Linda Carroll Hamilton was born on 26 September 1956, in Salisbury, Maryland USA, into what she has described as ‘a boring Anglo-Saxon family’. Linda is an actress who rose to prominence for her role in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1992). She is the winner of the Saturn Award, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Satellite Award and others. Linda Hamilton has been accumulating her net worth working in the entertainment industry for more than 35 years.
The main sources of Linda Hamilton’s wealth are divorce and acting. Reportedly, her net worth is as much as $70 million, heavily subsidised by a $50 million divorce settlement she received in 1999 from second husband James Cameron.
Linda Hamilton Net Worth $70 Million
Linda Hamilton was raised in Salisbury, Maryland together with her twin sister and other two siblings. She was educated at Wicomico High School and then attended Washington College for a couple of years before deciding to take up acting studies, and moved to New York City though one of the professors told her that she had no hope of earning a livelihood as an actress. Linda proved that he was completely wrong, as she debuted in an episode of the television series “Shirley” (1980). Other series in which Hamilton landed roles were “Secrets of Midland Heights” (1980 – 1981), “King’s Crossing” (1982), “Hill Street Blues” (1984), “Chuck” (2010 – 2012), “Lost Girl” (2013) and “Defiance” (2014). Her most successful performance in these series was in “Beauty and the Beast” (1987–1989) for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards as the Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Serie-Drama. All these appearances contributed to Linda’s net worth.
In addition to acting in television series, Linda Hamilton has also landed roles in television films. Among the most popular ones are the films “Reunion” (1980), “Country Gold” (1982), “Secret Weapons” (1985), “Go Toward the Light” (1988), “Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples” (1998), “Sex & Mrs. X” (2000), “Home by Christmas” (2006) and “Bermuda Tentacles” (2014).
However, the net worth of Linda Hamilton increased the most after landing roles in feature films. She created a number of roles for the big screen, and those that brought nominations and awards were in the action film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) directed, co-written and produced by James Cameron drama film “A Mother’s Prayer” (1995) directed by Larry Elikann, adventure film “Dante’s Peak” (1997) directed by Roger Donaldson, and drama film “The Colour of Courage” (1998) directed by Lee Rose. Her roles in the above mentioned films probably increased the net worth of Linda Hamilton the most.
Concerning the personal life of Linda Hamilton, she has been married and divorced twice. In 1982, she married actor Bruce Abbott, but unfortunately Abbott left her during the pregnancy, which produced a son. From 1991, she lived with film director James Cameron. They married in 1997, but soon divorced (in 1999), after having a daughter.
MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance, MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female, Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Movies
The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Dante's Peak, Black Moon Rising, Children of the Corn, Mr. Destiny, King Kong Lives, Shadow Conspiracy, Silent Fall, Missing in America, Bermuda Tentacles, The Kid & I, Silent Night, Go Toward the Light, A Mother's Prayer, Tag: The Assassination Game, Sex ...
TV Shows
Chuck, Thief, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, King's Crossing, Secrets of Midland Heights, The Line
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Trademark
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Husky resonant voice
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Frequently portrays women who endure in spite of great hardship or tragedy
[1991: On leaving Beauty and the Beast (1987) to devote time to motherhood] It was a leap of faith. One never knows what one is doing in my opinion. I just have to trust in the perfection of my instincts: that wherever I am or wherever I'm going to go is exactly where I'm supposed to be. I do believe that in my life -- it's very comforting.
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[why she turned down Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)] 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.
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[on her marriage to James Cameron] He was all brain and work and I was all heart and living. He had guns next to his side of the bed and I had crystals and fertility symbols next to mine. We were just really not meant to be together. Nowadays we just tease and play and have a lot of respect for each other. I think the man is an extraordinary director. He is a complete genius.
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[on James Cameron after their divorce]: I love him as much as I ever did. But that doesn't mean that the heartache wasn't huge and I haven't suffered. I knew how Jim was when I married him and I love him still.
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On her reaction to Arnold Schwarzenegger being cast as the Terminator in the original film: I didn't take Schwarzenegger very seriously as an actor at that time. I said, "Oh Lord, why cast a man who looks like a machine as a machine? Cast somebody who's very thin to do these superhuman acts." And I was wrong. He was used tremendously effectively, and he was served very well by that film.
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On the development of the character Sarah Connor from the Terminator films: A woman who grows and transforms on screen is always a wonderful thing to play. Sarah went from a vulnerable, normal girl to someone who finds all of her deep reservoirs of strength and comes through it all.
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At the 1997 Academy Awards, on then-husband James Cameron: My husband is the sexiest man in the world.
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My heart is so light that it's amazing. I get to play all this grief, all this loss, all this disaster and chaos. It's hysterically funny. I am very light. I keep saying I'm Lucy Ricardo trapped in somebody else's body.
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Fact
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Is a registered Democrat, but admitted to voting for Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2003 California gubernatorial election.
Talked about 20 years of treatment for bipolar disorder on the October 14, 2005 show of Larry King Live (1985).
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In the original screenplay of The Terminator (1984), the character she played, Sarah Connor, was 19 years old. It was decision of James Cameron to make the character somewhat older to fit into Hamilton's age. In real life, Linda was 27 when filming started and turned 28 before the film was released.
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Has appeared on television and revealed that she suffered from bipolar disorder. She said that her condition had destroyed her marriage to her first husband Bruce Abbott, abusing him verbally and physically, and that it also had ruined her marriage to second husband James Cameron. Linda said that it was her love for her two children that finally forced her to seek treatment, and she began taking medication. That was 10 years ago, and Linda says that she will always be grateful that she chose treatment and regrets the pain that her illness caused those she loves.
She divorced second husband James Cameron after discovering he was having an affair with actress Suzy Amis during the making of the movie Titanic (1997). Her divorce from him was the second-most expensive divorce next to that of Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving. Hamilton stood to take half of Cameron's earnings - close to $50 million.
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Sprained her ankle prior to filming The Terminator (1984) and it never quite healed right due to all the running she had to do in the film.
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Her identical twin sister Leslie Hamilton Gearren was Linda's double in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Leslie is seen when Sarah is remembering playing with John at the park and when the T-1000 is impersonating her.
After her role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), she learned that she made such an impression as the pumped and ferociously tough Sarah Connor that she was typecast into being offered only roles for similarly tough characters.
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While Hamilton was attending Washington College, the acting professor told her that she had no hope of earning a living as an actress.
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She reprised her Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) character, Sarah Connor, for the theme-park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996), a short film shot in a new 3-D process that makes the film appear to jump out at you.
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Attended Wicomico Junior High School in Salisbury, Maryland, with her identical-twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Gearren.
$70 Million
