There’s been much discussion lately about the importance of films featuring female warriors or action heroines. However, we probably wouldn’t be having these conversations without the influence of Linda Hamilton, arguably the most iconic action star of the 80s and early 90s thanks to her role as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise.
Yet the actress has had a much broader and more diverse career beyond her famous battle against Skynet. Like many other 80s icons, she’s making a comeback in Netflix’s Stranger Things (USA, 2016-2025), giving us the perfect opportunity to explore her remarkable career.
Who is Linda Hamilton?
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress born in Salisbury, Maryland on September 26, 1956. Her father died in a car accident and her mother remarried a police officer. Her family consisted of an older sister, younger brother, half-brother, and an identical twin, Leslie Hamilton Freas, who passed away in 2020.
In her own words, Hamilton comes from a “typical white, anglo-saxon family,” and sought to differentiate herself from her cheerleader twin by reading as much as possible. After two years at Washington College, she moved to New York to pursue acting, studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Why is Linda Hamilton famous?
The actress began her career in 1979 with small roles before landing her first major part as Lisa Rogers in the TV series Secrets of Midland Heights (1980-1981). Her first leading film role came in the thriller Tag: The Assassination Game (USA, 1982).
However, Hamilton’s big break came in 1984. First with her starring role in the horror film Children of the Corn (USA, 1984), adapted from a Stephen King story. Then, James Cameron’s The Terminator (USA, 1984) gave her the role that would define her career: Sarah Connor, the young, frightened waitress destined to become mother of John Connor, leader of the human resistance against Skynet’s machines.
Yet the first film doesn’t show the character in her most iconic phase. That would only come in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (USA, 1991), where years of persecution and paranoia have transformed Sarah Connor into a tormented but battle-hardened mentor for her son (Edward Furlong). This version became the action icon that’s been often imitated but rarely matched.
The idea to radically change Sarah Connor for the sequel came from Hamilton herself. “It was all inspired by Linda,” director James Cameron explained in an interview for the film’s 30th anniversary. “I called her and said ‘hey, we’re doing another Terminator.’ She said ‘I want to be crazy.’ I said ‘I can do that, we’ll put you in a mental institution.’ And she said ‘perfect, that’s what I want.'”
That year, Hamilton won Best Actress at the Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Sarah Connor would become her signature role, which she revisited twice: with a voice cameo in Terminator Salvation (USA, 2009), and in the failed reboot Terminator: Dark Fate (USA, 2019), which continued from T2 while ignoring other sequels.
What else has Linda Hamilton done besides Terminator?
While Sarah Connor remains her most famous role, Hamilton has built an extensive career across film, television, and theater.
Notably, she won another Saturn Award and earned an Emmy nomination for the TV series Beauty and the Beast (USA, 1987-1990), where she starred opposite Ron Perlman in a modern Manhattan retelling of the classic fairy tale.
She received a Golden Globe nomination for the TV movie A Mother’s Prayer (USA, 1995), playing a young widow and single mother with AIDS seeking a home for her son. She took the role specifically because it was physically opposite to Sarah Connor.
Hamilton also starred in the disaster film Dante’s Peak (USA, 1997) with Pierce Brosnan, playing the mayor of a town threatened by a volcanic eruption.
In 2006, she delivered an acclaimed performance in the stage adaptation of The Night of the Iguana at Massachusetts’ Berkshire Theatre.
Her geek icon status from Terminator earned her a role on the spy comedy series Chuck (2007-2012) as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski, a CIA agent and estranged mother to the protagonist (Zachary Levi).
For better or worse, “tough woman” roles have been a constant throughout Hamilton’s career, especially in later years. This includes Osiris (USA, 2025), an action/horror/sci-fi film about a Special Forces team abducted by aliens who must fight to survive.
Will Linda Hamilton appear in Stranger Things 5?
Yes. Hamilton confirmed she’ll join the cast of Stranger Things 5 during Netflix’s 2025 TUDUM event in June. The show has typically cast 80s stars like Winona Ryder and Sean Astin, making her a perfect fit.
The announcement came via video presented by her Terminator co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What role will Linda Hamilton play in Stranger Things 5?
Details remain under wraps, but the teaser shows her leading an armed team while wearing what appears to be a uniform – keeping with the “tough woman” roles that defined her career.
