James Cameron (Toronto)

James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability with his use of novel technologies. He first gained recognition for writing and directing ''The Terminator'' (1984) and found further success with ''Aliens'' (1986), ''The Abyss'' (1989), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), and the action comedy ''True Lies'' (1994). He wrote and directed ''Titanic'' (1997) and ''Avatar'' (2009), with ''Titanic'' earning him Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. A recipient of various other industry accolades, two of his films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Cameron co-founded the production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain, and Earthship Productions. In addition to filmmaking, he is a National Geographic sea explorer and has produced many documentaries on the subject, including ''Ghosts of the Abyss'' (2003) and ''Aliens of the Deep'' (2005). Cameron has also contributed to underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies and helped create the digital 3D Fusion Camera System. In 2012, Cameron became the first person to do a solo descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth's ocean, in the ''Deepsea Challenger'' submersible.

Cameron's films have grossed over $8 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing film director of all time. Three of Cameron's films are amongst the top four highest-grossing films of all time; ''Avatar,'' ''Titanic'', and '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022), are the highest, third, and fourth highest-grossing films of all time, respectively. Cameron holds the achievement of having directed the first two of the six films in history to gross over $2 billion worldwide. He is also the only director to have three films grossed over $2 billion worldwide. In 2010, ''Time'' named Cameron as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Cameron is also an environmentalist and runs several sustainability businesses.

Early life

James Francis CameronSpace Foundation. (n.d.)
America's vision: The case for space exploration
, p. 42. Retrieved December 12, 2009. was born on August 16, 1954, in Kapuskasing, Ontario, to Philip Cameron, an electrical engineer, and Shirley (), an artist and nurse. He is the first of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. His paternal great-great-great-grandfather immigrated from Balquhidder, Scotland, in 1825. Cameron spent summers on his grandfather's farm in southern Ontario. He attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls. At age 17, Cameron and his family moved from Chippawa to Brea, California. He attended Sonora High School and then moved to Brea Olinda High School. Classmates recalled that he was not a sportsman but instead enjoyed building things that "either went up into the air or into the deep".

After high school, Cameron enrolled at Fullerton College, a community college in 1973 to study physics. He switched subjects to English, but left the college at the end of 1974. He worked odd jobs, including as a truck driver and a janitor, but wrote in his free time. During this period, he learned about special effects by reading other students' work on "optical printing, or front screen projection, or dye transfers, anything that related to film technology" at the library. After the excitement of seeing ''Star Wars'' in 1977, Cameron quit his job as a truck driver to enter the film industry.

Film career

Early work and 1980s

Cameron's directing career began in 1978. After borrowing money from a consortium of dentists, he learned to direct, write and produce his first short film, '' Xenogenesis'' (1978) with a friend. Learning as they went, Cameron said he felt like a doctor doing his first surgical procedure. He then served as a production assistant for ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' (1979). While educating himself about filmmaking techniques, Cameron started a job as a miniature model maker at Roger Corman Studios. He was soon employed as an art director for the science-fiction film ''Battle Beyond the Stars'' (1980). He carried out the special effects for John Carpenter's '' Escape from New York'' (1981), served as production designer for ''Galaxy of Terror'' (1981), and consulted on the design for ''Android'' (1982).

Cameron was hired as the special effects director for the sequel to ''Piranha'' (1978), titled '' Piranha II: The Spawning'' in 1982. The original director, Miller Drake, left the project due to creative differences with producer Ovidio Assonitis. Shot in Rome, Italy and on Grand Cayman, the film gave Cameron the opportunity to become director for a major film for the first time. However, Cameron later said that it did not feel like his first film due to power-struggles with Assonitis. Disillusioned from being in Rome and suffering a fever, Cameron had a nightmare about an invincible robot hit-man sent from the future to assassinate him, which later led to the inspiration of ''The Terminator''. Upon release of ''Piranha II: The Spawning'', critics were not impressed; author Tim Healey called it "a marvellously bad movie which splices clichés from every conceivable source".

Inspired by John Carpenter's horror film ''Halloween'' (1978), in 1982 Cameron wrote the script for ''The Terminator'' (1984), a sci-fi action film about a cyborg sent from the future to carry out a lethal mission. Cameron wanted to sell the script so that he could direct the movie. Whilst some film studios expressed interest in the project, many executives were unwilling to let a new and unfamiliar director make the movie. Gale Anne Hurd, a colleague and founder of Pacific Western Productions, agreed to buy Cameron's script for one dollar, on the condition that Cameron direct the film. He convinced the president of Hemdale Pictures to make the film, with Cameron as director and Hurd as a producer. Lance Henriksen, who starred in ''Piranha II: The Spawning'', was considered for the lead role, but Cameron decided that Arnold Schwarzenegger was more suitable as the cyborg villain due to his bodybuilder appearance. Henriksen was given a smaller role instead. Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton also joined the cast. ''The Terminator'' was a box office success, exceeding expectations set by Orion Pictures. The film proved popular with audiences and earned over $78 million worldwide. George Perry of the BBC praised Cameron's direction, writing "Cameron laces the action with ironic jokes, but never lets up on hinting that the terror may strike at any moment". In 2008, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

In 1984, Cameron was hired to write a sequel to First Blood; it was rewritten by Sylvester Stallone and released as '' Rambo: First Blood Part II''. Cameron was then hired to write and direct a sequel to ''Alien'' (1979), a science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. Like the original, the sequel ''Aliens'' (1986) featured Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. ''Aliens'' follows Ripley as she helps a group of marines fight off extraterrestrials. Despite conflicts with cast and crew during production, and having to replace one of the lead actors— James Remar with Michael Biehn—''Aliens'' was a box office success, generating over $130 million worldwide. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1987; Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. It won awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. In addition, Weaver and the film made the cover of ''Time'' magazine in July 1986.

After ''Aliens'', Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd decided to make ''The Abyss'', a story about oil-rig workers who discover strange intelligent life in the ocean. Based on an idea which Cameron had conceived of during high school, the film was initially budgeted at $41 million, although it ran considerably over this amount. It starred Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. The production process began in the Cayman Islands and in South Carolina, inside the building of an unfinished nuclear power plant with two huge water tanks. The cast and crew recall Cameron's dictatorial behavior, and the filming of water scenes which were mentally and physically exhausting. Upon the film's release, ''The Abyss'' was praised for its special effects, and earned $90 million at the worldwide box office. ''The Abyss'' received four Academy Award nominations and won Best Visual Effects.

1990s

In 1990, Cameron co-founded the firm Lightstorm Entertainment with partner Lawrence Kasanoff. In 1991, Cameron served as executive producer for '' Point Break'' (1991), directed by Kathryn Bigelow. After the success of ''The Terminator'' there were discussions for a sequel and by the late 1980s, Mario Kassar of Carolco Pictures secured the rights to the sequel, allowing Cameron to begin production of the film, '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991). Written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reprise their roles. The story follows on from ''Terminator'', depicting a new villain ( T-1000), with shape-shifting ability and hunts for Sarah Connor's son, John ( Edward Furlong). Cameron cast Robert Patrick as T-1000 because of his lean and thin appearance—a sharp contrast to Schwarzenegger. Cameron explained, "I wanted someone who was extremely fast and agile. If the T-800 is a human Panzer tank, then the T-1000 is a Porsche". ''Terminator 2'' was one of the most expensive films to be produced, costing at least $94 million. Despite the challenging use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), the film was completed on time and released on July 3, 1991. ''Terminator 2'' broke box office records (including the opening weekend record for an R-rated film), earning over $200 million in North America and being the first to earn over $300 million worldwide. It won four Academy Awards: Best Makeup, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. It also received nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, but lost both to political thriller ''JFK'' (1991).

In subsequent years, Cameron planned to do a third ''Terminator'' film but plans never materialized. The rights to the ''Terminator'' franchise were eventually purchased by Kassar from a bankruptcy sale of Carolco's assets. Cameron moved on to other projects and, in 1993, co-founded Digital Domain, a visual effects production company. In 1994, Cameron and Schwarzenegger reunited for their third collaboration, ''True Lies,'' a remake of the 1991 French comedy '' La Totale!'' The story depicts an American secret agent who leads a double life as a married man, whose wife believes he is a computer salesman. The film co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Eliza Dushku and Tom Arnold. Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment signed a deal with 20th Century Fox for the production of ''True Lies''. Budgeted at a minimum of $100 million, the film earned $146 million in the United States and Canada. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and Curtis won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. In 1995, Cameron co-produced ''Strange Days'', a science fiction thriller. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and co-written by Jay Cocks