Biehn got his start in movies with a bit part in the film version of Grease in 1978. He appears in two scenes, in one which John Travolta's character, Danny, hits Biehn's uncredited character in the stomach while playing basketball. In 1981, he acted out the title role of Douglas Breen, a stalker, in the 1981 film version of Bob Randall's novel The Fan; at the time the film was shot, he was in his mid-20s, whereas the Actress chosen as Breen's victim Sally Ross, Lauren Bacall, was more than 30 years his senior. After a few more films, Biehn played Kyle Reese, a sergeant sent back in time by John Connor to save his mother, Sarah Connor, in the 1984 film The Terminator. He starred in two other films directed by James Cameron: Aliens (as Corporal Hicks) and The Abyss (as Lieutenant Hiram Coffey), and had a small role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (his briefly reprised role as Reese which was removed from the theatrical release, but restored in the special editions and the director's cut).