Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator film series and Catherine Chandler in the 1987–1990 television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy. Hamilton had a recurring role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on NBC's Chuck.

Biography

Hamilton has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage, from 1982 to 89, was to Bruce Abbott, who left her when she was pregnant with their son Dalton. In 1991, she moved in with film director James Cameron following his divorce from Kathryn Bigelow. They had a daughter, Josephine, born on February 15, 1993. She and Cameron married in 1997; but the marriage was short-lived, ending in a $50 million divorce settlement in 1999.

Hamilton has described herself politically as a Democrat, but she voted for Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger, her Terminator co-star, in the 2003 California gubernatorial election after his campaign convinced her he was suitable for the job.

In an October 2005 appearance on Larry King Live, Hamilton told the audience that she has bipolar disorder, which she said destroyed her marriage to Abbott, whom she admitted having abused verbally and physically, and eventually sought treatment.

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