Linda Hamilton walked away from Hollywood with a $100m fortune after surviving personal turmoil, a record-breaking divorce, and decades of mental health struggles.
The 69-year-old Terminator star now lives a quiet life in a New Orleans townhouse after quitting California more than a decade ago.
The Beauty and the Beast actress built a massive property portfolio across the US while walking away from blockbuster film sets, but said she preferred her isolated lifestyle.
“I’m an introvert. About 80 per cent of my time has to be alone,” the Golden Globe nominee told People.
“Just give me books and a pile of animals and leave me alone, and I’m happy.”
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Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger attend the Terminator: Dark Fate photocall in 2019 in London, England. Picture: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Linda Hamilton in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Her decision to trade Los Angeles for Louisiana came after years of personal hardship, including two failed marriages and a late diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Hamilton married actor Bruce Abbott in 1982, but he left her while she was pregnant with their son, Dalton. The couple divorced in 1989.
She later began a relationship with Terminator director James Cameron. The pair welcomed a daughter, Josephine, in 1993 and married in 1997.
The high-profile marriage collapsed after just two years, resulting in a $US50m ($72m) divorce settlement in 1999.
The Dante’s Peak star revealed her undiagnosed bipolar disorder and depression severely impacted her personal life.
Hamilton spent 20 years searching for answers before receiving a formal diagnosis in 1994, using exercise, medical intervention, and lifestyle changes to regain control.
“From 20 to 40. I call them my lost years,” she told AP Radio in 2024.
“If I was suffering or angry with my husband over the smallest slight, he would suffer.
“There was no capacity to remove myself from my condition.”
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Hamilton’s high-profile marriage to James Cameron collapsed after just two years, resulting in a $US50m ($72m) divorce settlement in 1999.
The 69-year-old star now lives a quiet life in a New Orleans townhouse after quitting California more than a decade ago. Picture: Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Hamilton’s property portfolio has shifted along with her lifestyle changes.
In 2012, she sold a luxury Malibu mansion for $US4m ($5.7m) after initially seeking $US5.5m ($7.9m).
That same year, the actress bought a farm property in Lucketts, Virginia, for $US998,000 ($1.4m). She sold the estate four years later for $US1.3m ($1.9m).
She also acquired an oceanfront residence near Sarasota, Florida, for $US850,000 ($1.2m) in 2003, alongside her New Orleans home.
Hamilton bought her Louisiana property online after seeing it once.
“I bought the first house I saw … like I’m really trying to live that life,” she said.
“It’s been the stupidest thing, but that’s the universe rewarding me somehow by putting me here. I love New Orleans. I really love it.”
The Stranger Things actress said she had zero interest in trying to recreate her blockbuster past or fight the ageing process.
“Of course people are going to look at me and say ‘Oh, she got old’,” she said.
“Ultimately, I woke up one day and said, ‘F**k trying to be what I was, because I am so much more than I was.’”
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