped at the box office, but Dante's Peak grossed $180 million and was one of the biggest commercial hits of the year. Hamilton has since appeared on the television shows Frasier (season 4 episode "Odd Man Out" as Laura) and According to Jim and has done more TV movies, including On the Line, Robots Rising, Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples, Point Last Seen, and The Color of Courage.

Hamilton and her Beauty and the Beast costar Ron Perlman reunited in the 2005 post-Vietnam war drama Missing in America.

In 2009, she returned as Sarah Connor in Terminator Salvation, in voice-overs only.

In 2010, she joined the cast of Chuck in the recurring guest role of Mary Elizabeth Bartowski, a CIA agent and long-missing mother of Chuck and Ellie.[4][5]

Personal life

Hamilton has been married twice.[6] Her first marriage was to actor Bruce Abbott, whom she wed on December 18, 1982. They had a son, Dalton (b. October 4, 1989), but divorced soon afterward. Her second marriage was to James Cameron, her director in the first two Terminator films. They had a daughter, Josephine Archer (b. February 15, 1993), before marrying on July 26, 1997. The marriage did not last long, ending in a costly divorce.[7]

In an October 2005 appearance on Larry King Live, Hamilton revealed she has bipolar disorder, which she said destroyed her marriage to Abbott, whom she admitted having abused verbally and physically. Hamilton said it was her love for her two children that finally forced her to seek treatment and she began taking medication in 1996. Hamilton says she will always be grateful she chose treatment and regrets the pain it caused her loved ones. She also has stated that despite internet rumors to the contrary, she was never married to Peter Horton.[6]

Awards

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1979 Night-Flowers Stripper
1982 Tag: The Assassination Game Susan Swayze
1984 Children of the Corn Vicky
The Terminator Sarah Connor
The Stone Boy Eva Crescent Moon Lady on Bus
1985 Secret Weapons
1986 King Kong Lives Dr. Amy Franklin
Black Moon Rising Nina
1987 Beauty and the Beast Catherine Chandler TV Series (1987–1989)
1988 Go Toward The Light Claire Madison
1990 Mr. Destiny Ellen Jane
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day Sarah Connor
1994 Silent Fall Karen Rainer
1995 Separate Lives Lauren Porter/Lena
1996 T2 3-D: Battle Across Time Sarah Connor At Universal Studios, Orlando. Narrator
1997 Dante's Peak Mayor Rachel Wando
Shadow Conspiracy Amanda Givens
Frasier Laura TV series (guest star season 4 Ep 24)
1998 On the Line Det. Jean Martin TV Movie
Point Last Seen Rachel Harrison TV Movie
1999 The Secret Life of Girls Ruby Sanford
2000 Skeletons in the Closet Tina Conway
Sex & Mrs. X Joanna Scott TV Movie
2002 Silent Night Elisabeth Vincken TV Movie
2003 Wholey Moses Valerie Short
2004 Jonah June Short
2005 Smile Bridget
Missing in America Kate
The Kid & I Susan Mandeville
2006 Thief Roselyn Moore TV series (guest star in two episodes)
Home by Christmas Julie Bedford TV movie
2007 Broken Karen
2009 Waters Rising Cory
The Line Carol TV series (guest star in two episodes)
Terminator Salvation Sarah Connor Voice role
2010 Weeds Linda
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex Madame Lorraine Voice role
Chuck Mary Elizabeth Bartowski

References

  1. ↑ Filmreference.com
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 JewishJournal.com
  3. ↑ The WTF Friday Video of the Week: Make a Wish
  4. ↑ "'Chuck' scoop: Mama Bartowski to be played by... Sarah freakin' Connor!". Entertainment Weekly. July 24, 2010. http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/07/24/chuck-mother-linda-hamilton-spoilers/. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Linda Hamilton joins ‘Chuck’". Hollywood Reporter. July 24, 2010. http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/linda-hamilton-joins-chuck.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "CNN Larry King Live Interview with Linda Hamilton (transcript)". cnn.com. 2005-10-14. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0510/14/lkl.01.html. Retrieved 2008-01-02. "I was not married to Peter Horton, which is sort of all over the Web site that I've been married three times, so I look like -- but for some reason that's false information. I was never married to Peter Horton." 
  7. ↑ "Forbes: Michael Jordan's Divorce Most Costly Ever". foxnews.com. 2007-04-16. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266343,00.html. Retrieved 2008-12-15. 

External links