What the Hell Happened to Linda Hamilton?

There are very few actresses who have played iconic roles in action movies.  Linda Hamilton is one of them.  But immediately following the biggest success of her career, Hamilton put her career on hold.  When she did work, it was usually as a guest star on a TV show.  She basically terminated her movie career at its peak.

What the hell happened?

hamilton - rape and marriage
Linda Hamilton – Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case – 1980

Like most actresses, Hamilton paid her dues on television.  Hamilton had a small role in a 1979 TV movie called Night-Flowers.  In 1980, she had a guest spot on Shirley Jones’ sitcom, Shirley.  She also appeared in the TV movie, Reunion and starred opposite Mickey Rourke in another rape-themed TV movie, Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (pictured).

In 1980, Hamilton got a regular gig on the short-lived nighttime soap, Secrets of Midland Heights. Hamilton played a teen who gets mixed up with a college jock played by Lorenzo Lamas.  The show was intended to be Peyton’s Place for the 80’s.

Secrets of Midland Heights was cancelled after only 8 episodes.  At the time, it was announced that the show would return in a retooled format.  Instead, a new show emerged.

King’s Crossing featured some of the same actors as Secrets of Midland Heights when it debuted in 1982.  But the two shows were unrelated.  Like Secrets, King’s Crossing was quickly cancelled.

Hamilton - TAG
Linda Hamilton – Tag: The Assassination Game – 1982

In 1982, Hamilton made the leap to the big screen in the thriller, TAG: The Assassination Game.

The movie was about a group of college students who play a game in which competitors pretend to kill each other with toy dart guns.  Bruce Abbott played the top-ranked contestant who takes the game too seriously.  When a loser drops his gun and accidentally “kills” him, Abbott’s character goes off the deep end and starts killing his victims for real.

Hamilton played one of Abbott’s intended victims.  The two actors met while filming and later married.

Later that year, Hamilton appeared in a TV movie called Country Gold.

Loni Anderson starred as a buxom, blonde haired country singer.  I wonder who that could have been based on?  Hamilton played Anderson’s younger rival.

Wishman
Wishman – 1983

Holy crap what the hell is that horrible thing!  It’s called Wishman.  And believe it or not, this thing was the star of a failed TV pilot on ABC in 1983.

Wishman was some kind of genetic experiment.  Joseph Bottoms played a scientist at the lab who decides to take the scary freak home to his wife played by Hamilton.  They put a hoodie on it and decide to raise it as their own.

You can sort of see the logic at play here.  Clearly ABC was trying to capitalize on the success of E.T. which had been a hit at the movies in 1982.  Except instead of a loveable alien, they had a creature that will haunt my dreams for as long as I live.  Seriously, I though Alf was disturbing.  E.T. was ugly cute.  Wishman is pour bleach in your eyes disturbing.  Unsurprisingly, it was not picked up to series.

1984 was a very big year for Hamilton.  First, she landed a four-episode role on the hit TV show, Hill Street Blues.  She also had a minor role in the Glenn Close/Robert Duvall family drama, The Stone Boy.  Which is sadly not about a boy made of stone.

hamilton - children of the corn
Linda Hamilton – Children of the Corn – 1984

Later that year, Hamilton starred opposite Peter Horton in the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, Children of the Corn.  Hamilton and Horton played a couple who happen upon a farm town filled with murderous children.  Around this time, everything King had ever written was being made into a movie.  Unfortunately, what works on the page doesn’t always translate to film.  Children of the Corn really tries to make a town full of kids scary.  But the best it ever achieves is “creepy”.  More often than not, it is unintentionally funny.

Despite negative reviews, Children of the Corn did well enough at the box office to start a franchise.  A sequel was released theatrically in 1993 followed by several direct-to-video sequels and a TV movie.

hamilton - the terminator
Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn – The Terminator – 1984

Oh yeah.  I almost forgot.  Hamilton also starred in a science fiction movie called The Terminator.  You may have heard of it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger played a cyborg sent from the future to kill the mother of the man who would go on to lead a human resistance against the machines.  Hamilton portayed Sarah Connor, the mother of humanity’s only hope.  And Michael Biehn costarred as the man sent back in time to protect her from the Terminator.  Of course, you already knew all this.

James Cameron originally wrote The Terminator with Bridget Fonda in mind to play Sarah Connor.  Had Fonda agreed, The Terminator would have been her movie debut.  When she passed, several actresses were considered.  Debra Winger was cast but changed her mind before filming started.

Hamilton was finally cast, but she broke her ankle one week before filming started.  To accommodate her injury, all scenes that required her to run were rescheduled as late as production would allow.

According to Hamilton, she and Cameron didn’t get along very well at first:

“Oh my god, he made me so mad on the first Terminator film where he was on the side of the technology, not the people. Just after we shot the film’s memorable moment – “You’re terminated f****r”, where I had a 250lb arm that grabbed my throat and was exhausted from working the ninth day in a row stuck in a machine – I asked to look at the playback of the scene.

But Jim said: “No time, got to move on.” I went bonkers and I took him off the set to shout at him. But there was no ceiling, so everybody could hear us anyhow. I screamed at him: “If you want to see a human being on that set, treat me like a f*****g human being.” He tried to calm me down, apologised, gave me a bottle of Champagne and got me back on set.

Then he told the crew that he’d made me work up that rage to get a better performance from me. Bull! So the apology didn’t mean a thing. I thought: “You creep!”

I took the Champagne home and just outside my front door the bottle spontaneously exploded. It must have had such bad vibes in it because I later cut my foot on the broken glass and thought: “Oh, God, he’s even got the last word!”‘

The Terminator received mostly positive reviews.  It was a hit at the box office, but it was not the blockbuster some people might assume.  The Terminator was a low-budget science fiction movie that grossed less than $40 million dollars in the US.  To put its box office performance in perspective, it was pushed out of the top twenty highest-grossing movies of 1984 by Red Dawn.

Hamilton - Secret Weapons
Linda Hamilton – Secret Weapons – 1985

In 1985, Hamilton starred opposite Sally Kellerman and Geena Davis in the cheesy Cold War-themed TV movie, Secret Weapons.

Hamilton and Davis played young, impressionable Russian girls.  They are enlisted into a sex school by Kellerman and her husband.  After being trained as prostitutes, they are sent out to seduce visiting Americans so they can blackmail them.

As you can see, The Terminator didn’t exactly launch Hamilton to stardom.

Hamilton - Black Moon Rising
Linda Hamilton – Black Moon Rising – 1986

In 1986, Hamilton starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the low-budget action movie, Black Moon Rising.

Jones played a thief who works for the government.  He has been hired to steal a cassette with incriminating data from a corrupt company.  But when he is nearly caught, he stashes the cassette on board a prototype car called the Black Moon.  Hamilton played a car thief who steals the Black Moon along with the cassette.  Eventually, Jones and Hamilton team up to recover the car and the evidence.

Black Moon Rising was co-written by John Carpenter.  It co-stars Bubba Smith as the government agent who hires Jones.  I think that tells you everything you need to know about Black Moon Rising.

Hamilton - Murder She Wrote
Linda Hamilton – Murder, She Wrote – 1986

By 1986, Hamilton was back on television.  Two years after The Terminator, she starred in a TV movie called Club Med.  Hamilton also appeared on an episode of Angela Lansbury’s long running TV show, Murder She Wrote.  Bonus points to anyone who can guess the identity of the actor pictured with her.

Give up?

That’s a young Bryan Cranston breaking no so bad.

Hamilton - King Kong Lives
Linda Hamilton – King Kong Lives – 1986

Hamilton capped off 1986 by starring opposite a guy in a gorilla costume in Dino De Laurentii’s sequel to his infamous 1976 King Kong remake, King Kong Lives.  As the title suggests, the big ape somehow survived his fall from the World Trade Center, but he has been in a coma for the last 10 years.  Hamilton played a scientist who has the brilliant idea to revive King Kong with a blood transfusion from another giant ape.  What could possibly go wrong with that plan?

De Laurentii’s Kong remake was a box office hit in spite of bad reviews.  The sequel opened to even worse reviews.  Roger Ebert wrote  “The problem with everyone in King Kong Lives is that they’re in a boring movie, and they know they’re in a boring movie, and they just can’t stir themselves to make an effort.”  This time, the big ape couldn’t overcome the critics.  King Kong Lives flopped.

hamilton - beauty and the beast
Linda Hamilton – Beauty and the Beast – 1987-1989

The following year saw Hamilton cozying up to another furry costar.  On the fantasy TV show, Beauty and the Beast, Hamilton played and assistant district attorney rather than a princess.  She encounters a man-beast named Vincent played by Ron Perlman.  Vincent lived in an underground labyrinth among a secret society of outcasts.  Over the course of the series, Hamilton’s character falls in love with Vincent and he becomes her protector.  Although apparently he wasn’t quite up to the task.  Hamilton’s character was killed off in the show’s abbreviated third season.

Beauty and the Beast was well-received by critics.  Hamilton was nominated for both an Emmy and two Golden Globes.  In 1987, she lost the Golden Globe to Susan Dey.  The next year, she lost to Jill Eikenberry.  Both winning actresses appeared on the courtroom drama, LA Law.  She lost her one Emmy to Dana Delany for China Beach.

Beauty and the Beast was never a mainstream hit.  In it’s highest-rated season, it ranked 49th in the Nielsen ratings.  But it developed a very devoted cult following.

Hamilton decided to leave the show during its third season due to her pregnancy.  The network decided to retool the show in an attempt to attract more male viewers.  Things took a violent turn as a mobster killed off Hamilton’s character after she gave birth to Vincent’s son.  Vincent spent the third season on a quest to save his son and avenge Hamilton’s death.  The new direction alienated the show’s fanbase and it was cancelled in 1990.

In 1989, Hamilton was pregnant and leaving her cult TV show.  Meanwhile, her marriage was dissolving.  According to Hamilton, her husband (actor Bruce Abbott) left her while she was carrying his child.  But Hamilton, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, takes a lot of the blame:

“My first husband had talked me out of it. He loved me when I was the life and soul of the party and even when I was the tragic lost girl. But I was a bully and would throw plates at him. If I was down he would have to be miserable, too. Eventually it became too much and he left me, though he’s my best friend now.”

Linda Hamilton - Mr. Destiny - 1990
Linda Hamilton – Mr. Destiny – 1990

In 1990, Hamilton returned to the big screen opposite James (don’t call me Jim) Belushi in the romantic fantasy, Mr. Destiny.

Belushi played a guy who believes that if he had hit a baseball in a big game as a kid, his whole life could have been improved.  He tells this to a mysterious bartender played by Michael Caine and before you can say “It’s a Wonderful Life”, history has been rewritten.  Belushi hits the ball as a child and somehow this transforms him into a rich man married to Rene Russo.  Hamilton played Belushi’s wife from his previous life whom he tries to win back in his new one

The late 80’s/early 90’s were an odd time.  For whatever reason, Hollywood seemed convinced they could make the late John Belushi’s little brother into a movie star.  During this time, Belushi signaled he was a serious actor by insisting on being billed as James.  Eventually, everyone came to their senses and relegated the lesser Belushi to TV sitcom limbo.

Mr Destiny was Belushi’s bid to be taken seriously as a romantic leading man.  His more famous brother attempted to make the leap to romantic comedies unsuccessfully with Continental Divide.  Mr. Destiny suffered a similar fate.  It was a critical and commercial disappointment.

hamilton - terminator 2
Linda Hamilton – Terminator 2: Judgement Day – 1991

In 1991, Hamilton returned to the Terminator franchise for Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

In the first film, Sarah Connor was a waitress who had to be protected.  But in the sequel, she has recreated herself as an ass-kicking warrior woman.  Hamilton had to physically transform herself for the role.   Schwarzenegger returned as another terminator robot sent back in time.  But this time, his mission is to protect Sarah and her son John, played by Edward Furlong.  Robert Patrick played the new model sent back in time to kill the future leader of the human rebellion.

In order to get in fighting shape, Hamilton trained with former Israeli commando Uzi Gal and with personal trainer Anthony Cortes for three hours a day, six days a week for 13 weeks before filming.  Her identical twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren, played the Terminator disguised as Connor.  So she had to hit the gym as well.  Since her training wasn’t as extensive as Linda’s, they look noticeably different when on-screen together.

Terminator 2 turned out to be a family affair for Hamilton.  Not only did she appear opposite her identical twin, her infant son played John Connor as a baby in the playground dream sequence.  After director James Cameron’s divorce from Kathryn Bigelow, Hamilton ended up moving in with him.

Looking back, we all know that T2 was a huge hit worldwide.  But at the time, it seemed like a gamble.  The first Terminator film was almost a decade old.  And it wasn’t that big of a hit to begin with.  The budget for T2 had ballooned above $100 million dollars making it the most expensive movie ever made at the time.  Many were predicting an expensive flop for Cameron.

Obviously, the gamble paid off.  Terminator 2 got mostly good reviews and was a huge box office smash.  Schwarzenegger was now the biggest movie star on the planet.

Hamilton stopped working as much following Terminator 2.  She and Cameron had their first child in 1993.

Linda Hamilton - Silent Fall - 1994
Linda Hamilton – Silent Fall – 1994

In 1994, Hamilton appeared opposite Richard Dreyfus and Liv Tyler in the thriller, Silent Fall.

Dreyfus played a psychiatrist who is treating an autistic boy.  The boy witnessed his parents’ murder.  Tyler, in her movie debut,  played the boy’s older sister.  Hamilton played Dreyfus’ supportive wife.

The movie was panned by critics and flopped at the box office.

Hamilton - A Mother's Prayer
Linda Hamilton – A Mother’s Prayer – 1995

In 1995, Hamilton starred in another TV movie.  This one was called A Mother’s Prayer.

In Go to the Light, Hamilton played the mother of a child diagnosed with AIDS.  In A Mother’s Prayer, she played a single mother diagnosed with AIDS who worries about what will happen to her son after she dies.  Hamilton really seemed to be attracted to TV movies about AIDS.

A Mother’s Prayer was well-received.  Hamilton was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.  She lost to Jessica Lange in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Linda Hamilton - Separate Lives - 1994
Linda Hamilton – Separate Lives – 1994

Later that year, Hamilton starred opposite James (I’m still not Jim) Belushi in the thriller, Separate Lives.  Him again?

Belushi played an ex-cop who quit the force to raise his daughter.  As a second career, he takes up psychology.  Hamilton played a woman with multiple personalities who hires Belushi to tail her dangerous alter ego who may have murdered someone.

Separate Lives was ignored by pretty much everybody.  James Belushi had his chance and he blew it.  Maybe if he had hit that damn baseball when he was a kid everything would be different.  Oh well.

Meanwhile, things were rocky between Hamilton and James Cameron:

There was a time when I’d left Jim, moved out on my own and was playing a multiple personality in a film. I’d just lost my 12th nanny in a row, I was dragging James Cameron along in a relationship and he was furious I’d moved out. I was trying to reinvent our relationship and I really went down. So much that I truly felt like I might have died.

Terminator 2 3-d
Terminator 2 3-D Attraction at Universal Theme Parks

Good news:  1996 was Belushi-free.  Better news.  Hamilton returned to the uber-successful Terminator franchise along with co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong and director James Cameron.

Bad news: It was for a theme park attraction instead of a movie.

Cameron teamed with Universal to create a Terminator-themed attraction at their theme parks.

The 3-D movie includes in-house effects, live performers and of course 3-D.  The show still runs at Universal Studios in Florida.

cameron and amis
James Cameron and Suzy Amis

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Cameron’s relationship continued to be rocky.  While the director was working on Titanic, he fell for actress Suzy Amis who had a small part in the movie.  According to Hamilton:

“‘Titanic was the most painful thing in the world.  But this wasn’t because Jim was cheating on me. Jim went off with Suzy because we were taking a break from each other and he was free to go with her.  It was a painful time because we’d had a relationship where I’d push him away, then he’d push me away. Frankly, most of our relationship was us taking a big break.  It was a crazy time, too, because we clashed as I was prepared to stand up to him. I’d say: “I’m never going to consider going back with you, plus I’m going to tell my friends all about you.”

‘Then when he got together with Suzy I changed my mind and he came back to me and we got married. Then he felt terrible about what he’d done to her and went back to her. Yes, there was a period when he did sort of cross over because he was confused.”

Well, I can see that.  After the third marriage, things are bound to get confusing.  He’s been married five times now!

hamilton - shadow conspiracy
Linda Hamilton – Shadow Conspiracy – 1997

In 1997, Hamilton starred opposite Charlie Sheen in the political thriller, Shadow Conspiracy.

Sheen played the president’s top aide.  Must have been President Clinton.  I bet there is a deleted scene of Sheen’s aid to the president introducing him to a White House intern.  Winning!  Sheen’s character discovers a White House conspiracy that only he can stop.  Maybe because of his tiger’s blood or maybe because he’s a wizard.  Who knows.

The only person he can trust is played by Donald Sutherland.  Wait.  You can’t trust Donald Sutherland!  He’s one of them.

Sutherland - Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Don’t trust Mr. Spock either.

Wow, that went off in an unexpected direction.  Anyway, Shadow Conspiracy currently holds a zero-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  On a budget of $45 million dollars, it grossed just over $2 million.  That’s what you call a bomb.  And not a “truth bomb” either.

hamilton - dante's peak
Linda Hamilton – Dante’s Peak – 1997

Later that year, Hamilton starred opposite Pierce Brosnan in the disaster movie, Dante’s Peak.

James Bond played a volcanologist which apparently has nothing to do with Mr. Spock.  Which is good because we have already established that you can’t trust him.  Pointy ears, ya know.  Hamilton played a mayor who must help Remington Steele convince the town that they are in danger from a nearby volcano.

You know how they don’t make a lot of movies about volcanos?  Well, in 1997, they made two.  Dante’s Peak opened in February to mostly negative reviews.  In April, Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche starred in Volcano.  Volcano received slightly better reviews, but Dante’s Peak did better at the box office.  Frequently in these Hollywood Throwdowns the first movie to get to market reaps the rewards.

hamilton - cameron
Linda Hamilton and James Cameron

Also in 1997, Hamilton and Cameron finally tied the knot.  I am sure no one will come to regret that decision.

Hamilton described the rocky relationship that lead to their nuptials:

“A decision should be made by two, but Jimbo decided that we would never get married, because he’d been married three times before and he’d made up his mind never to do it again.  So we did nothing but fight over marriage for seven years. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to get married, but I wanted to have a say in whether or not we got married. There’s a big difference. These sorts of rows kept everything alive.”

Hamilton - Color of Courage
James Cameron – The Color of Courage – 1998

In 1998, Hamilton appeared in several TV movies like Rescuers: Stories of Courage and The Color of Courage (pictured above).  There was also one called Point Last Seen which somehow did not have the word “courage” in the title for some off reason.

Hamilton - Hercules
Hercules

Hamilton also started doing voice work.  She voiced the goddess of vengeance, Nemesis on Disney’s animated Hercules show.

She reprised her role in another episode the following year.

Hamilton - New Adventures of Batman
Linda Hamilton – Silent Fall – 1994

On The New Adventures of Batman, she voiced Susan Maguire, a woman with a dark secret who steals Bruce Wayne’s heart.

That probably ended about as well as Hamilton’s real life marriages.

Hamilton - Cameron Divorce
Linda Hamilton and James Cameron

Speaking of which, Hamilton divorced James Cameron in 1999.  She was awarded a $50 million dollar divorce settlement.

Don’t worry.  Jimbo can afford it.

Hamilton - Batman Beyond
Batman Beyond

Continuing voice work, Hamilton played a different character on the future-based Batman series, Batman Beyond.  Hamilton played a scientist who performs experiments on Mr. Freeze.

She also played Eugene Levy’s wife in the coming of age drama, The Secret Life of Girls.

Minor nitpick, but why is “life” singular if “girls” is plural.  Shouldn’t it be The Secret Lives of Girls?  I guess it doesn’t matter since no body saw the movie.

Hamilton - Sex & Mrs X
Linda Hamilton – Sex and Mrs. X – 2000

In 2000, Hamilton went the Lifetime movie route with Sex and Mrs. X.

Hamilton played a magazine writer who is devastated when her husband leaves her.  But she experiences a sexual reawakening while interviewing a Paris madame played by Jacqueline Bisset.

Lifetime Movies and voice overs are never a sign of a healthy movie career.  So it’s probably no surprise that Hamilton continued doing voice overs on Disney’s Buzz Lightyear cartoon.

Hamilton - A Girl Thing
Hamilton – A Girl Thing – 2001

In 2001, Hamilton appeared in the Showtime mini-series, A Girl Thing.  Stockard Channing starred as a psychiatrist who sees various patients over the course of the series.  Lynn Whitfield played a woman who suspects her husband is being unfaithful.  So she hires a private investigator played by Hamilton to flirt with him.  She discovers that he is cheating on his wife with a waitress played by Mia Farrow.

Elle MacPherson playe d a lawyer who questions her sexuality when she finds herself attracted to another woman played by Kate Capshaw.  Glenne Headly plays a woman who has to spend a week with her two estranged sisters after the death of their mother.  The sisters are played by Rebecca De Mornay and Allison Janney.

Linda Hamilton - According to Jim - 2005
Linda Hamilton – According to Jim – 2005

In 2005, Hamilton had a guest appearance on the TV sitcom According to Jim.  Are you kidding me?  This guy!  Again!

From 2008-2009, she did eleven appearances on the Canadian TV drama, The Line.

In 2010, she appeared on two episodes of Showtime’s Weeds.

hamilton - chuck
Linda Hamilton – Chuck – 2010-2012

From 2010-2012, Hamilton had a recurring role on Chuck.  He played Chuck’s mother who abandoned him and his sister as a child.

hamilton - lost girl
Linda Hamilton – Lost Girl – 2013-2014

She has continued popping up in TV shows like Defiance and Lost Girl (pictured above).  But Hamilton’s movie career appears to be over.

So, what the hell happened?

First of all, this is another case where I am surprised by how few memorable movies Hamilton made.  Once you get past the Terminator franchise, you’re looking at Children of the Corn and Dante’s Peak.  Those shouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s resume.  Sure, she had a cult TV show in Beauty and the Beast.  But she was only on it for two years and despite its devoted fans, the show was never a mainstream hit.

People assume that because Hamilton played an iconic character, that she was a big movie star.  But really, that was never true.  She took a three-year break from acting immediately following the biggest hit of her career, Terminator 2.  Instead of capitalizing on that movie’s success, she was consumed with her  on-again-off-again relationship with Cameron and her duties as a mother.

When Hamilton’s marriage to Cameron ended, she was awarded $50 million dollars.  So clearly, she didn’t need to work.  That has allowed her to pick and choose TV roles when they suit her.

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daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago

She wanted to have a say in whether or not James Cameron should be allowed to not marry her? That sounds healthy. I guess the gambit paid off for her in the end. Hamilton’s hair bothered the bejeezus out of me all the way until T2. That Phil Collins song is the first thing I thought of when you mentioned the name of that movie. Also I predicted it would not be as good as Private Lives. Although Hamilton should definitely not star in any version of Private Lives. No matter how much its plot sounds like her real life.… Read more »

joboots
joboots
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Was thinking the same thing also!!!!!

Brad Deal
9 years ago

I hope Linda is happy. It is unfair to expect rational choices from someone who is bi-polar. I have a relative who struggles with this condition on a daily basis. It is extremely difficult not only for for the patient, but also for the people closest to the patient. I think she has done extremely well, especially so, when compare to a supposedly healthy person like myself.
And she is a cutie after all is said. I think Sara Connor and Ripley should do a movie together!

sean
sean
7 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Hamilton and weaver directed by R. Scott.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Brad Deal

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – A Review: http://haphazard-stuff.blogspot.com/2015/05/terminator-2-judgment-day-1991-review.html Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) had been preparing her son John (Edward Furlong) for his important role as future leader of the human resistance against Skynet, the artificial intelligent computer that will lay waste to mankind. However, now John is on his own living with guardians since Sarah got herself locked away in a mental hospital. A new present day threat appears in the form of an advanced Terminator (Robert Patrick) that is tasked with the mission to kill John Connor. These terminators just won’t leave the Connor family alone! This T-1000… Read more »

Katrina Marie Souder
Katrina Marie Souder
4 years ago
Reply to  Brad Deal

What a stupid, uninimformed thing to say. Many high functioning very intelligent people are bipolar. In fact, most very famous and mega rich people are. Cutie pie? What a demeaning thing to say about a grown person unless it’s a loved one. I do agree about Sarah Connor and Ripley though.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I don’t think that anybody on here out right said, suggested or even alluded to the notion that just because people like Linda Hamilton have bipolar disorder, that they aren’t at all intelligent. Linda’s bipolar issues are brought up because it’s really hard to ignore them. It’s quite easy to suggest that she didn’t have a more fruitful film career (let’s be honest outside of the Terminator franchise and the Beauty of the Beast TV series, can you think of anything noteworthy that she has done in her career without looking it up) due to her mental health issues. It’s… Read more »

RB
RB
9 years ago

Here’s another subject that I’ve not given much thought to, other than remembering that, the guys in my circle, 1980 or so, all said that she was the “IT” girl. I do recall much attention was paid to her getting in such good shape for the Terminator flicks. Never warmed to her as an actress but don’t have strong negatives either. Def don’t get the hair complaints? It’s long and wavy, the envy of many. Unless you are not a fan of that style. Regardless, Lebeau, no one chronicles pop culture better!!

daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago
Reply to  RB

Her natural hair is lovely, but most of the time she favored a feathery helmet-head that is the coiffure equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard for me. Maybe that’s a generational thing.

Julie Alyson
9 years ago
Reply to  daffystardust

lol, all the girls (me included) wanted that helmet hair thing going on, it all started with Farrah Fawcett 🙂

RB
RB
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

It is uniquely entertaining. No question about that. Many a stressful work day has been lightened by checking in here 🙂 I mean, after I get home from work of course 🙂

Carl
Carl
4 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Glad it was a respectful article. Thought it was going to be age bashing when I saw title. Didnt know she was bi-polar. A lot of creative people are. Maybe she didnt have a lot of memorable rolls, but she certainly did make a name for herself. Sarah Conner will live on forever….

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I find it funny (besides the whole Jim Belushi stuff), that Linda Hamilton has worked w/ at least two different James Bonds (Pierce Brosnan in “Dante’s Peak” and Timothy Dalton on “Chuck”). I also find it kind of funny that Linda worked w/ Arnold Schwarzenegger in the first two “Terminator” films and would later play a character on “Batman Beyond” who performs experience on Mr. Freeze (a character that Arnold of course portrayed in “Batman & Robin”). THE MOTHER BRAIN FILES UNDERRATED ACTORS SPECIAL: LINDA HAMILTON: http://cosblog.cosmelentertainment.com/2014/01/23/mother-brain-files-underrated-actors-special-linda-hamilton/ The world knows her best as Sarah Connor in the first two installments… Read more »

Dorian
Dorian
9 years ago

Finally!! A WTHH on Linda Hamilton! Thanks for writing this, I really enjoyed reading it, as usual… 😉
I still think it is a real shame that she wasn’t able to capitalise on the success of Terminator.
Also, I am probably one of the few people who really enjoyed her performance in Dante’s Peak. It was actually my favourite disaster movie as a kid.
Oh well, we’ll always have Sarah Connor.

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
9 years ago

My lord, that Wishman creature is hideous! I can’t look at it too long, for I fear that thing will haunt my nightmares tonight. In what universe did ABC give a hideous creature design like that approval for a potential family-friendly tv series? This one we live in, that’s which one! How insanely bizarre.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Craig Hansen

8 Bizarre TV Pilots That Were Doomed To Fail http://whatculture.com/tv/8-bizarre-tv-pilots-that-were-doomed-to-fail.php/8 Wishman The first problem with Wishman is that its “lovable protagonist” is in actual fact terrifying. Those are not the eyes of an adorable genetically engineered baby (is it even possible to make the words “adorable” and “genetically engineered” fit together in the same sentence?). They’re the eyes of a psychopathic killer. The story centers on a scientist who steals “the beast” (yeah, they actually refer to Wishman as a beast, yet ask us to love him) because he feels bad that it’s about to be murdered and dissected for… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Should’ve Been Bigger: Linda Hamilton: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Shoulda-Been-Bigger-Linda-Hamilton-9970.html Linda Hamilton is an icon of feminine ass-kicking. She ran like scared little girl in the first Terminator and played a monster-humping district attorney on television in Beauty and the Beast, but after Terminator 2 she became a symbol for real female action heroes. In fact she still is. Aside from Sigourney Weaver, no other actress has really managed to successfully pull off that kind of character. Others, like Angelina Jolie, have tried. But Jolie’s action characters are pure fantasy. They’re fetish queens in leather outfits or bouncy video game babes without sweat glands.… Read more »

Heather
Heather
4 years ago

From T2 to now she just seemed like a corny poser to me. WAY overacted. Years of sun, drugs and cigarettes have destroyed her face and smoking has made her voice sound like Popeye. Icon of shite.

Tara
Tara
9 years ago

Love your blog. Highlight of my day, easily. Would you ever consider doing a WTHH on either William hurt, James van Der beek or Patrick fugit?

gluserty
9 years ago

I was looking forward to a Linda Hamilton write up, and this didn’t disappoint. Wow, I didn’t know she did so much animated voice work, especially “Batman: The Animated Series” (I like the vibe of that series). But here’s this: remember when Linda Hamilton attended the Marine corp. ball with a Sergeant named Ray Lewis after Bette White backed out?

Heather Skye
9 years ago

Yes, her mental illness and messy divorce from Cameron did her no favors. Rumors that he had her blacklisted persist. But have you seen her in the past few years? All those years of tanning and smoking (not to mention past drug use) have caught up with her. I love her as an actress and in interviews, she seems like a lovely person, but time has not been kind to her once beautiful looks.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Heather Skye

After reading what you said Heather, I think that in a way, Linda Hamilton’s career struggles so to speak, could be considered to be somewhat similar or a variant of Kim Basinger’s. Like Linda Hamilton w/ “Terminator 2”, Kim Basinger at one point in her career, happened to star in the biggest movie of its respective year, w/ “Batman”. But for whatever the reasons, both never really properly capitalized off of the momentum (“LA Confidential”, for which Kim won an Oscar for could be added also, since Kim didn’t release another movie for three years afterwards) of those movies. Kim… Read more »

Heather Skye
9 years ago

Don’t get me wrong–I love Linda Hamilton, she’s a fine actress. But when it comes to the physical appearance of older, aging women, Hollywood is not so forgiving.

HHGeek
HHGeek
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Damn right, it’s a common theme.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Heather Skye

Plastic Surgery Run Amok, or Renee Zellweger: What Were You Thinking?
http://forums.previously.tv/topic/16734-plastic-surgery-run-amok-or-renee-zellweger-what-were-you-thinking/page-3#entry1898738
Linda Hamilton apparently went the natural aging route and saw a lot of hard living in the bargain. She looked about 70 during her guest stint on Defiance last year, but I do admire her for refusing to bow to pressure.

Deborah Garrity
9 years ago

I own every episode of Beauty and the Beast, and still watch them today. I wii always love Katherine. and Vincent.

HHGeek
HHGeek
9 years ago

Finally got around to reading this because T2 was on TV this weekend, and I had forgotten what a ridiculously great film it is. (Even if the T1000 still scares the bejesus out of me.) Some thoughts on this piece: 1) That is the mother of all fine photos of Donald Sutherland. Hang on, start again … 1) Linda Hamilton in T2 is one of the great female action characters, as you say. 2) No matter whether people think she is / was attractive, she was never pretty or beautiful in the way that actresses are expected to be. This… Read more »

callicojacks
9 years ago

And now the Terminator attraction is gone. Of course, it’ll live on forever through Youtube and other video sites.

callicojacks
9 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

D’oh! I thought it applied to both Hollywood and Orlando. Thanks for the clarification!
(The ride really needs to be replaced. Or at least the pre-show does. “Imagine a world where you can communicate with someone from across the world….)

jessy slater
jessy slater
8 years ago

LOVE Linda…would be fun to have her as a neighbor—drinkin a beer and havin a barbecue

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

15 Awful Films Terminator Actors Want You To Forget: http://whatculture.com/film/15-awful-films-terminator-actors-want-you-to-forget.php/3 King Kong Lives (1986) – Linda Hamilton RottenTomatoes Score: 0% The Plot: A sequel to the 1976, Jessica Lange-starring King Kong remake, King Kong Lives sees the giant creature kept alive in a coma by Dr. Amy Franklin (Hamilton), and after hunter Hank “Mitch” Mitchell (Brian Kerwin) captures a large female gorilla to help give Kong enough blood for a heart transplant, Kong and the female escape, wreaking havoc on the world once again. Why It Sucks: From its very first moment, this is an outrageously unnecessary, braindead sequel, which… Read more »

Leo
Leo
8 years ago

Nostalgia Critic: Children of the Corn (1984)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeFcWqMyysA
Stephen King combines killer kids and corn, because they go so well together?

Leo
Leo
7 years ago
Reply to  Leo

Nostalgia Critic Real Thoughts On: Children of the Corn (1984)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6wA_Y3iFU8
We’re always so hard on King, but does this movie actually have some moments worth watching? Doug and Rob discuss Children of the Corn.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Franchises That Killed Off The Wrong Person http://whatculture.com/film/10-franchises-that-killed-off-the-wrong-person.php/8 Sarah Connor In Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines Why she shouldn’t have died: The second Terminator film is a classic. Or as close to a classic as a film about time-travelling robots being tossed into lava whilst Guns N’ Roses play in the background is likely to get. James Cameron’s masterpiece is at least partly so iconic thanks to Linda Hamilton’s performance as Sarah Connor, totally transformed from the terrified victim of the first movie. Neither Hamilton nor Cameron were on board for the third film, Rise Of The Machines,… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

FRANCHISES THAT CHANGED WHEN THEIR BIGGEST STARS LEFT http://www.looper.com/8228/franchises-changed-when-biggest-stars/ TERMINATOR – LINDA HAMILTON Linda Hamilton’s absence from the last few Terminator movies shows just how important she is to the franchise. No other actor or actress provides an emotional core to the movies like Hamilton. Each Terminator movie made without her is worse than the last, beginning with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. From there, the series never recovered, reaching its lowest point with 2015’s Terminator: Genisys, which tried to reboot the storyline of the original two films, but was nowhere near as good. Knowing more sequels are planned,… Read more »

Leo
Leo
8 years ago

Good Bad Flicks – Dante’s Peak (1997)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OQ9805jobk

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Review: Beauty and the Beast, “Though Lovers Be Lost” and “Walk Slowly”
http://thiswastv.com/2013/04/26/review-beauty-and-the-beast-though-lovers-be-lost-and-walk-slowly/
Jessica says hello to the third season of Beauty and the Beast, and goodbye to Linda Hamilton. But all is not lost as she’s a fan of the new Beauty Diana, and the focus on a darker side of fairy tales.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

In 1987, CBS Bowed Beauty and the Beast
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-flashback-1987-linda-hamilton-ron-perlman-brought-beauty-beast-tv-985531
“The writing staff included ‘Game of Thrones’ author George R.R.
Martin and ‘Homeland’ creators Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa: “The
George R.R. Martin scripts were like John Coltrane on acid — primal,
but with incredible elegance…”

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

BEAUTIES AND THE BEASTS: 9 OTHER FILMED VERSIONS OF THE TALE AS OLD AS TIME http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/16/beauties-and-the-beasts-9-other-filmed-versions-of-the-tale-as-old-as-time Beauty and the Beast (1987-1989) Director: Various Cast: Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton Beastliness Rating of the Beast: 2/5 Although this goes pretty far afield of the original source material, crafting a character-driven saga that gave Perlman his best role until Hellboy and Hamilton something to do between Terminator films, the TV series is Beauty and the Beast for anyone as devoted to the show as its fans surely are. Although Vincent’s look was definitely beastly, the soft cat-like contours did become familiar and even… Read more »

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