**Early Life and Personal Background:**
– James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954, in Kapuskasing, Ontario.
– He is the first of five children, with two brothers and two sisters.
– Cameron’s paternal great-great-great-grandfather emigrated from Balquhidder, Scotland.
– He attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls and later moved to California.
– Initially studied physics at Fullerton College before switching to English.
– Cameron has been married five times, with notable relationships including Gale Anne Hurd, Kathryn Bigelow, Linda Hamilton, and Suzy Amis.
– Has children with Linda Hamilton and Suzy Amis.
– Applied for American citizenship in 2004 but withdrew his application.
– Resided in the United States and New Zealand, eventually choosing to live permanently in New Zealand.
– Atheist who was formerly associated with agnosticism.
– Adopted a vegan lifestyle since 2011.
– Close friend of Guillermo del Toro.
**Film Career and Achievements:**
– Directed successful films like “The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar.”
– Won 11 Academy Awards for “Titanic.”
– Known for pushing boundaries in filmmaking technology.
– Co-founded production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain, and Earthship Productions.
– Produced documentaries on underwater exploration.
– Contributed to advancements in underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies.
– Helped create the digital 3D Fusion Camera System.
– Made significant advancements in filmmaking technology throughout his career.
– Planned to make all future films in New Zealand.
– Aimed to demonstrate a safe return to work in the film industry post-COVID-19.
**Environmental and Humanitarian Work:**
– Environmentalist running several sustainability businesses.
– Planned adaptations of “The Last Train from Hiroshima” and “The Informationist.”
– Met with EPA officials to discuss solutions for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
– Worked with NASA on building cameras for the Curiosity rover.
– Expressed interest in Mars colonization projects for novels, miniseries, and films.
– Member of the Mars Society advocating for Mars colonization.
**Deep-Sea Exploration and Discoveries:**
– Cameron contributed to advancements in underwater filming and remotely operated vehicles.
– Became a National Geographic explorer-in-residence in 2011.
– Dove five miles deep to the bottom of the New Britain Trench with the Deepsea Challenger.
– Explored the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, alone.
– Discovered new species of sea cucumber, squid worm, and a giant single-celled amoeba.
– Preceded by unmanned dives in 1995 and 2009.
– Criticized OceanGate and its co-founder Stockton Rush for submersible safety concerns.
– Criticized the use of carbon-fiber composite in submersibles for deep-sea environments.
**Future Projects and Endeavors:**
– Cameron announced plans for three “Avatar” sequels to be released in 2024, 2026, and 2028.
– The budget for the sequels was estimated to be over $1 billion.
– “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” began production in 2017.
– “Avatar: The Way of Water” premiered in 2022 as the highest-grossing film of the year.
– Lightstorm Entertainment acquired film rights to “The Informationist” for Cameron to direct.
– Endorsed Hillary Clinton for the 2016 US presidential election.
James Francis Cameron CC (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era. He often uses novel technologies with a classical filmmaking style. 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), True Lies (1994), as well as Avatar (2009) and its sequels. He directed, wrote, co-produced, and co-edited Titanic (1997), winning three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. He is a recipient of various other industry accolades, and three of his films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
James Cameron | |
---|---|
Born | James Francis Cameron August 16, 1954 Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada |
Alma mater | Fullerton College |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1978–present |
Works | Full list |
Spouses | Sharon Williams
(m. 1978; div. 1984) |
Children | 4 |
Awards | Full list |
Cameron co-founded the production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain, and Earthship Productions. In addition to filmmaking, he is a National Geographic sea tourist 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 (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Titanic (1997) are the highest, third-highest and fourth-highest-grossing films of all time, respectively. Cameron directed the first film to gross over $1 billion, the first two films to gross over $2 billion, and is the only director to have had three films gross over $2 billion. In 2010, Time named Cameron one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Cameron is also an environmentalist and runs several sustainability businesses.