James Francis Cameron (b.1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, artist, and environmentalist. He is celebrated for his expansive vision and innovative special-effects films, most notably Titanic (1997; for which he won an Academy Award for best director,) and Avatar (2009.)
Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Cameron studied physics at California State University-Fullerton and began his career as an art director for American director Roger Corman.
Cameron’s first major success was The Terminator (1984.) Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, it established Cameron as a bankable filmmaker. He went on to make several other action blockbusters (often with a sci-fi slant,) including Aliens (1986,) The Abyss (1989,) Terminator 2 (1991,) and True Lies (1994.) In the mid-1990s, he founded Digital Domain, a visual effects company.
In 1996, Cameron made Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, won 11 Academy Awards, equaling the record set by Ben-Hur in 1959. Since then, he has concentrated on making undersea documentaries for the IMAX cinema format, as well as creating the television series Dark Angel (2000–02,) Ghosts of the Abyss (2003,) and Aliens of the Deep (2005.)
Cameron’s science-fiction thriller Avatar (2009) was a major box-office success. A science-fiction thriller, it surpassed Titanic to become the highest-grossing movie in the world, winning Cameron the awards for the best director and the best picture at the 2010 Golden Globes.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by James Cameron
There is this long, wonderful history of the human race written in blood. We have this tendency to just take what we want. And that’s how we treat the natural world as well. There’s this sense of we’re here, we’re big, we’ve got the guns, we’ve got the technology, therefore we’re entitled to every damn thing on this planet. That’s not how it works and we’re going to find out the hard way if we don’t kind of wise up and start seeking a life that’s in balance with the natural life on Earth.
—James Cameron
Don’t put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t bet against yourself. And take risk.
—James Cameron
Topics: Ideas, Life
People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a “rightist.” I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.
—James Cameron
Topics: Perfection, People
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Robertson Davies Canadian Novelist, Playwright
Tim Robbins American Actor, Director
Steven Spielberg American Film Director
Cecil B. DeMille American Filmmaker
Steven Pinker Canadian Psychologist
George Lucas American Filmmaker
Alice Munro Canadian Writer
Clint Eastwood American Film Director
Ang Lee Taiwanese Film Director, Screenwriter
Joni Mitchell Canadian Singer, Songwriter