By Bryanne Salazar
8:07am PDT, Oct 22, 2019
On Oct. 26, 2019, "The Terminator" — which was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron — turns 35! The sci-fi action flick about a cyborg assassin from 2029 who's sent back in time to kill the mother of the leader of the future human resistance starred an iconic cast that included former Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular android killer. In honor of the film's anniversary, Wonderwall.com is checking up on the actors and actresses from the original 1984 film to see what happened after they saved the world from evil artificial intelligence. Keep reading for more…
RELATED: 1980s action stars: Where are they now?
For "The Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger, life has been a whirlwind of highs and lows since the film premiered. The former bodybuilder cemented his status as an '80s action hero when he starred in numerous hit films of the decade including "Red Sonja," "Commando," "Raw Deal," "Predator," "The Running Man" and "Red Heat." Two years after he married journalist Maria Shriver, Arnold tested his comedy chops in the 1988 flick "Twins" alongside Danny DeVito. The 1990s would prove no different, with Arnold starring in blockbuster action hits like "Total Recall," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "True Lies," "Batman & Robin" and "End of Days" as well as the comedies "Kindergarten Cop," "Dave," "Last Action Hero," "Junior" and "Jingle All the Way." In the early 2000s, after starring in films like "Collateral Damage," "The 6th Day" and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," Arnold took on a surprising new role: governor of California. Although Arnold's political swerve mostly ended his Hollywood career, the Austrian actor still appeared in a few films during his seven years in Sacramento including "Around the World in 80 Days," "The Kid & I" and "The Expendables." In 2011, Arnold's world was turned upside down when it was revealed that he'd fathered a son in 1997 with his family's housekeeper. The news was especially shocking given that his son, Joseph Baena, was born just days after Arnold and Maria's fourth child, Christopher. The star's 25-year marriage soon came to an end. Since his fall from grace, Arnold's slowly rebuilt himself, publishing the 2012 memoir "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story" and appearing in films like "The Expendables 2" and 3, "Terminator Genisys," "Aftermath" and 2019's long-awaited sequel "Terminator: Dark Fate," which arrives in theaters on Nov. 1. Arnold, who found love again with physical therapist Heather Milligan, is next slated to make "Kung Fury 2," "Triplets" (a sequel to his '80's comedy "Twins") and "The Legend of Conan."
RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger's life in photos
Michael Biehn went from a relative unknown to one of the hottest actors in '80s Hollywood, thanks in part to his blooming friendship with "The Terminator" director James Cameron, who immediately hooked him up with another notable role — as Corporal Hicks in the 1986 sci-fi thriller "Aliens." More films followed including "Rampage," "The Seventh Sign" and "The Abyss" — his third collaboration with James. By 1987, Michael's first marriage to actress Carlene Olson had ended, and just a year later, he married his second wife, film producer Gina Marsh. Michael's film work continued through the '90s with roles in movies like "Navy Seals," "Tombstone," "The Rock" and "Mojave Moon." In 1998, he landed a recurring role on the TV Western series "The Magnificent Seven." More TV roles followed, including in 2002's "Adventure Inc.," 2004's "Hawaii" and 2014's "24 Hour Rental." He made his directorial debut with 2011's "The Blood Bond" and also helped 2011's "The Victim." In 2019, fans will see Michael on the big screen in the Dec. 3 thriller "Red Handed." Up next for this father of five are 2020's "Killer Weekend," "The Hype" and "The Farm." Michael's been married to actress Jennifer Blanc since 2015.
In 1984's "The Terminator," actress Linda Hamilton starred as Sarah Connor, a waitress who learns she's the future mother of the leader of the human resistance.
Linda Hamilton didn't plan on becoming a sci-fi star any more than she planned on becoming a pop culture icon, but by the time "The Terminator" premiered, she was both. Linda, however, wouldn't find her next big role until 1987 when she was cast as Assistant District Attorney Catherine Chandler in the crime-fantasy series "Beauty and the Beast" — a role that earned her an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nods. In 1989, the same year "Beauty" came to an end, Linda and her husband of seven years, actor Bruce Abbott, divorced. Keeping busy, the actress returned to the big screen in films like "Mr. Destiny," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Silent Fall," "Shadow Conspiracy" and "Dante's Peak." In 1997, Linda walked down the aisle with her "Terminator" director, James Cameron. Interestingly, during the two years they were married, Linda worked primarily on TV movies, only making one film for the big screen, 1999's "The Secret Life of Girls," which wasn't directed by her husband. Following her divorce from James in '99, Linda's Hollywood presence diminished; she appeared in only a handful of TV and big-screen films. She lent her distinctive voice to animated shows like "Batman Beyond," "Hercules," and "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command." It wasn't until 2010 that we got to see Linda in a regular role once more, this time as Mary Bartowski on the comedy-action series "Chuck," which she followed with a role on the series "Defiance." In 2019, Linda returned to the franchise that made her famous with November's "Terminator: Dark Fate" — which will likely overshadow her other 2019 movie, the comedy "Easy Does It." In a Sept. 3 interview with The New York Times, the mother of two revealed that she's remained celibate over the last decade and a half and is enjoying a laid-back lifestyle in New Orleans — which she hopes won't change now that she's back to being Sarah Connor on the big screen.
Lance Henriksen starred as Los Angeles Police Department Det. Hal Vukovich in 1984's "The Terminator."
Like his "The Terminator" co-star Michael Biehn, three-time Golden Globe-nominated actor Lance Henriksen found his way into James Cameron's movie-making heart and promptly landed a role in the director's next major film, "Aliens." More movies followed, including "Pumpkinhead," "Stone Cold" and "Alien 3." Throughout the '90s, Lance appeared in a variety of movies, from the crime drama "Jennifer 8" to the comedy "Super Mario Bros.," the Jean-Claude Van Damme-led action flick "Hard Target" and the supernatural fantasy-drama flick "Powder." In 1996, Lance took on one of his best known recurring roles — Frank Black in the crime-horror series "Millennium" — and made an appearance as Frank on an episode of the hit sci-fi show "The X-Files." Throughout the 2000s, Lance continued to star in gritty action films, sci-fi dramas and the occasional thriller and appeared on TV series like "Ways of the Heart," "Into the Badlands," "The Blacklist" "Burn" and "Big Dogz." Lance also made a foray into the publishing world in 2011 with the release of his co-authored biography "Not Bad for a Human," followed by his five-part comic series "To Hell You Ride." As if that weren't enough, Lance also added voice actor to his resume with parts in animated series like "The Legend of Korra" and "Tron: Uprising." Although Lance won't reprise his role as Det. Hal Vukovich in 2019's "Terminator: Dark Fate," he's still busy: Roles in 2020's "Falling" and the comedy "Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen" as well as other projects are in the pipeline.
Paul Winfield starred as the Los Angeles Police Department's Lt. Ed Traxler in 1984's "The Terminator."
Paul Winfield only got to enjoy 20 more years of moviemaking after appearing in "The Terminator." The Oscar-nominated actor appeared on the big screen in films like "Go Tell it On the Mountain," "Blue City" and "Big Shots" and on the small screen on shows like "American Playhouse," "Murder She Wrote" and the made-for-TV movie "Under Siege." From 1987 to '88, Paul played The Mirror in the fairy tale comedy series "The Charmings." After the series went off the air, Paul played Julian Barlow on the comedy "227" from 1988 to 1990 while also appearing on a season of "Wiseguy." The '90s ushered in new films including "Presumed Innocent," "Cliffhanger," "Dennis the Menace," "Original Gangstas" and "Mars Attacks!" as well as several TV projects like "L.A. Law," "Queen," "Picket Fences," "Built to Last" and his final series, "Touched By an Angel." Paul lent his voice to several animated shows over the years too including "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," "The Simpsons," "The Magic School Bus" and "Batman Beyond." Before Paul's untimely 2004 death at 64 from cardiac arrest, he recorded three episodes of "Kids' Ten Commandments," which, along with his role as Sam in "Touched by an Angel," would turn out to be his last performances. Paul spent his life publicly in the closet but openly gay to his closest friends and family members. Two years before his passing, his longtime partner, set designer Charles "Chuck" Gillan Jr., died from a rare bone disease.
Dick Miller (right) starred as a pawn shop owner in 1984's "The Terminator."
After making "The Terminator," Dick Miller spent the next 35 years keeping himself extraordinarily busy in Hollywood. The New York born actor appeared in 1985's "Gremlins" and picked up a recurring role as Lou Mackie on the hit TV series "Fame" from 1984 until 1987. Dick also showed up in a slew of different movies including "Explorers," "Night of the Creeps," "Project X," "The 'Burbs," "Innerspace" and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" as well as some of the most popular TV shows of the time, like "Moonlighting," "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The Flash." Although Dick's career noticeably began to slow down by the 2000s, he still found his way onto the big and small screens with appearances in films like "Route 666," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," "Burying the Ex" and "The Adventures of Biffle and Shooster." In January 2019, Dick passed away at 90, leaving behind his wife of 60 years, Lainie Miller, a daughter and a granddaughter. Proving even death can't stop his career, Dick still has one last film on the horizon: the December 2020 thriller "Hanukkah."
A yet-to-be world-famous Bill Paxton (left) and Brian Thompson had small roles in 1984's "The Terminator" playing street punks who dared to harass the cyborg assassin (which led to their prompt deaths).
Although Bill Paxton had the tiniest of roles in "The Terminator," he's worth a mention because he went on to become a well-known Hollywood star. After landing parts in 1985's "Weird Science" and James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi thriller "Aliens," Bill went on to score roles in major films like "Predator 2," "True Lies," "Apollo 13," "Twister," "Titanic," "Mighty Joe Young," "Vertical Limit" and "Frailty." Of course, Bill also became a household name thanks to his Golden Globe-nominated performance as fundamentalist Mormon polygamist Bill Henrickson on the HBO series "Big Love." When the series ended in 2011, Bill quickly picked up a new role as Randall McCoy on the Golden Globe-winning miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys." From 2013 to 2016, Bill appeared in films like "Million Dollar Arm," "Edge of Tomorrow," "Nightcrawler" and "Mean Dreams" as well as on TV shows like "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Texas Rising." His career was still robust in 2017 thanks to his work on the TV series "Training Day" and in the film "The Circle" — but Bill never saw the movie come out, as he unexpectedly passed away in February 2017 at 61 following complications from heart surgery. Bill left behind his wife of nearly 30 years, Louise Newbury, and their two children.
Brian Thompson's brief appearance in "The Terminator" launched a career in Hollywood that's spanned more than 30 years. In addition to appearing on TV shows like "Moonlighting," "Knight Rider," "Falcon Crest," "Something is Out There" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Brian also landed roles in films like "Cobra," "Commando Squad," "Alien Nation" and "Lion Heart," to name a few. He was a great Hollywood villain but Brian also sought out roles in comedies like "Life Stinks," "Key West" and "Joe Dirt." Some of Brian's most notable roles were on the small screen in shows like "The X-Files," "Charmed," "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "Fan Wars." More recently, he appeared on a 2014 episode of "Hawaii Five-O" and a 2017 episode of "The Orville." 2019 proved to be a busy year for Brian thanks to roles in four films including "Disappearance" and "Big Muddy." Up next is a role in the thriller "Made Vicious." Since 1998, Brian's been married to filmmaker Shari Braun. He has two adult children from a previous marriage.
Earl Boen (right) starred as the disbelieving Dr. Peter Silberman, a criminal psychologist with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1984's "The Terminator." After that, Earl spent the next decade appearing on popular TV shows like "Family Ties," "Newhart," "Growing Pains," "Silver Spoons," "Punky Brewster," "Who's the Boss?" "Knots Landing," "Dynasty" and "Mama's Family" (to name just a few!) as well as on the big screen in films like "Movers & Shakers," "Walk Like a Man," "Alien Nation" and "Going to the Chapel." By the late '80s, Earl was working as a voice actor on shows like "The Further Adventures of SuperTed," "Fantastic Max" and "Paddington Bear." While Earl would occasionally appear on screen, his last part in front of the camera was in 2003's "Terminator: Rise of the Machines" in which he reprised his role as Dr. Silberman. Since then, Earl's worked exclusively as a voice actor for video games like "Call of Duty," "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel," versions of "World of Warcraft" and "Metal Gear Solid" as well as on animated shows like "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" and "Kim Possible." We haven't heard from Earl since he lent his voice to 2016's "Level Up Norge" and the video game "World of Warcraft: Legion," though he occasionally pops up at a comic con now and then, much to the delight of his fans.
