Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her roles as
Sarah Connor in
The Terminator and its sequel
Terminator 2: Judgment Day and as Catherine Chandler in
Beauty and the Beast.
Early life
Hamilton was born in
Salisbury, Maryland to a
physician father who died in a car accident when she was five.
[Filmreference.com] 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.
[JewishJournal.com] 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).
