Who played the title character in the 1984 film "The Terminator"?

Arnold Schwarzenegger played the title character in the 1984 film The Terminator. He portrays a cybernetic assassin sent from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor before her future son can lead humanity's resistance against Skynet.

Although Schwarzenegger is the film's central figure, the character is usually identified simply as the Terminator rather than by a personal name. Kyle Reese, played by Michael Biehn, travels back in time to protect Sarah, played by Linda Hamilton. The apparent villain of the first film later became an unlikely protector in the sequels.

James Cameron directed and co-wrote the film with producer Gale Anne Hurd. Schwarzenegger was initially approached about playing Reese, but Cameron ultimately cast him as the machine because of his physical presence and distinctive screen persona.

The film was made on a budget of about $6.4 million and became a major commercial success, launching a franchise of sequels, television series, comics, novels, and games. It was also selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 2008.