I had an ‘in’ when I met Linda Hamilton, and I was determined to get some special treatment as a result. She of course is best know to the general public as the character Sarah Connor in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Some may also know her as Catherine Chandler in the TV series Beauty and the Beast. But what I knew that most of her typical fans don’t is a bit about her family history. In fact I used to date one of her relatives. My ex-girlfriend Erin‘s great-grandmother was sister to Linda Hamilton’s grandmother.
That might sound like a very distant relation, but Erin often visited her hometown of Salisbury, Maryland to attend family reunions and now and then Linda would babysit her and her brother Joel. The question was how could I present this information to her when I got the chance to meet her at the Horrorhound Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 9, 2012.
It didn’t bet me a free autograph or anything; I plunked down my $40 just like everyone else. But having just talked to Erin who had attended the most recent Hayman/Derby family reunion, where other members of Linda’s family would be, I just approached it by asking her why she didn’t attend the reunion. She looked at me kind of funny, and then I explained how I knew her family. She didn’t seem all that interested, but then without warning she blurted out, “because I don’t like (x)”. I’m keeping the name confidential at Linda’s request. Then she went on to tell me a bit of the family history.
It was all fascinating, and kind of a fun exchange. It might have even earned me the big wet kiss from her. It just goes to prove what a little Terminator determination will do.
Celebrity encounters of the September Horrorhound Weekend will conclude in the next posting…
That really is a great story and you handled it all very nicely.
You can almost put together a H*milton / R*dd family tree!
Peter
January 17th, 2013