Linda Hamilton can fight the visible signs of ageing

She famously stopped Arnold Schwarzenegger's murderous Terminator in its tracks.

But not even cinema's first lady of action movies, Terminator star Linda Hamilton, can thwart the visible signs of ageing.

Even by normal standards, at the age of just 51, the actress appeared on the set of her new film looking heavily lined and prematurely aged.

Terminator star Linda Hamilton appeared on the set of her new film looking heavily lined. She is shooting film Water Rising in Devonshire

But to her credit, Miss Hamilton appears to have forgone the usual route of cosmetic surgery, sidestepping the trend for a ridiculous trout pout or multiple botox jabs.

Her severely lined appearance could be a side-effect of heavy tanning, or a prolonged smoking habit, as she appears to be ageing rapidly despite her relatively young years.

The star of the iconic Terminator and Terminator 2 films, and the original female action hero was seen on the set of new film Water Rising which is being shot in the Devonshire countryside.

The star of the Terminator movies appeared to be suffering from premature ageing, seen right in the 1991 movie

Linda Hamilton with T2 co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, far left and Joe Morton

Dressed in a black suit, the years clearly haven't been kind, as she revealed her aged skin at a photocall.

Miss Hamilton's career never quite reached the dizzy heights of her co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now the governor of California.

One reason given, is that in 2005 she revealed that she suffers from bipolar disorder.

Speaking to chat show host Larry King she said: 'I think it gave me a wonderful arena in which to act out some of my rage.'

But after filming on T2 ended character Connor’s paranoid fear for the safety of her son was soon mirrored in Linda.

The actress said she couldn’t leave the house because 'I just did not feel that my kids were going to be OK if I wasn't in the house protecting them.'

In her now advanced years, she's still playing the action star in a series of straight to video movies.

Meanwhile the Terminator franchise has continued with a television series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Sarah Connor is played by actress Lena Headey.

And a new movie Terminator Salvation is in pre-production, in which Miss Hamilton will appear in as a cameo.