James Cameron

Brother of Mike Cameron and John David Cameron.

According to Cameron, he got his big break while doing pick-up shots for Galaxy of Terror as second unit director. He was shooting scenes of a dismembered arm teeming with maggots (actually mealworms). In order to make them move, he hooked up an AC power cord to the arm, and an unseen assistant would plug it in when the film was rolling. Two producers were strolling through, and when Cameron yelled "Action!" the worms began to writhe on cue. When he yelled "Cut!" the worms stopped. The producers were so amazed at his directing prowess that they began talking with him about bigger projects.

His production company is Lightstorm Entertainment.

One of the founders of visual effects company Digital Domain.

While editing Titanic , Cameron had a razor blade taped to the side of the editing computer with the instructions written underneath: "Use only if film sucks!".

Jokingly refers to Titanic as his 190 Million Dollar "Chick Flick".

First director to film both a $100 million ( Terminator 2: Judgment Day ) and a $200 million ( Titanic ) movie.

(September 2000) Cameron is in talks with RKK Energia and MirCorp to pay his way on board the Mir space station (or the ISS, should Mir be deorbited). He has been given the medical green light, and has already ridden aboard the Ilushin-76 jet used to train cosmonauts for space missions.

(4 April 2001) Daughter Claire, with wife Suzy Amis , born.

Has a stepson named Jasper, from Suzy Amis marriage to Sam Robards.

Was forced to settle a copyright lawsuit brought by Harlan Ellison involving the movie The Terminator . Newer prints of the film acknowledge Ellison. Cameron thought he could win the suit, but was told by the studio that he would be made responsible for financial damages in case of a loss. Unable to take the financial risk, he begrudgingly agreed to the settlement..

Went to elementary school in Chippawa, Ontario.

First wife Sharon Williams got just $1,200 from Cameron in their divorce settlement.

The eldest of five children.

Security is provided by Gavin de Becker , author of "The Gift of Fear."

He and Suzy Amis are owners of Childspot!, an early childhood center in Wichita, Kansas which is operated by Suzys sister, Rebecca Amis.

Wrote a screenplay for Spider-Man , but was turned down by the studios, due to the fact that his version of Spider-Man was "too violent". Sam Raimi s version got the green light instead.

Married one of his producers and two of his actresses.

His practice of testing his directors of photography by darkening the film originated on Aliens . Cameron wanted to use a particular type of film stock, but cinematographer Dick Bush ignored him and used a different type. The end result being that the footage shot ended up being unusably dark. After Bush was fired due to an unrelated incident and Adrian Biddle took over, Cameron found some of the film in a storage cupboard and had the camera operators use it instead of the film Biddle had told them to use. Biddle noticed what was going on after the first take, and compensated with extra lighting, hoping to hide his "mistake" from Cameron, who owned up at the end of the day. Cameron later did the same to Mikael Salomon on The Abyss and to Russell Carpenter on True Lies .

Is a huge Japanese anime fan, and the releasing studios often uses his opinion about the film on the DVD and VHS covers.

On the 14 March 2004 episode of "Inside the Actors Studio" , Kate Winslet claimed her nude portrait for Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Titanic was drawn by Cameron. She also said the artists hand shown in a close-up was Camerons.

The mandibles of the Predator from Predator were his idea.

One of only two people to have both written and directed an Alien movie. The other is Paul W.S. Anderson.

A magazine article written about him in the 1980s described how he had three desks set up in his house. At one desk, he was writing the script to The Terminator , on another, he was finishing the script to Rambo: First Blood Part II and on the third, he was writing Aliens .

When he wrote an early script treatment for Spider-Man , he had the idea of organic web-shooters. This was later included in Sam Raimi s film.

Has developed a new generation stereo imaging camera called "The Fusion Camera".

The titles of his two current theatrical documentaries contain the titles of two of his previous films; the title of his documentary Ghosts of the Abyss contains the title of his previous film The Abyss , and the title of his other documentary Aliens of the Deep contains the title of another one of his previous films, Aliens .

Member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE).

The October 1987 draft of the screenplay for Alien Nation credits a rewrite to James Cameron. He is not credited in the final film.

Is left-handed. He drew the picture of Rose (Kate Winslet ) in the movie Titanic . The image was flipped so it would appear that Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio ) was drawing it with his right hand.

Was interested in remaking Planet of the Apes , but his script was turned down. Another script was then developed and eventually made by Tim Burton in 2001.

Had a daughter, Elizabeth Rose, with Suzy Amis (born 29 December 2006).

Considered directing Solaris , but opted to produce instead. Job went to Steven Soderbergh.

2007 - Ranked #3 on EWs The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

After seeing Star Wars , Cameron quit his job as a truck driver to enter the film industry.

Received a star on Canadas Walk of Fame in 2008. Says hes too cheap to pay for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Has a daughter, Josephine Archer Cameron, with Linda Hamilton (born 15 February 1993).

Ex-brother-in-law of Leslie Hamilton Gearren.

Apart from Piranha Part Two: The Spawning and The Terminator , all of his films have been nominated for or won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

First director to make 2 films which have grossed more than $1 billion in the worldwide box office ( Titanic and Avatar ). Cameron is now tied for the billion-dollar film record with Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson. Nolans The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises finished their runs with over $1 billion in overall grosses. Jacksons The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey also finished their runs with over $1 billion in overall grosses.

Three of his films have made it to the IMDb top 250 list: The Terminator , Terminator 2: Judgment Day , and Aliens . Avatar briefly made the list, but ultimately dropped out of it.

In 2010, his movie Avatar became the highest grossing movie of all time, not adjusted for inflation. It is also the first movie to gross the 2 billion dollar mark at the box office. Until Avatar , Camerons previous movie Titanic was the highest grossing movie of all time for 12 years (also not adjusted for inflation).

In an interview with Tavis Smiley , revealed that he was a truck driver before going into film directing.

Lives in Malibu and Calabasas, California.

(May 10, 2010) Merited a place in Time magazines - The 100 Most Influential People in the World ("Artists" category) - with an homage penned by Sigourney Weaver.

Was an avid reader of Arthur C. Clarke , A.E. van Vogt , Harlan Ellison and Larry Niven novels as a child.

Has directed 3 actresses in Oscar-nominated performances: Sigourney Weaver (Best Actress, Aliens ), Kate Winslet (Best Actress, Titanic ), and Gloria Stuart (Best Supporting Actress, Titanic ).

Directed three of the American Film Institutes 100 Most Heart Pounding Movies: Titanic at #25, The Terminator at #42 and Terminator 2: Judgment Day at #77. Aliens was also nominated but didnt make the list.

He named his five favorite films as The Wizard of Oz , Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb , 2001: A Space Odyssey , The Godfather and Taxi Driver .

Insists that any actor in his films must audition for him, even major stars.

Cameron reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench on 25 March 2012, becoming the first person to do so in a one-man craft. The Mariana Trench is the deepest known point on Earth, at 11 km (6.8 miles) below the ocean surface. The vehicle in which he achieved this feat is the Deepsea Challenger (DCV 1), designed built in Sydney, Australia by research and design company Acheron Project Pty Ltd. Cameron is the first person to spend significant time at that depth, having explored the area for three hours after arrival. He later famously commented "Hitting rock bottom never felt so good".

Is vegan.

Since 1984, all of his films titles have begin with either the letters T or A. Or, in the case of The Abyss , both (depending on whether you want to classify the film as "The Abyss" or "Abyss, The").

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on December 18, 2009.

Despite his reputation for working constantly and for very long hours, he stopped drinking caffeinated coffee after he made Terminator 2: Judgment Day and only drinks decaf now.

Is very close friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Has frequently worked with the cast of the Star Trek films. Paul Winfield appeared in The Terminator and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan . Jenette Goldstein , who appeared in Aliens , Terminator 2: Judgment Day , and Titanic , also appears briefly in Star Trek: Generations . Goldsteins Aliens character was also the inspiration for Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby ), and she was the original choice for the role. Mark Rolston , who appeared in Aliens , also appeared on an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" . Edward Furlong appeared in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and "Star Trek: Renegades" . Zoe Saldana appeared in Star Trek , Star Trek: Into Darkness and Avatar . David Warner appeared in Titanic , Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . In addition, Thomas Dekker appeared in Star Trek: Generations and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" as John Connor, while the characters father, Kyle Reese, was played in Terminator Salvation by Anton Yelchin. Bryce Dallas Howard , who also appeared in Terminator Salvation , is the niece of Clint Howard , who appeared on an early episode of the original series. Bill Paxton s Aliens character, Hudson, inspired the Sam Rockwell character in the Star Trek spoof, Galaxy Quest .

(9 September 2003) Son, James Quinn (known as Quinn), with wife Suzy Amis , born.

Not only did he try to make a Spider-Man film, he also tried to make a X-Men movie with his fellow filmmaker and his then wife Kathryn Biggelow.

Was considered to direct a Spider-Man film on two occasions, first on Spider-Man and then on The Amazing Spider-Man ten years later.

Did uncredited voice overs for The Terminator (as Sarah Connors (Linda Hamilton ) date on the answering machine) and True Lies as the helicopter pilot who flatly says, "hes got her head in his lap. Yahoo.".

He has had 5 of his films win the Oscar for Visual Effects: Aliens , The Abyss , Terminator 2: Judgment Day , Titanic , and Avatar .

Friends with Bill Paxton.

Hes a big fan of Zack Snyder, whose films he has praised as an inspiration for some of his own work.

His films often include a scene where a male and female protagonist run away from something (Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton in The Terminator, Michael Biehn and Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic).

(March 2012) The renowned Swiss company ROLEX customized a special watch for Cameron (to be "worn" on the subs robotic arm) aptly named the "Rolex DeepSea Challenge Sea-Dweller" (39370ft=12000m) to commemorate his landmark oceanic expedition in the Pacific Oceans Mariana Trench, a trench that is significantly deeper than Mount Everest is high. The watch was designed to withstand up to 13.6 tons of pressure and functioned perfectly throughout the dive.

One of the most influential war reporters of all time, an annual lecture and award is given in his honour. His brother was the sound engineer Ken Cameron.

. . . you can read all the books about filmmaking, all the articles in,American Cinematographer and that sort of thing, but you have to really,see how it works on a day-to-day basis, and how to pace your energy so,that you can survive the film, which was a lesson that took me a long,time to learn.

I was petrified at the start of The Terminator (1984) . First of,all, I was working with a star, at least I thought of him as a star at,the time. Arnold came out of it even more a star.

[on his reputation as a harsh and demanding taskmaster] I push people to,get the best out of them. And the same applies to me. If I come home at,the end of a day of filming and my hands are not black, I feel that was,a day wasted.

I see a very similar pattern, in a sense, between Titanic (1997),and Avatar (2009) . Not that they are similar films because they,are not - totally different subjects - but in both cases, you have,people coming back over and over to see the film.

The key to a sequel is to meet audience expectation and yet be,surprising.

[on making Aliens (1986) at Pinewood Studios in England] The,Pinewood crew were lazy, insolent and arrogant. We despised them and,they despised us. The one thing that kept me going was the certain,knowledge that I would drive out of the gate of Pinewood and never come,back.

Milking it. So, I stopped work. Then I saw,AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and it was actually pretty good.

(On his childhood) I spent all my free time in the town library and I,read an awful lot of science fiction and the line between reality and,fantasy blurred. I was as interested in the reality of biology as I was,in reading science fiction stories about genetic mutations and,post-nuclear war environments and inter-stellar traveling, meeting,alien races, and all that sort of thing. I read so voraciously. It was,tonnage. I rode a school bus for an hour each way in high school,because they put me in an academic program that could only be serviced,by this high school much further away. So I had two hours a day on the,bus and I tried to read a book a day. I averaged a book every other,day, but if I got really interested in something it was propped up,behind my math book or my science book all during the day in class.

[on the possible origins of the Space Jockey (or the dental patient as,he calls it) in Alien (1979) an idea explored in,Prometheus (2012/I) ] Clearly, the dental patient was a sole crew,member on a one-man ship. Perhaps his homeworld did know of his demise,but felt it was pointless to rescue a doomed person. Perhaps he was a,volunteer or a draftee on the hazardous mission of bio-isolating these,organisms. Perhaps he was a military pilot, delivering the alien eggs,as a bio-weapon in some ancient interstellar war humans know nothing,of, and got infected inadvertently.

Actually, 2010 was a big studio picture and Dune was a high-end,independent film. But these were mega-buck movies and Terminator just,steam rolled over them. And it had been done by these nonentities.

(NOTE: in actual fact, The Terminator was number 1 in the last weekend,of October 1984 and the first weekend of November 1984. 2010 and Dune,both opened in December 1984, not the Thanksgiving weekend, and 2010,out-grossed The Terminator by over $2 million).

[what he thought of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) ] In,one word, great.

We are facing the biggest challenge the human species has ever faced.

I do think Hollywood movies get it wrong when they show women in action,roles - they basically make them men. Or else they make them into,superheroes in shiny black suits, which is just not as interesting.

Prometheus (2012/I) is a film I saw twice, and I thought about it,ahead of time. The first time I would just enjoy it, go for the ride,not be too analytical and the second time I would allow myself to be a,little more analytical about, you know, where the lights were and how,they lit the shots with all the people in the helmets, how they,probably had to do CG faceplates like we did on Avatar (2009) ,things like that.

[on being sued for plagiarism] It is a sad reality of our business that,whenever there is a successful film, people come out of the woodwork,claiming that their ideas were used. Avatar (2009) was my most,personal film, drawing upon themes and concepts that I had been,exploring for decades.

The Terminator is neither good nor evil.

[on Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) ] I did think that,this new Captain America was an interesting film for its genre, in that,it tackled this idea of digital surveillance and the kind of dark side,of our hyper-connected society.

[Terminator Genisys] The natural follow up to Terminator 2.

[Avatar] Some of the design choices were about colors affecting us,psychologically, which is why the film has such a striking color,palette, like the early days of color cinematography where everything,had to be bright and vibrant.

Sometimes the more fantastic an idea is the more you have to be very,careful about how you design it.

[300] Fantastic film. I loved it.

I always learn from him. And what he does with going back to his own,franchise would be fascinating.

Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own.

ROSE: I love you, Jack. JACK: No. . . don’t say your goodbyes, Rose. Don’t you give up. Don’t do it. ROSE: I’m so cold. JACK: You’re going to get out of this. . . you’re going to go on and you’re going to make babies and watch them grow and you’re going to die an old lady, warm in your bed. Not here. . . Not this night. Do you understand me?ROSE: I can’t feel my body. JACK: Rose, listen to me. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought me to you. And I’m thankful, Rose. I’m thankful. You must do me this honor. . . promise me you will survive. . . . that you will never give up. . . not matter what happens. . . no matter how hopeless. . . promise me now, and never let go of that promise. ROSE: I promise. JACK: Never let go. ROSE: I promise. I will never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.

What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death?,I love short trips to New York to me it is the finest three-day town on earth.

I actually started as a model builder and quickly progressed into production design, which made sense because I could draw and paint. But I kept watching that guy over there who was moving the actors around and setting up the shots.