Claim: Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor in action films.

The Terminator is a 1984 American science-fiction action film directed by James Cameron . It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator , a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor -LRB- Linda Hamilton -RRB- , whose son will one day become a savior against machines in a post-apocalyptic future . Michael Biehn plays Kyle Reese , a soldier from the future sent back in time to protect Connor . The screenplay is credited to Cameron , along with producer Gale Anne Hurd . Executive producers John Daly and Derek Gibson of Hemdale Film Corporation were instrumental in the film 's financing and production .   The Terminator topped the US box office for two weeks and helped launch Cameron 's film career and solidify Schwarzenegger 's . It received critical acclaim , with many praising its pacing , action scenes and Schwarzenegger 's performance . Its success led to a franchise consisting of four sequels -LRB- Terminator 2 : Judgment Day , Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines , Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys -RRB- , a television series , comic books , novels and video games . In 2008 , The Terminator was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry , being deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' .