"I've never really been the leading-lady type, I've always wanted to be a character actress."
Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956 in Salisbury, Maryland) is an American actress.
She's most well known for her role of Sarah Connor, the mother of future human resistance leader John Connor in the first two films of the Terminator franchise, namely The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The latter gave the character a serious level in badass and more dramatic range, making her quite an iconic example Action Girl. Linda reprised the role in Dark Fate 28 years after the last time she played it.
She was married to Terminator director James Cameron between 1997 and 1999, and she had an identical twin sister, the late Leslie Hamilton Gearren (1956-2020), who was used for some scenes in Terminator 2.
In 2005, she revealed that she suffers from Bipolar Disorder, claiming that it destroyed her two marriages.
Her works on TV Tropes:
- Terminator as Sarah Jeanette Connor
- The Terminator (1984)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Terminator 2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996)
- Terminator Salvation (2009) (uncredited)
- Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
- Children of the Corn (1984) as Vicky Baxter
- Black Moon Rising (1986) as Nina
- King Kong Lives (1986) as Dr. Amy Franklin
- Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990) as Catherine Chandler
- Mr. Destiny (1990) as Ellen Jane
- Silent Fall (1994) as Karen Rainer
- Dante's Peak (1997) as Rachel Wando
- Rescuers: Stories of Courage as Marie Taquet
- Batman: The Animated Series (1998) as Susan Maguire
- Hercules: The Animated Series (1998-1999) as Nemesis
- Batman Beyond (1999) as Dr. Stephanie Lake
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000) as Dr. Furbanna
- Weeds (2010) as Linda
- Chuck (2010-2012) as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski
- DC Showcase: Jonah Hex (2010) as Madame Lorraine
- Lost Girl (2013-2015) as Acacia
- Defiance (2014-2015) as Pilar
- Resident Alien (2021) as General McCallister
- Stranger Things (TBA)
Tropes associated with her work:
- Creator Couple:
- Her husband Bruce Abbot appeared in two episodes of Beauty and the Beast (1987).
- She was also involved with James Cameron during the filming of Terminator 2 and later married him.
- Dawson Casting: She was twenty-seven playing Sarah Connor at 19. Later films retconned her into being 23. Ironically, Jennifer Jason Leigh was turned down for being too young.
- Dyeing for Your Art:
- For Terminator 2 she got into insanely good shape through a strict training regimen and non-fat diet. She lost twelve pounds while filming.
- She also spent a year training for Terminator: Dark Fate to get into the right shape.
- Enforced Method Acting: For a scene in Children of the Corn (1984) where Vicky dreams of Joseph's body coming up to grab her, Linda was told that there was a mannequin under the blanket. When Jonas Marlowe jumps up at her, she reacted with genuine shock.
- Friendship on the Set: Even though Dante's Peak was the only time she and Pierce Brosnan worked together, they became good friends afterwards.
- I Am Not Spock: Despite an extensive resume in TV and film, she is known almost entirely as Sarah Connor. Doubly impressive considering until 2019 she only starred in two films in the franchise, and the role has been played by notable actresses such as Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke.
- Making Use of the Twin: Linda's late identical twin sister Leslie was used in Terminator 2 when the T-1000 is mimicking Sarah, and in the dream sequence (Word of God is that they had no idea how to do it until they realised she had a twin!). There's a Deleted Scene where Sarah Connor is working on the T-800 in front of a mirror; the mirror's frame was empty, with Linda on one side with a dummy and Leslie on the other mirroring her movements with the real Arnie.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: During Season 2 of Beauty and the Beast (1987), she became pregnant and wanted to take time off. She was killed off and replaced with a new character played by Jo Anderson.
- Special Guest: She is credited as this for role as General McCallister in Resident Alien.
- Uncredited Role: She is uncredited for the voiceover she provides for Terminator Salvation.
- What Could Have Been:
- Among the projects she auditioned for - A Few Good Men, Batman Forever, Star Trek: Voyager.
- Apparently turned down the part of Molly Brown in Titanic (1997) that went to Kathy Bates.
- She declined to come back for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, though she eventually returned to the franchise for Terminator: Dark Fate."They offered me a part. I read it and knew my character arc was so complete after the first two, but in the third one, it was negligible. She died halfway through and there was no time to mourn her. It was all so disposable so I said no thank you."
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Being on the receiving end of this trope is a known Berserk Button for her. Just ask Ken Gibbel.
