Terminator 2: Judgement Day is undoubtedly one of the most successful action sequels of the 90s. James Cameron returned to the world of Terminator and continued the saga of Sarah Connor, bound by fate to raise her son John as the leader of the human resistance to the supercomputer Skynet.
Events between the two films had separated Sarah from her son, but Skynet was still determined to eliminate the now adolescent John with another, more advanced Terminator sent back in time. Fortunately, the resistance was able to capture a Terminator for themselves, reprogram it and sent it back to protect John. As the two Terminators, one familiar, one new, battle for the future of humanity, John and Sarah fight to determine their own fates and reconcile the tension that’s built up between them.
Pretty much the entire main cast had a star-making or career highlight role in the film. How have each of the stars’ careers faired since? Read on to find out Where Are They Now? The Cast of Terminator 2.
10. ROBERT PATRICK – THE T-1000
Before Terminator 2, audiences might have been hard-pressed to imagine a more deadly terminator than Arnold’s T-800. Then came the T-1000. Its mimetic polyalloy composition let it mold limbs into lethal stabbing weapons, blend into solid surfaces in the environment and disguise itself as other people after "sampling" them through physical contact. This led to several insidious deceptions including one as John's foster mother and even Sarah Connor herself.
Where the T-800 barely had the programming to pass for human, the T-1000 had more advanced personality programming, increasing its stealth capabilities. But when the time came to kill, this prototype Terminator exuded keen predatory instincts.
Robert Patrick has had plenty of roles since his acclaimed performance in Terminator 2. He’s had episodic and repeated appearances in TV series ranging from Chuck, Psych, Burn Notice, Sons of Anarchy, Community and True Blood. He’s also plays agent Cabe Gallo in CBS’s Scorpion.
9. EARL BOEN – DR. PETER SILBERMAN
Probably the most visible chump in the Terminator series. Even after witnessing the devastation and death inflicted by a Terminator in the first movie, Dr. Silberman keeps Sarah Connor institutionalized. His mistreatment of her comes back to bite him when she makes her last escape attempt. She holds him captive with a syringe full of industrial strength Liquid Rooter to his neck to force her way nearly to freedom. When the Terminator and the T-1000 show up, he’s completely awestruck, again.
Earl Boen has actually been far more prolific doing voice over than live action screen appearances. He’s voiced several characters in World of Warcraft and its various expansions and he’s voiced characters in Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, Metal Gear Solid 2, Baldur’s Gate and Psychonauts. He’s also voiced several characters in animated TV series like Dexter’s Laboratory, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, the Justice League TV series and the classic Jetsons.
8. JOE MORTON – MILES DYSON
Miles Dyson is a classic example of a character who had the best intentions that would lead to terrible consequences. Sarah Connor’s visions of the future that Dyson’s work would usher in were so haunting that she decided to ditch John and the Terminator and kill Dyson before his work could be finished. Fortunately, Sarah stopped herself before executing Dyson and let the Terminator explain the history of the world it had come from.
Dyson was understandably shocked and disturbed, but he agreed to help the heroes break into Cyberdyne Systems and dismantle all his work that could lead to the development of Skynet. He was riddled by the SWAT team that counterstruck Cyberdyne. In the end, he gave his last breath to detonate the research just after the heroes got clear.
Joe Morton has appeared in several memorable roles since Terminator 2. In 2014 he won an Emmy for playing the role of Olivia Pope’s father in Scandal. Currently he’s filming Justice League Part 1 where he’ll reprise his role of Silas Stone.
7. S. EPATHA MERKERSON
Poor Tarissa Dyson. Incapable of knowing how catastrophically her husband’s work would alter the course of human history. We don’t get to see much of her in the film other than watch, horrorstruck, as Sarah invades her home, shoots her husband, and the Terminator rip off his arm to reveal the metal endoskeleton underneath. It’s even more heart breaking when you see the deleted scene where Tarissa nudges Miles away from his computer to make time for his kids.
Tarissa Dyson may be S. Epatha Merkerson’s most famous movie role, but she’s actually been much more prolific on TV. She first appeared as a guest star on Law & Order. Then in 1993 she started playing the role of Lieutenant Anita Van Buren of the NYPD, which she continued playing all the way through 2010. Counting her cameos in Criminal Intent and Trial by Jury, Merkerson has appeared in 392 total episodes of Law & Order, more than any other character in the franchise. She’s won Emmys Golden Globes, SAG Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Most recently she’s played Sharon Goodwin on Chicago Fire and Chicago Med.
6. CÁSTULO GUERRA – ENRIQUE SALCEDA
“Siempre como culebra”. We knew that at the end of Terminator, Sarah Connor headed for the Southwest and the Mexican border. When John and the Terminator break her out of Pescadero State Hospital, she leads them to an old friend to pick up some means of defense. Enrique Salceda will make sure you’re a friendly before you get close. But if you and he go way back, he might lend you his best truck and an M-134 Minigun.
Cástulo Guerra has had several small parts in American movies and TV shows ranging from The West Wing, to ER, to CSI, to Dallas. Most recently he had a part in The Purge: Anarchy. His voice also makes for a few “hey it’s that guy!” moments if you’ve ever played Diablo II, Sacrifice or Starcraft: Brood War.
5. EDWARD FURLONG – JOHN CONNOR
James Cameron picked out a completely new face in Edward Furlong to play the rebellious adolescent John Connor. Since everybody was incredulous of Sarah Connor’s story and criminal behavior, and since the burgeoning Cyberdyne Systems Corp. covered up the remains of the first Terminator, John grew up thinking think that his mom’s stories were a load of fantastical nonsense.
Then the Terminator showed up, shrugging off gunfire and punching through walls. John knew at once that the stories his mother had told him about killer machines from the future were true.
Furlong was 13 when Terminator 2 debuted and received a Saturn Award and an MTV Movie Award for his performance. He went on to have several other critically appraised performances in the 90s, including A Home of Our Own (1993) and American History X (1998).
By the 2000s, Furlong’s career declined considerably, although he’s appeared in several direct-to-DVD genre films. Most recently, he had a part in the crowdfunded Star Trek Renegade series alongside several famous stars from the official series in their original roles, including Tim Russ, Robert Picardo and Walter Koenig.
4. JENETTE GOLDSTEIN – JANELLE VOIGHT
John Connor’s relationship with his foster parents Janelle and Todd Voight was not warm. But in a morbid way, this worked out to John’s advantage in Terminator 2. When he called his foster parents house to warn them about the T-1000, he immediately noticed that Janelle sounded genuinely concerned, nurturing and, most importantly, not angry.
Fearing the T-1000 had already arrived, the Terminator got on the phone. Not only was the T-1000 already there, but it had already disguised itself in appearance and voice as Janelle. The two machines recognized each other over the phone immediately. “Your foster parents are dead,” Schwarzenegger told John after hanging up the phone.
Jenette Goldstein also worked with director James Cameron in Aliens, starring as the tough as nails marine Jenette Vasquez. Her last onscreen performance was in Autopsy (2008), but she’s also now the proprietor of a plus size bra store “Jenette Bras”.
3. XANDER BERKELEY – TODD VOIGHT
Todd Voight wasn’t the best father figure as a foster parent to John Connor. That doesn’t mean he deserved what the T-1000 did to him. The T-1000 had already infiltrated the Voight house disguised as Janelle when Jon called. While it had John Connor on the phone, it impaled Todd through his mouth and through a carton of milk he was holding, killing him instantly.
Xander Berkeley has had a bunch of ensemble and starring roles in movies and television throughout his career. He’s had single episode appearances on numerous shows and episodic appearances on Justified, Being Human, Salem, Jericho, and The Mentalist. He also had a starring role in the first 2 seasons of 24 as Counter Terrorism Unit Director George Mason.
He played the main character Percy on the CW TV series reboot Nikita. On film, he most recently played Philip in The Divergent Series: Allegiant.
2. LINDA HAMILTON – SARAH CONNOR
Sarah Connor may boast one of the biggest character growths between sequels among all sci-fi heroines. Between the events of Terminator and Terminator 2, Sarah trains herself in the use of many different firearms, and physically conditions herself to prepare to raise her son as the future leader of the resistance. She doesn’t even let institutionalization stop her from staying fit, and we hear she tries to escape from Pescadero State Hospital repeatedly.
Then in the film she takes more than her fair share of physical punishment and shows unwavering determination to stop Skynet. The T-1000 even impales her through her shoulder, and she refuses to cooperate and lure John over.
Linda Hamilton is still most famous for her portrayal of Sarah Connor. In recent years she’s had several repeat TV appearances on The Line, Weeds, Chuck and Defiance.
1. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER – THE T-800
One of the most famous action stars of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger might just be most famous for his portrayal of the implacable cybernetic menace the Terminator. When he first played the part in 1984, the Terminator was sent back to preemptively kill John Connor’s mother before John could become leader of the resistance to Skynet. In Terminator 2, a different unit of the same T-800 series model was reprogrammed by the resistance and sent back in time to protect the adolescent John Connor.
Schwarzenegger had become well-established as an action star by the time Terminator 2 debuted in 1991. It’s a testament to the popularity of his portrayal of the character that’s he’s returned to the role 2 more times, each after a considerable hiatus. Once for Terminator Rise of the Machines (2003) and again in last year's Terminator Genisys (2015). His Terminator has become so iconic that he was affectionately nicknamed “the Governator” during his two terms as governor of California, between 2003 and 2011.
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