Film director, screenwriter, and producer, born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. His family moved to California, while he was a teenager. He dropped out of California State University at Fullerton, and had a variety of jobs before immersing himself in film techniques, and making a home-made short film. Hired by New World Pictures as a production designer, he graduated to directing. His credits as writer/director include The Terminator and its sequel (1984, 1991), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), True Lies (1994), and Titanic (1997, 11 Oscars, including Best Film and Best Director). He directed and produced Aliens of the Deep in 2005.
James Cameron|
James 'Iron Jim' Cameron, in 1986 |
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| Born: |
16 August 1954 Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada |
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| Occupation: | Film director, producer and screenwriter. |
| Spouse: | Suzy Amis |
James Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is hugely successful three-time Academy Award winning Canadian-American film director noted for his action/science fiction films, which are often extremely successful financially. Cameron directed the film Titanic which went on to become the top grossing film of all time, with a worldwide gross of over US$1.8 billion, as well as creator of the Terminator franchise.
Background
James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, to Phillip, an electrical engineer, and Shirley Cameron, an artist.
Early career
He started in the film industry as a screenwriter, then moved into art direction and effects for films such as Battle Beyond the Stars and Escape from New York. His soon-to-be-then-wife, Gale Anne Hurd, who had started her own production company, Pacific Western Productions, had previously worked with Cameron in Roger Corman's company and agreed to buy Cameron's screenplay for one dollar on the condition that Cameron direct the film.
The Terminator was a box office hit, breaking expectations by Orion Pictures executives that the film would be regarded as no more than a sci-fi film and only last a week in theaters.
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
During the early 1980s Cameron wrote three screenplays simultaneously: The Terminator, Aliens, and the first draft of Rambo: First Blood Part II. While Cameron would continue with The Terminator and with Aliens, Sylvester Stallone eventually took over the script of Rambo: First Blood Part II, creating a final draft which differed radically from Cameron's initial version .
Aliens (1986)
Cameron next began the sequel to Alien, the 1979 film by Ridley Scott. Cameron would name the sequel, Aliens, and would again cast Sigourney Weaver, in the iconic role of Ellen Ripley (the sole survivor from the first film). Cameron would later release a special edition version of the film in 1992, with deleted scenes added in and some scenes extended to further develop the story and reflect more closely his own vision before studio editing of the theatrical release. After the release of The Abyss, Cameron founded his own production company called Lightstorm Entertainment which produced all of his subsequent films. Finally, in mid-1990, Mario Kassar of Carolco Pictures secured the rights to the sequel, allowing Cameron to greenlight production of the film, now called Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Cameron had originally wanted to incorporate this advanced-model Terminator into the first film, but unfortunately the special effects at the time were not advanced enough. The ground-breaking effects used in The Abyss to digitally realize the water tentacle convinced Cameron that his liquid metal villain was now possible.Tristar Pictures would distribute the film under a locked release date that was only about half a year away from when shooting would begin. Like Cameron's previous film, it was one of the most expensive films of its time, with a budget of about $100 million.
For the film Titanic, Cameron cast Leonardo di Caprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane.
Dark Angel (2000-2002)
Cameron had initially next planned to do a film of the comic book character Spider-Man, a project developed by Menahem Golan of Cannon Films. Columbia hired David Koepp to adapt Cameron's treatment into a screenplay, and Koepp's first draft is taken often word for word from Cameron's story, though it was heavily rewritten by Koepp himself, Scott Rosenberg, Alvin Sargent (husband of producer Laura Ziskin and, allegedly, Ivan Raimi, brother of director Sam Raimi .
In July 2005, Cameron confirmed his long-rumoured film adaptation of the manga series Battle Angel Alita.
Among A-list directors, Cameron is a leading advocate for 3D stereo films.
Awards
Cameron received the Bradbury Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1991 - but, being primarily thought of as a genre filmmaker, he did not receive any major mainstream filmmaking awards prior to Titanic.
In recognition of his contributions to underwater filming and remote vehicle technology, the University of Southampton awarded Cameron the honorary degree of Doctor of the University.
Recurring Cast Members
Cameron often casts certain actors more than once in his films. Here is a list of recurring cast members and their corresponding roles in Cameron's films:
Michael Biehn
The Terminator as Kyle Reese Aliens as Corporal Dwayne Hicks The Abyss as Lieutenant Coffey Terminator 2: Judgment Day as Kyle Reese (scene was deleted from the movie, but was restored in the special edition)Jenette Goldstein
Aliens as Private Vasquez Terminator 2: Judgment Day as Jenelle, John Connor's foster mom Titanic as the Irish motherLance Henriksen
Piranha II: The Spawning as Steve Kimbrough The Terminator as Detective Vukovich Aliens as Bishop Expedition: Bismarck NarratorBill Paxton
The Terminator as Punk Leader Aliens as Private Hudson True Lies as Simon Titanic as Brock Lovett Ghosts of the Abyss as Himself / NarratorArnold Schwarzenegger
The Terminator as the Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day as the Terminator True Lies as Harry TaskerFilmography (Director)
| Year | Title | Genre | Other notes | Estimated Budget |
| 1981 | Piranha II: The Spawning | |||
| 1984 | The Terminator | Sci-Fi | $ 6,400,000 USD | |
| 1986 | Aliens | Sci-Fi | $ 18,500,000 USD | |
| 1989 | The Abyss | Sci-Fi | $ 69,500,000 USD | |
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Sci-Fi | $ 100,000,000 USD | |
| 1994 | True Lies | Action / Comedy | $ 100,000,000 USD | |
| 1997 | Titanic | Disaster / Drama / Romance | $ 200,000,000 USD | |
| 2000–2002 | Dark Angel | Television drama | ||
| 2002 | Expedition: Bismarck | Documentary | ||
| 2003 | Ghosts of the Abyss | Documentary / 3-D | ||
| 2005 | Aliens of the Deep | Documentary / 3-D | ||
| 2008 (tentative) | Avatar | Sci-Fi / 3-D | pre-production | $ 200,000,000+ USD |
| 2009 (tentative) | Battle Angel | Sci-Fi / 3-D | pre-production | $ 200,000,000+ USD |
| TBA | The Dive | Drama |
Filmography (Screenwriter)
| Year | Title | Genre | Other notes |
| 1978 | Xenogenesis | with Randall Frakes (co-writer) | |
| 1984 | The Terminator | Sci-Fi | with Gale Anne Hurd (co-writer) |
| 1985 | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Action | with Sylvester Stallone (co-writer) |
| 1986 | Aliens | Sci-Fi | |
| 1989 | The Abyss | Sci-Fi | |
| 1991 | Point Break | Action / Drama | with Kathryn Bigelow (co-writer) |
| 1992 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Sci-Fi | with William Wisher Jr. (co-writer) |
| 1994 | True Lies | Action / Comedy | |
| 1995 | Strange Days | Sci-Fi / Drama | with Jay Cocks (co-writer) |
| 1997 | Titanic | Disaster / Drama / Romance | |
| 2000–2002 | Dark Angel | Television drama | (pilots) |
| TBA 2007 | James Cameron's Sanctum | Drama / 3-D | with John Garvin (co-writer) |
| 2008 (tentative) | Avatar | Sci-Fi / 3-D | |
| 2009 (tentative) | Battle Angel | Sci-Fi / 3-D |
He also wrote early drafts of Spider-Man and X-Men.
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Preceded by: Anthony Minghella for The English Patient |
Academy Award for Best Director 1997 for Titanic |
Succeeded by: Steven Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan |
Personal life
Cameron has been married five times: Sharon Williams (1978-1984).
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