Arnold Schwarzenegger is "perfectly cast" (Los Angeles Times) as the fiercest and most relentless killing machine ever to threaten the survival of mankind! A "genuine steel metal trap of a movie" (The Hollywood Reporter), THE TERMINATOR fires an arsenal of thrills, intriguing plot twists and heart-stopping suspense that "never lets up for a minute" (Leonard Maltin)!
In 2029, giant super-computers dominate the planet, hell-bent on exterminating the human race! And to destroy man's future by changing the past, they send an indestructible cyborg a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the woman whose unborn son will become mankind's only hope. But can Sarah protect herself from this unstoppable menace to save the life of her unborn child? Or will the human race be extinguished by "one mean hunk of mutant metal" (LA Herald-Examiner)?
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Terminator |
| Michael Biehn | Kyle Reese |
| Linda Hamilton | Sarah Connor |
| Paul Winfield | Traxler |
| Lance Henriksen | Vukovich |
| Rick Rossovich | Matt |
| Bess Motta | Ginger |
| Earl Boen | Silberman |
| Dick Miller | Pawn Shop Clerk |
| Shawn Schepps | Nancy |
| Bruce M. Kerner | Desk Sergeant |
| Franco Columbu | Future Terminator |
| Bill Paxton | Punk Leader |
| Brad Rearden | Punk |
| Brian Thompson | Punk |
| William Wisher, Jr. | Policeman |
| Ken Fritz | Policeman |
| Tom Oberhaus | Policeman |
| Ed Dogans | Cop in Alley |
| Joe Farago | TV anchorman |
| Hettie Lynne Hurtes | TV Anchorwoman |
| Tony Mirelez | Station Attendant |
| Philip Gordon | |
| Anthony Trujillo | |
| Stan Yale | Derelict |
| Al Kahn | |
| Leslie Morris | |
| Hugh Farrington | |
| Harriet Medin | |
| Loree Frazier | |
| James Ralston | |
| Norman Friedman | Cleaning Man |
| Barbara Powers | Ticket Taker |
| Wayne Stone | Tanker Driver |
| David Pierce | Tanker Partner |
| John E. Bristol | Phone Booth Man |
| Webster Williams | Reporter |
| Patrick Pinney | Bar Customer |
| Bill W. Richmond | Bartender |
| Chino Williams | Truck Driver |
| Gregory Robbins | Motel Customer |
| Marianne Muellerleile | Wrong Sarah |
| John Durban | Sentry |
| John Daly | Executive Producer |
| Derek Gibson | Executive Producer |
| Adam Greenberg | Director of Photography |
| Mark Goldblatt | Film Editor |
| Brad Fiedel | Composer |
| David Campling | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Richard Lightstone | production sound mixer |
| Terry Porter | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| David J. Hudson | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Mel Metcalfe | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| George Costello | Art Director |
| Hilary Wright | Costume Designer |
| Deborah Everton | Costume Designer |
| Jeff Dawn | Make-Up Artist |
| Roger George | Visual Effects |
| Frank DeMarco | Visual Effects |
| Shane Mahan | Visual Effects |
| Tom Woodruff, Jr. | Visual Effects |
| John Rosengrant | Visual Effects |
| Richard Landon | Visual Effects |
| Brian Wade | Visual Effects |
| David Miller | Visual Effects |
| Jack Bricker | Visual Effects |
| Gene Warren, Jr. | Visual Effects |
