Linda Hamilton is known for kicking butt in the Terminator films, so her casting as the latest adversary in the Stranger Things universe is genius.
With the Netflix juggernaut having recently dropped the first instalment in its fifth and final season, fans finally got to meet her mysterious character Dr Kay, whose identity was first teased at Tudum in June 2023.
But who exactly is she and what does she want with Eleven? Read on to find out all about Dr Kay and the woman who plays her!
Who is Dr Kay in Stranger Things Season 5?
The Emmy-nominated actress made her Stranger Things debut in season five’s first volume, which premiered on November 26.
Linda plays Dr Kay – a government scientist and leader of the secret United States Military Police Corps faction known as the “Wolf Pack”.
Stationed in the Upside Down, this season’s antagonist is hellbent on getting her hands on powerful teen Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown.
According to series co-creator Ross Duffer, the character wasn’t fully formed until Linda had been cast, telling Tudum they “moulded the character around her”.
“[We] leaned away from the traditional scientist and gave her more of a military edge,” he said. “She can fight, she can use a gun, and she doesn’t hesitate to do so. You don’t want to piss her off.”
Having grown up loving the actress, Matt Duffer told Tudum it was “exciting” to work with the star, revealing they were after someone “iconic” for the role.
“Luckily, we found out that Linda was a fan of the show and had seen all four seasons, which is very surreal,” he said, adding that she “jumped on board immediately and enthusiastically”.
Linda calls her character “a bit of a mystery”.
“Science is what matters, and she’s very much trying to stop the drama that’s unfolding and thinks she’s doing the right thing for Hawkins,” she told Tudum.
“She’s so determined that nothing really gets in her way, and that’s where it gets a little bit more interesting for the character and for the audience.”
What role is Linda Hamilton best known for?
Truly an iconic Hollywood actress, Linda has been acting since 1979.
Arguably, it was her role as Sarah Connor alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1984’s The Terminator that catapulted her to superstardom.
She reprised her butt-kicking role – as the future mother of the leader of the resistance, targeted by a cyborg assassin – for two subsequent films: 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.
In an interview with AARP: The Magazine on November 26, the actress reflected on still being an in-demand commodity in Hollywood four decades after Terminator.
“I actually spend quite a lot of time thinking about that, because it’s still rather improbable that I’m doing it,” she noted.
“Many things are improbable – like stunt rehearsal [in my late sixties]! I’m very lucky to play certain women that solidified my place in Hollywood somewhere.”
How old is Linda Hamilton now?
Linda was born in Salisbury, Maryland on September 26, 1956, making her 69.
She had an identical twin sister, Leslie Hamilton Freas, who sadly passed away in 2020.
The nurse was a stunt double for her famous sibling for several scenes in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Recently, Linda has hit back against criticism she faced for ageing gracefully in superficial Hollywood.
“I do not spend a moment trying to look younger on any level, ever,” she told AARP.
“I don’t chase beauty, and I don’t chase longevity particularly. I’m fully planted in the moment, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to be healthy.”
The star added that, with age, comes the ability to “fully inhabit” herself in a way she wasn’t able to when she was younger.
“I’m not trying to please anyone or prove anything or show off,” she told AARP. “It sounds kind of cocky, but it’s not. It’s a lovely satisfaction with the career that I’ve had.”
Is Linda Hamilton married?
The actress is twice married and divorced.
In 1982, she tied the knot with actor Bruce Abbott, with whom she had a son, Dalton, now 36.
Their union wasn’t to last though and, in 1989, while Linda was pregnant with the couple’s only child, the couple split.
Linda is also a mum to daughter Josephine, 32, with then-boyfriend James Cameron.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day director James and star Linda began dating shortly after filming wrapped on the movie in 1991.
While they split for a brief time during the filming of 1997 blockbuster Titanic, they reunited and married the year it was released.
Their marriage ended in a hefty $76 million divorce settlement two years later.
In 2019, Linda revealed to The New York Times that she’d been “celibate for at least 15 years”.
“I love my alone time like no one you’ve ever met,” she admitted. “One loses track, because it just doesn’t matter – or at least it doesn’t matter to me.
“I have a very romantic relationship with my world every day and the people who are in it.”
What is Linda Hamilton’s net worth?
With a resume spanning 46 years and more than 80 roles across film, TV and video game voice acting work, Linda has amassed a nice nest egg.
According to the latest figures by Celebrity Net Worth, her current net worth is approximately $106 million.
Residuals from the Terminator franchise and 1997 film Dante’s Peak play a significant role in her income stream.
