Which actor played the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day?

Robert Patrick played the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

The T-1000 is the film’s principal antagonist, an advanced prototype Terminator sent back by Skynet to kill the young John Connor. Unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, the T-1000 is made from liquid metal called mimetic polyalloy. That material allows it to imitate people and objects, repair damage, and reshape its body into weapons.

Patrick’s lean build and controlled, relentless performance were chosen to contrast sharply with Schwarzenegger’s physically imposing machine. In the film, the T-1000 initially disguises itself as a Los Angeles police officer, using that identity to track John. Patrick’s role became his breakthrough performance and remains his best-known film part.

A frequent mix-up is naming Schwarzenegger as the T-1000 because he is the most recognizable Terminator actor. In Terminator 2, however, Schwarzenegger plays a reprogrammed T-800 protector, while Patrick plays the liquid-metal T-1000. The film was released in 1991 and its visual effects helped make the character a landmark in computer-generated cinema.