Profile of James Cameron on Famous Like Me

James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian-born American film director noted for his action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and overbudget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. Thematically, James Cameron's films generally explore the relationship between man and technology.

Professional career

James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, the son of Phillip (an electrical engineer) and Shirley Cameron (an artist). He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario, but his family moved to Brea, California in 1971. There he studied physics at Cal State-Fullerton but was only ever interested in movie work. He started as a screenwriter, and went on to do art direction and effects work (on Battle Beyond the Stars and Escape from New York, for example, working with producer Roger Corman) before landing his first directorial job for Corman in 1981 on the film Piranha II: The Spawning. Shot in Italy, Cameron ended up being fired and having a physical breakdown. While recovering from this Cameron had the vision for The Terminator that he managed to get produced through his partner and then-wife Gale Anne Hurd.

After the cult hit of The Terminator Cameron and Hurd signed with Fox to make Aliens producing a major hit. Cameron's next film The Abyss secured the biggest budget to that time and was a breakthrough in effects technology but was cut by the studio and poorly received by audiences.

Cameron is known for the breakthrough work he expects from his special effects (FX) crews, beginning with The Terminator (the special effects of which, while somewhat dated today, were quite advanced upon the film's release in 1984; this is even more remarkable given the low budget of the film). The special effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day made extensive use of computer-generated imaging (CGI), and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Cameron's Titanic in 1997 made use of both CGI and a variety of sets of different scales, and also won a Visual Effects Oscar. Titanic was notable also for being the most expensive film made to that point, and for recouping that investment by becoming the biggest box-office hit in film history. Among the film's record-tying 11 Oscars were three for Cameron, as director, producer and editor.

The appeal of his films has led to frequent speculation of his involvement with super-hero adaptations. Starting in the late 1980s, Cameron's name was attached to various attempts on super-hero movies, such as X-Men, Hulk, and Spider-Man. At one point, Cameron wrote a script for Spider-Man which would've matched him up against a corporate Electro. Cameron is credited with the organic web shooters which would feature years later in the 2002 Sam Raimi version of the film. Most recently, Cameron was still in the running to direct the next Superman movie, yet that ended up going to Bryan Singer. HBO's original series Entourage made a back-handed reference to these recurring rumours, with the main character slated to star in a fictional version of DC's Aquaman, directed by Cameron. Cameron appeared, playing himself, in the show.

Cameron finally did succeed in producing a superhero in the form of the cyberpunk television series Dark Angel (2000-2002). The influence of the X-Men, the Hulk, and Spider-Man is clearly evident in this production, as well as the films Blade Runner and The Matrix.

Amoungst his more recent projects have been undersea documentaries on the Bismarck, (Expedition: Bismarck, 2002), and the Titanic, (Ghosts of the Abyss, 2003).

As a result of his contributions to underwater filming and remote vehicle technology, the University of Southampton awarded Cameron the honorary degree of Doctor of the University. Cameron received his degree in person at the graduation ceremony in July 2004.

Cameron is a known follower of anime and his favourable comments have been featured on the covers for video and DVD releases of Ghost in the Shell and Blood: The Last Vampire. In July 2005, Cameron confirmed that he will direct a long-rumoured film adaption of the manga series Battle Angel Alita. With an estimated budget of $150 million, the film will be shot in 3-D and will feature a cast almost entirely composed of animated CG, using a more perfected version of the "performance capture" technique utilised by director Robert Zemeckis in The Polar Express.

Cameron has also mentioned that he plans to create a 3-D project about the first trip to Mars.

He has been married five times, including to film producer Gale Anne Hurd (1985–1989), director Kathryn Bigelow (1989–1991) and actress Linda Hamilton (1997–1999). His current wife is Suzy Amis, whom he married in June 2000.

Films as director

• Aliens of the Deep (2005) (documentary)
• Ghosts of the Abyss (2002) (documentary)
• Dark Angel (2000 - 2002) television series
• Titanic (1997)
• True Lies (1994)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
• The Abyss (1989)
• Aliens (1986)
• The Terminator (1984)
• Piranha Two: The Spawning (1981)

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